Latvia became a member of UNESCO in 1991, and joined the European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe in 1992. In 1995, Latvia became a signatory to the Berne Convention. The Memorandum of Co-operation between Latvia and UNESCO was signed in 1998. In 2004, Latvia became a member state of the EU.
In 2007, Latvia ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The responsible body for the implementation and monitoring of the convention is the Ministry of Culture.
Cooperation within the Baltic Sea region is awarded special attention. VASAB – Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea – is an intergovernmental multilateral co-operation of 10 countries of the Baltic Sea Region in spatial planning and development. It is guided by the Conference of Ministers responsible for spatial planning and development and steered by the Committee on Spatial Planning and Development of the Baltic Sea Region (CSPD/BSR), composed of representatives of respective ministries and regional authorities (Germany, Russia).
The European Commission adopted a Communication on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region on June 10th 2009. This is the first time that a comprehensive Strategy, covering several Community policies, is targeted on a “macro-region”. The Baltic Sea Region Programme funded projects that contribute to the implementation of the Strategy.
The Council of the Baltic Sea States is an overall political forum for regional inter-governmental cooperation. It includes an initiative in the cultural field – Ars Baltica that is an international cultural network (established in 1991).
The co-operation of three Baltic States constitutes the following institutional frameworks – the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers. The parliamentary co-operation takes place within the Baltic Assembly, but all matters related to practical co-operation are being dealt within the format of the Baltic Council of Ministers. Some cultural initiatives take place within this official cooperation format (e.g. annual prize of the Baltic Assembly http://www.baltasam.org/). The programme of cultural cooperation between the Culture Ministries of the three Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) are regularly renewed in accordance with the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Culture between the Ministry of Cultures of three Baltic States (1994). The current programme is designed for the period 2019-2022 and proposes to continue such long-term joint projects as Baltic Museology Summer School and international chamber orchestra of three Baltic States Kremerata Baltica, and to foster collaboration with Baltic Film and Media School, Baltic Drama Forum, Baltic Dance Platform, Baltic Architects’ Unions Association etc.
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