From 1998 until Poland’s accession into the EU in 2004, inter-ministerial co-operation in the field of culture has been extensively organised around the programmes devoted to the preparation of Poland for its membership. The European Committee of the Council of Ministers was formed in March 2004 to operate as a decision-making forum and is responsible for drafting EU integration policy. Afterwards, the transversal co-operation was devoted to the preparation of a few cities in Poland for the competition for the title of European Capital of Culture 2016, which was eventually won by Wrocław. In recent years, cooperation between ministries has intensified, particularly in connection with Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025, the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO), European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate and Environment (FEnIKS), and the development of long-term strategic frameworks such as the Strategy for Culture 2050.
Other types of cooperation include the International Centre for Training and Research on Cultural Heritage in danger, which is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of National Defence. This cooperation was initiated by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in 2017. In the second quarter of 2020, a specialised military centre was launched in Garrison Wrocław, providing training for civilians and military personnel involved in the protection of cultural heritage in an armed conflict. The centre follows the traditions of Poland’s involvement in multinational missions, carried out under the patronage of international organisations for the sake of endangered cultural heritage.
After 2022, questions concerning the protection of cultural heritage in situations of armed conflict gained additional importance due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Cooperation between cultural institutions, security structures and international partners increasingly includes issues related to emergency protection of cultural heritage, documentation of losses and training activities concerning cultural heritage protection in crisis situations.
Agreements on cooperation in the promotion of Polish culture abroad between the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs entered into force at the beginning of 2019. In the first year of its operation, over PLN 6 million was allocated to the creation of a new programme addressed to national and co-led cultural institutions. Under the programme, projects will be implemented in key countries from the point of view of Polish foreign policy. Under the agreement, both ministries will also coordinate activities under their own financial support mechanisms, as well as strengthen joint communication activities. Moreover, both ministries will conduct training together and ensure the best possible flow of information between their subordinate units.
International cultural cooperation intensified further during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2025. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the National Centre for Culture jointly coordinated an extensive cultural programme organised in Poland and abroad under the slogan “Culture Sparks Unity”. The Presidency programme included hundreds of cultural events, exhibitions, concerts, performances and educational initiatives aimed at strengthening European cultural cooperation and promoting contemporary Polish culture internationally.
Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and institutions responsible for digital policy increasingly focuses on digital accessibility, media literacy, artificial intelligence and the digital transformation of cultural institutions. Recent programmes supported the development of digital infrastructure, digitisation of collections, digital competences and access to online cultural services, especially in local cultural centres and smaller municipalities.
In recent years, inter-ministerial cooperation has also increasingly included activities related to sustainability, energy modernisation of cultural infrastructure, accessibility for people with disabilities and support for local cultural institutions financed through European Union mechanisms and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
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