Since Malta’s accession to the European Union in 2004, EU cultural programmes have been a central instrument of international cultural cooperation. The Creative Europe programme (current cycle 2021–2027) supports Maltese organisations across cooperation, media and cross-sectoral strands; participation is supported nationally by the Creative Europe Desk Malta hosted by ACM. Erasmus+ supports mobility and training exchanges for cultural workers and emerging artists. Malta also contributes to EU-level policy: during its 2017 EU Council Presidency, Malta convened a Presidency conference on cultural diplomacy which fed into the Council Conclusions of 23 May 2017 on an EU strategic approach to international cultural relations, within the framework of Article 167 TFEU on EU cultural cooperation.
Malta has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1965 and is party to the European Cultural Convention since 1966. Heritage is a particular area of engagement: Malta has ratified the Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Granada, 1985) and the revised European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (Valletta, 1992) (Malta hosted the signing of the latter) and joined the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes in 2023. Malta ratified the European Landscape Convention in May 2025 (in force 1 September 2025) after a 25-year interval since signature. Malta held the Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers from May to November 2025, which included cultural-heritage themes alongside democracy and rights priorities. In the audiovisual sector, Malta participates in the European Audiovisual Observatory and acceded to Eurimages in January 2026, widening access to European film co-production support. In March 2026, Malta was among the first nine signatories of the new Council of Europe Convention on the Co-Production of Audiovisual Works in the Form of Series (CETS 230), signed at the Series Mania Forum in Lille. This is the first international legal framework dedicated specifically to independent co-production of television and streaming series, complementing CETS 220 and Malta’s Eurimages membership.
Malta joined UNESCO in 1965 and is party to the World Heritage Convention (1972) (three inscribed properties), the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ratified 2021), the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ratified 2017), and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (acceded 18 December 2006, entry into force 18 March 2007). Malta’s UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage inscriptions include the art of the Maltese Ftira (2020), Għana, Maltese folk music (2021), and a further inscription in 2024 reflecting renewed policy attention to living traditions. Malta is also a member of ICCROM and the Anna Lindh Foundation network and hosted the foundation’s MED Forum in Valletta in 2016. The Maltese National Commission for UNESCO coordinates national implementation across the conventions.
At EU level, the European Media Freedom Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/900), the EU’s principal instrument on media pluralism and editorial independence, became fully applicable in August 2025. Malta published implementing measures through Legal Notice 175 of 2025 (see 2.5.3 for detail on implementation and international assessments).
In 2026 Arts Council Malta strengthened its presence in the European Network of Cultural Centres (ENCC) by joining its board of governors.
Malta is engaged in additional regional initiatives including the Italy–Malta Interreg programme supporting cross-border heritage and arts projects, the CHORAL cultural-heritage cooperation project led by Heritage Malta, and participation in international heritage and arts networks (ICOMOS, IETM). The country is not part of a language-based cooperation area such as La Francophonie, but participates in cultural exchange and professional-skills programmes through Commonwealth frameworks as well as its cultural platforms.
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