The main institutional actors in the promotion of Polish culture abroad are the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Other ministries and agencies that also play an important role in this field are the Ministry of Education and other public or private institutions and organisations such as the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Book Institute, the Polish National Tourist Office, the Polish Film Institute, and the Polish Information and Foreign Investments Agency.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs realises its tasks in the field of international cultural cooperation chiefly through the Polish Institutes based in other countries. Co-operation is also undertaken through Polish embassies and (cultural and science) attachés, and the departments of the Polish Academy of Science in Berlin, Paris, Rome and Vienna.
The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are responsible for working out the priorities of foreign state cultural policy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ratifies the cultural agreements on the government level. Poland has many bilateral agreements with countries from all over the world. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage supervises the application of these agreements and the implementation of cultural cooperation programmes.
In the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, international cultural cooperation is the responsibility of the Department of International Cooperation. The main task of the Department is to coordinate international cooperation in the field of culture. It also has the role of cooperating with Polish organisations abroad and of realising international agreements. The Department also supervises the work of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the International Cultural Centre in Krakow.
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a state cultural institution which aims to popularise Polish culture around the world and cooperate on cultural projects with other countries. The Institute was founded on 1 March 2000 on the basis of a directive issued by the then Minister of Culture and Art. The goal of the Institute’s activity is to promote Poland abroad by popularising the historical and contemporary achievements of Polish culture, in accordance with the fundamental guidelines of Poland’s foreign policy and cultural policy.
After 2023, international cultural policy increasingly emphasised cultural diplomacy within the European Union framework, support for democratic resilience, cooperation with Ukraine and the promotion of contemporary creative sectors as instruments of international visibility and soft power. Greater importance has also been attached to interdisciplinary projects combining culture, technology, design, digital media and international mobility of artists and cultural professionals.
In recent years, an increasing role in cultural relations has been carried out by cultural institutions founded by local government administrations as well as NGOs. Many of these institutions help to influence and shape Polish cultural relations with other countries.
In the first half of 2025, Poland held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time since joining the EU. The Presidency’s programme was organised around the broader theme of security and European resilience, while cultural policy formed an important element of activities within the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (EYCS). In the field of culture, the Polish Presidency focused on supporting young creators and artists entering the labour market, discussing the future of the Creative Europe programme after 2027 and strengthening the role of culture in building European identity and social cohesion.
International cultural cooperation in 2025 was strongly shaped by the cultural programme accompanying the Presidency, coordinated by the National Centre for Culture and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute under the slogan “Culture Sparks Unity”. According to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the programme comprised more than 550 cultural events organised both in Poland and abroad between January and June 2025, including exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, film screenings, literary projects and educational activities. The Presidency programme was implemented through dedicated initiatives and grant schemes, including Synergies, Artistic Education, Promotion of Polish Culture Abroad and Inspiring Culture. The programme aimed to strengthen cultural cooperation within the European Union, promote contemporary Polish culture internationally and emphasise the role of culture in democratic resilience and intercultural dialogue.
As part of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Ministry of Culture identified the situation of young artists as one of its leading cultural priorities.
The main events dedicated to this topic included:
- Conference “Young Artists – Challenges and Reality”9–10 April 2025, Warsaw, Zachęta – National Gallery of Art. This was the flagship Presidency event devoted to the situation of emerging artists in Europe. It gathered artists, cultural institutions, policymakers, academics, and representatives of the creative industries.
- Expert Forum on the Future of Culture and Creative Sectors in the EU 4 December 2025, International Cultural Centre (MCK), Kraków. This international expert forum focused on the future of culture and creative sectors within the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034. One of panels was dedicated to situation of artists. Recommendations from the forum were intended to contribute to future EU cultural funding frameworks and policy priorities.
At the same time, Poland continued its cultural promotion activities during Expo 2025 in Osaka, presenting projects related to contemporary culture, design, visual arts and creative industries. Recent international cultural policy has increasingly emphasised the role of creative sectors, new technologies and interdisciplinary artistic practices in the international promotion of Polish culture.
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