On 16 June 2025, the Ministry of Culture solemnly signed the founding charter of the Neighbouring Cultural Coordination in Nova Gorica, which officially marked the beginning of a new chapter of structured cooperation with Slovenian cultural organisations in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
The founding session and signing were accompanied by the Minister of Culture, Dr Asta Vrečko, the Minister for Slovenians in the Neighbouring Countries and the World, Matej Arčon, and representatives of cultural associations in the neighbouring countries.
The establishment of coordination is the result of a joint process led by the Ministry of Culture and the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians Abroad and Abroad, in close cooperation with cultural organisations from neighbouring countries. Coordination does not mean the creation of a new official body, but represents an operational and support platform that will enable long-term coordination, mutual communication and development of concrete content and projects in the cross-border space.
"For communities in the neighbourhood, culture is more than just expression – it is an essential part of the community that connects people across borders. Today's signing is an expression of our commitment to strengthen and develop this bond between people and culture," said Minister Dr Asta Vrečko at the signing.
The focus of the coordination will be on enhanced cooperation between cultural actors outside and within Slovenia's borders – not only in the field of art, but also in relation to education, youth programmes and language policy. At the introductory meeting in Ljubljana, representatives of organisations from neighbouring countries expressed a clear desire for closer substantive cooperation, concrete contacts with institutions in Slovenia and greater visibility of their work.
Over the past year, the Ministry of Culture has made several important systemic shifts, which provide a solid basis for such initiatives:
- For the first time, the public call for the circulation of cultural content was expanded with the possibility of cross-border applications, which enabled cultural institutions from the Republic of Slovenia to connect with neighbouring organisations from Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary, and provide residents with even better access to quality performances, concerts and exhibitions.
- For the first time, the calls systematically promoted the cross-border mobility of artists, touring, translating and joint production.
- We have also carried out additional calls for proposals in the field of cultural heritage in the total amount of EUR 3.6 million for 2025 and 2026, which include the possibility of partnerships with institutions in neighbouring countries.
- In the formulation of policies, representatives of the neighbouring communities were also involved.
The establishment of the Neighbouring Cultural Coordination is in line with our basic guidelines – especially the decentralisation of cultural development, multi-annual planning and the building of sustainable partnerships, both within and outside the country's borders.
The cross-border cultural space is often inherently decentralised: diversified, local, but extremely active and connected to the wider European space. Our work is therefore not based on transferring models from the centre, but on respecting and strengthening local initiatives.
In the coming months, the Coordination will develop its work programme for 2026, with a focus on:
- support for linguistic culture and bilingualism;
- work with children and young people (workshops, theatre and music projects, bibliobus, etc.);
- liaising with townships, cultural centres and schools in border areas;
- exchanges and trainings for cultural workers.
"Let our common cultural space be boundless – borderless as our solidarity, boundless as our creativity, boundless as our future," Minister Dr. Adams told the audience. A bag and also reminded of the motto of the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica – Gorizia.
Cross-border cultural coordination will work precisely in this spirit: as a bridge between countries, languages, generations and visions.
The founding charter was signed today by the Minister of Culture Dr Asta Vrečko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Slovenians Abroad and the World Matej Arčon, President of the Federation of Slovenian Associations in Croatia Barbara Antolić Vupora, President of the Slovenian Education Association Mitja Rovšek, President of the Association of Slovenians in Hungary Andrea Kovács, President of the Slovenian Education Association Tomaž Simčič, Secretary and Manager of the Christian Cultural Association Martin Kuchling, President of the Association of Slovenian Cultural Societies ETS Viviana Persi, President of the Association of Slovenian Catholic Education Miloš Čotar. Representatives of the House of Paul did not attend the signing due to urgent obligations, the founding charter will be signed at a later date.