Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to renew cultural cooperation program

TALLINN - The Baltic Cultural Committee will meet in Tallinn on Thursday and Friday, during which representatives of the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian ministries of culture will sign a cultural cooperation program between the three countries for the years 2027-2030.

"The world has changed a lot compared to 1994, but one thing has remained the same - the cultural cooperation between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania remains strong," said Merilin Piipuu, Chancellor of the Ministry of Culture. "In the current security situation, this means we must jointly highlight the role of culture and heritage in strengthening society's resilience to crises and reinforcing democracy. Signing the new cooperation program provides a good opportunity to review what we have achieved together and to set goals for the next four years."

The Baltic Cultural Committee is a regular form of cooperation between the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian ministries of culture, which meets once a year to discuss various practical cooperation topics. This year, the meeting is hosted by Estonia. The close cooperation of the Baltic states on cultural policy issues helps keep cultural topics visible at the European level. In 2027, all of Europe's attention will be on the Baltics: Estonia will organize a Ukraine reconstruction conference in January, the Latvian city of Liepaja will be the European Capital of Culture, and Lithuania will lead the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of the year.

During the meeting in Tallinn, various cultural institutions will be visited, such as the soon-to-be-completed Tallinn Art Hall and the National Library. To conclude the committee's two-day program, participants will also attend the first-ever Baltic Opera Gala on September 4, which will bring together soloists from the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian opera theaters on one stage.