Dear fans of European film,

With the coming spring, we have begun to look forward to the end of the coronavirus pandemic that has been clenching the world for more than two years. We thought that no disaster has affected our society and civilisation with such a force and such far-reaching consequences since the end of the Second World War. Unfortunately, we were very wrong. On Thursday, February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine and we were forced to admit that the world, as we knew it, for the second time in a short time, changed literally overnight.

Whatever our worries were before this war, they now seem irrelevant as our attention turns to Ukraine and the immense courage with which its people defend their home, territory and freedom from the aggressor. However, Ukraine also defends values that we share and that is why the European Union has shown unparalleled unity in support of Ukraine and in cooperation with other partners has taken some historically unprecedented steps against Russia.

Quite like the outbreak of the pandemic, the Russian aggression too has triggered a huge wave of solidarity and aid. The support comes in many forms also from the cultural sector, ranging from charity performances to public shows of support from prominent personalities. However, the contribution of the cultural sector does not end there. Through shared experiences, culture connects people regardless of language barriers. Given the consequences of the war in Ukraine, which include the arrival of many refugees, it is important to bear in mind the important role that culture plays in social inclusion and social cohesion.

After the hard times of the pandemic, the cultural sector is now coming back to life in a changed world in which new challenges await. One of these challenges will be access to finance, an obstacle that this sector consisting primarily of small, medium and micro-enterprises faced already before the pandemic. The European Union steps in with an offer and help in the form of an ambitious recovery plan for Europe. The resources earmarked in the plan should not only help to repair the economic damage caused by the pandemic, but should also enable EU’s Member States to emerge stronger from the pandemic and transform their economies. The plan includes support for the cultural sector with its Creative Europe programme. The programme was launched in 2021 with a record-high seven-year budget of EUR 2.4 billion, an increase of 64 % compared to the previous budgetary period.

I believe that this support will help cultural institutions of all kinds not only to restart their operations that after a two-year standstill, but also regain their role in the life of a free civil society. On the backdrop of barbarism that rages only a few hundred kilometers away from us, it is more important than ever.

Dana Kovaříková

Head of the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic