Since its independence, Croatia has been a member of the Council of Europe, and has participated in its numerous activities and projects.
The country became a full member of the EU in July 2013. However, it had participated in EU programmes earlier, as in June 2007, the Memorandum of Understanding with European Communities was signed, which made Croatia a full member of the EU Culture 2007-2013 programme. The Cultural Contact Point (CCP) Department (now Creative Europe Service) has been established and hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Media. Also, in 2008, the Memorandum of Understanding with European Communities on the Croatian participation in the MEDIA 2007 Programme was signed and Croatia has established a Media Desk within the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (see chapter 3.2), that is now called Creative Europe Desk – MEDIA Sub-programme. By devising a special Rulebook, the Ministry of Culture and Media supports Croatian cultural organisations through co-financing projects supported by the EU programme Creative Europe – Sub-programme Culture. The total yearly support for organisations) in 2022 amounts approx. to 226 666 EUR.
Strengthening cultural cooperation with other countries of the European Union is one of the priorities of international cultural cooperation. Such cooperation is based on existing links between artists and arts managers; bilateral and regional programmes of cooperation; cooperation within the framework of international organisations such as UNESCO or the Council of Europe; cooperation within regional organisations such as the Council of Ministers of Culture of South East Europe (the Charter, signed in Copenhagen on 31 March 2005), the network of ministers responsible for cultural heritage sponsored by UNESCO, the Danubian Region, the Alps Adriatic Working Community, the Central European Initiative, the Quadrilateral Initiative, Adrian-Ionian Initiative, etc. The projects include post-war reconstruction, the return of stolen cultural assets, support for mobility, and cooperation in the field of policy-making, cultural itineraries, networking among youth, etc.
Croatia is an active member of UNESCO and participates in a number of projects initiated and supported by this organisation. The Ministry of Culture and Media is responsible for the implementation of the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and regularly publishes the Quadrennial Periodic Report (QPR). In accordance with the international agreement signed between UNESCO and the Republic of Croatia, the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology was founded in Zadar in 2007 with the aim to enhance cooperation in preservation and promotion of the underwater cultural heritage of Croatia, South East Europe and the Mediterranean. The Service for UNESCO at the Ministry of Culture and Media coordinates the work of the National Commission for UNESCO; cooperates with responsible ministries in implementing normative instruments, regularly manages calls for the UNESCO Participation programme, provides stipends for Women in Science, and is the focal point of the UNESCO 2005 Convention etc.
The Ministry of Culture and Media actively participates in the work of different international networks such as the Forum of Slavic Cultures, International Federation of Arts Councils and Agencies (IFACCA)(e.g. the Ministry of Culture organised the 17th Europe Chapter Meeting of IFACCA in 2019), and others.
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