EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture)
On June 10, 2021, the State Institute of Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs was accepted as a full member of the EU National Institutes for Culture - EUNIC and thus stood next to the Ministry of Culture as a representative in the network on the Bulgarian side. Membership was unanimously approved by EUNIC members at the General Assembly of the Network, held in Toledo, Spain in a hybrid format. The Sate Institute for Culture's membership in EUNIC expands the opportunities for better coordination of the participation of Bulgarian diplomatic and consular missions in joint projects with partners from the European Union and third countries. This will also mean increased opportunities for the inclusion of the Bulgarian cultural sector in the international cultural exchange. For the Institute, this is a new, important step in its work in the field of cultural diplomacy.
EUNIC: Founded in 2006, EUNIC, the Association of the National European Cultural Institutes, is a network of organizations developing international cultural relations. Together with its partners, EUNIC establishes European cultural cooperation in more than 100 countries around the world with a network of 132 clusters, in which Bulgarian cultural institutes abroad take an active part, drawing on the extensive experience of its members from all EU member states and associate countries (https://www.eunicglobal.eu/about). EUNIC promotes the important role of culture in international relations and is a strategic partner of the EU, actively involved in the further implementation of European cultural policy. EUNIC is in an ever-increasing partnership with the European External Action Service (EEAS) as well as with EU Delegations in countries outside the Union. EUNIC is a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building between its members and partners.