As Poland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025, it has prepared a rich national cultural programme aimed at promoting European values, supporting young artists and fostering international cultural cooperation. The theme of the programme – Culture is shared – reflects the commitment to building a strong, united Europe based on dialogue, solidarity and diversity. Coordinated by the National Centre for Culture on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the programme includes more than 200 events taking place across the country, in both major cities and smaller towns.
– The Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union is an opportunity to present Poland’s values and heritage to Europe. Poland, whose history has repeatedly demonstrated the importance of democracy and the strength of community. Through artistic events and cultural exchanges during the Presidency, we want to showcase common European values, reflect on history and identity, and look to the future – building bridges that connect citizens from different EU Member States. We want to emphasise solidarity, responsibility and the need for mutual support between nations, including those that are not yet members of the European Unio – emphasises Hanna Wróblewska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
The national cultural programme, which focuses on young creators and responds to the current technological and regulatory challenges of the audiovisual market, is a joint effort of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the National Centre for Culture and numerous partners. It uses the language of culture to tell a story and encourage the building of a community that unites generations, social groups and nations. It promotes dialogue, cooperation, international and intergenerational exchange, innovation, support for young artists, the creation of spaces for action, diversity and openness.
The main premise of the programme’s concept is to widen access to culture and to promote decentralisation, cooperation and strengthening of local engagement – sharing the Presidency and celebrating it across Poland. It moves away from centralised ceremonies in favour of diverse local initiatives that highlight the rich cultural wealth of Poland’s regions and the strength and value they represent. All activities will be carried out in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Events organised by the National Centre for Culture to mark the Presidency include concerts by young artists, the 11th International Forum Europe with a View to the Future, co-productions including festivals, reviews, exhibitions, artist residencies, conferences and a final multi-city concert.
– We are moving away from mega-productions signed by renowned curators in favour of giving the initiative to local governments and empowering smaller towns and cities at all three levels – local districts, regional capitals and those European cities recently nominated for the title of European Capital of Culture – comments Robert Piaskowski, Director of the National Centre for Culture.
Meetings and conferences
Supporting young artists and adapting legislation to the changing conditions of the audiovisual market, copyright and modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, are the two main priorities of the Polish Presidency. Young artists are the ones who bring new energy, unexpected inspiration and creativity to European culture, something the old continent so desperately needs today.
The Presidency’s cultural programme includes discussions and exchanges of views with cultural representatives from Member States on systemic changes in the EU during a conference on the situation of young artists, which will take place on 9 and 10 April at the Zachęta Art Gallery in Warsaw. The two-day event consists of six thematic panels focusing on the design of an artist’s career, issues related to artists’ education, support for their development, the future of artistic professions, artists’ entrepreneurship and artists’ health.
Artificial intelligence in the context of media, audiovisual services and copyright is the topic of a conference to be held on 24 and 25 April at the EC1 Science and Technology Centre in Lodz. Seven stimulating debates will provide an opportunity for substantive dialogue on the work of journalists, the fight against disinformation, the creative sectors and the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Media education and digital literacy will also be discussed.
Music as a universal language connecting generations – concerts by young artists
Music, as the most universal means of expression, plays a key role in the Presidency’s national cultural programme, providing a space for creative encounters.
A special event will be the concerts of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), which will bring together on one stage more than 230 artists from 27 countries of the European Union. The EUYO, together with the Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, the Polish National Youth Choir conducted by Susanna Mälkki and world-renowned soloists Heidi Stober (soprano) and Małgorzata Walewska (mezzo-soprano), will perform Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, ‘Resurrection’. Heidi Stober (soprano) and Małgorzata Walewska (mezzo-soprano) will perform Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2 in C minor, ‘Resurrection’. The concerts will take place on 8 April at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice and on 9 April at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw.
In April and May, we invite you to six cities (Wroclaw, Zielona Góra, Szczecin, Olsztyn, Łódź, Katowice) for concerts by young artists, where we will hear klezmer, classical, alt-pop, jazz and even compositions from computer games, performed by the following bands Chopin University Big Band, Music Everywhere, Heroes Orchestra, Polska Orkiestra Sinfonia Iuventus, Sejny Theatre Klezmer Orchestra and The Best of Polish Alt-Pop (Santabarbara, Cinnamon Gum, Wczasy, Niemoc and Bluszcz).
The musical climax of the Presidency will be a grand final multi-concert on 27 June in five cities simultaneously: Gdańsk, Kraków, Bydgoszcz, Rzeszów and Poznań. The event, which will be broadcast live on national and regional channels of Telewizja Polska, will bring together outstanding Polish and foreign artists to create a musical story about the unity, diversity and common rhythm of European culture.
Festivals and shows
The cultural programme also includes artistic co-productions created in partnership with leading Polish festivals, theatres, galleries and cultural institutions. Eighteen exceptional projects have been selected from nationally-recurring initiatives with an international scope, covering film, theatre, literature, visual arts, dance, design, and folk and traditional culture. Exciting multidisciplinary events will take place in Poznań, Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków, Olsztyn, Katowice, Łódź, Białystok, Sopot, Gdańsk, Lublin, Łomża and Toruń.
Grant programmes
The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage also supports grassroots, local initiatives by institutions, organisations and artists throughout Poland. A total of PLN 32 million has been allocated through grant programmes to co-finance projects and initiatives in line with the values and priorities of the Presidency. This will enable the organisation of artistic events and performances, educational and animation activities involving the local community, as well as artistic residencies for young creators and artists.
The SYNERGIES grant programme, coordinated by the National Centre for Culture, is an expression of solidarity, community and cooperation at both local and international levels, with a budget of PLN 5 million. Its aim is to promote European ideas through local cultural activities with the participation of foreign partners from EU Member States, EFTA or EU candidate countries, as well as to support the implementation of the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union: social solidarity, support for young people entering the labour market, while at the same time activating and involving all age groups in accordance with one of UNESCO’s main social ideas – that no one is left behind.
The SYNERGIES Grant Programme
The programme is aimed at local government cultural institutions and non-governmental organisations. Its aim is to promote European ideas through local cultural activities in common spaces and to support the implementation of the priorities of the Polish EU Presidency: social solidarity and community, helping young people to enter the labour market, while activating and involving all age groups in accordance with one of UNESCO’s main social ideas: leaving no one behind. A key condition for participation in the programme and for receiving funding was the involvement of foreign partners from EU Member States, EFTA or EU candidate countries, who enrich the projects with their perspective.
As part of the programme, non-governmental organisations and local government cultural institutions are implementing 71 projects (almost 200 events) in 16 provinces with the participation of foreign partners from European Union Member States, the European Free Trade Association and EU candidate countries.
SYNERGIES includes artistic events, educational and animation activities and residencies for young artists with partners from Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Lithuania, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Norway, Italy, Denmark, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Switzerland and Georgia.
11th International Forum “Europe with a View to the Future”
Reflection on today’s key challenges and an international debate on the future of European culture and democracy are also an integral part of the cultural programme. The International Forum ‘Europe with a View to the Future’ will take place on 3 and 4 June at the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk. The venue and date have a symbolic dimension – they refer to the first democratic elections in Poland on 4 June 1989, which were won by ‘Solidarity’. Prominent figures from Poland and abroad, including Ruth Wodak, Henrik Müller, Harold James, Shalini Randeria, Edwin Bendyk, Michał Bilewicz and Katarzyna Szymielewicz, will discuss the key ideas of the Polish Presidency, such as solidarity, security, the future of culture and democracy, and intergenerational and intercultural dialogue. During the debates, we will seek answers to questions such as how to preserve the foundations on which our society is built, or how to defend solidarity so that it is the driving force for change in Europe and the world. The Forum programme also includes a number of fringe events, including a meeting with Olga Tokarczuk, a speech by Lech Wałęsa, the premiere concert of Aga Zaryan & the Silesian Big Band at the Polish Baltic Frederic Chopin Philharmonic in Gdańsk, and outdoor events.
BWA Europe 2025 Festival
As part of the celebration of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, 22 galleries associated in the BWA network have prepared an artistic programme combining art and social dialogue. From January to July, exhibitions, workshops, residencies and panel discussions will take place, addressing issues of contemporary civilisation – from the impact of artificial intelligence to migration and climate change. More than 40 artists from Poland and Central Europe are involved in the project. The BWA Europe Festival is organised and co-funded by the National Cultural Centre and the University of the National Education Committee in Kraków as part of the celebrations for the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
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