The State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs became a member of the European Network of Cultural Institutes EUNIC
15 June 2021 News
The State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs (SCI) was accepted on June 10, 2021 as a full member of the European Network Cultural Institutions EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture). The SCI's candidacy was unanimously approved by EUNIC members at the Network's General Assembly, held in Toledo, Spain, in a hybrid format.
According to the established procedures, the candidacy of the Institute was officially proposed to the leadership of EUNIC by the Ministry of Culture - a full member and representative of Bulgaria in the European structure. During the online meeting, the management and team of the State Cultural Institute made a detailed presentation of their activities, structure and priorities, during which EUNIC members had the opportunity to learn about the main arguments for expanding the participation of Bulgaria.
SCI's membership in EUNIC will expand 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.
Founded in 2006, EUNIC, the association of national European cultural institutes, is a network of organisations 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 associates 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 implementation of European cultural policy. The network actively partners 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.