Finland/ 3.4 International cultural co-operation  

3.4.3 European / international actors and programmes

Finland has been active in most of the main cultural programmes of UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the EU (see also chapter 3.4.1 and chapter 3.4.2). Of particular importance is the participation in the UNESCO ASPnet (Associated Schools Project Network / international education) activities, the cultural policy monitoring and development programmes of the Council of Europe, and the EU Kolarctic Neighbourhood activities (INTERREG III A North). In general, much of the international / transborder cultural projects have been financed within the framework of the EU Structural Funds. The Ministry of Education and Culture underlined in its strategic plan for the years 2006-2010 the need to allocate funds especially to cohesion-increasing transborder projects in the new 2007-2013 period of Structural Funds.

On 12 June 2006, the Parliament of Finland approved Finland's adherence to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the President of Finland confirmed this adherence by signing the respective national Act on 29 June 2006. Finland's adherence to the convention was ratified after all the Member States of the European Community and the Community itself had deposited their Instruments of Ratification, Accession or Acceptance to the Director General of UNESCO. So far, there are no decisions which organisation(s) of the Finnish cultural administrative system will take the responsibility for in implementing the information and monitoring functions stipulated in Article 9 of the Convention.

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