Luxembourg recently marked the end of its eighth Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, during which it celebrated the 70th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention, highlighting its role as a significant step towards recognising the importance of culture as a pillar in the defence of human rights. In honour of this historic milestone, the Luxembourg Minister of Culture, Mr Eric Thill, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Alain Berset, delivered keynote addresses at a high-level conference in Strasbourg to underline the importance of artistic freedom as an indicator of the vitality of democratic societies.

The highlights of the Luxembourg Presidency conference are summarised in a short animated video.

Minister Thill and the Secretary General Berset, were joined by Mr Owen Bonnici, Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government of Malta and Mr Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, along with a panel of artists, cultural activists and innovators, in drawing attention to the threats posed by the corrosive effects of the politicisation of culture, as well as to the fundamental role of culture in regenerating intercultural dialogue and in nurturing mutual understanding.

This is reinforced in the 2025 Secretary General’s report, “Towards A New Democratic Pact for Europe”, which recognises the important role of culture and creativity in fostering pluralism, in countering the backsliding of democracy, in civic engagement and human rights, while pointing out to current challenges from funding cuts, to censorship, artist intimidation and political pressure on cultural institutions, as well as the consequences on the creative sector of the widespread use of AI.

The current Maltese Presidency aims to highlight the important role of culture and cultural heritage as strategic necessities for democratic resilience and as a powerful antidote to division and hate – which is needed more than ever today.

Video highlights: No Culture ↔ No Democracy

Conference page: No Culture ↔ No Democracy - A special event organised under the auspices of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers to mark 70 years of the European Cultural Convention

Press release: “No Culture. No Democracy”: Celebrating 70 Years of the European Cultural Convention