"The tragic events of 13 November 2015 in Paris once again plunge the European Union into mourning. They are a wake-up call.

 

As the Ministers for Culture of the European Union and senior Representatives of the EU institutions, we wish to express our solidarity with the victims and their loved ones, and with the French people as a whole. We also wish to reiterate our condemnation of this senseless barbarity which seeks to undermine our essential values in the most violent way.

 

Faced with such violence and attempts to disrupt our ways of life, our beliefs and our freedoms, culture - even more so than in the past - has a crucial contribution to make towards opening minds and promoting tolerance, intercultural dialogue, social integration and mutual respect.

 

One of the foremost responses which Europe should provide to intolerance, xenophobia, obscurantism, fanaticism of all kinds and radicalisation lies in culture.

 

For culture also means having a drink together, sharing a meal, attending a football match or enjoying the same music. It means using words, notes or cartoons to defend one's values and one's causes, whatever these may be. It embodies a certain idea of freedom, diversity, living together and openness towards others. It also represents the way we collectively give meaning to our existence and depth to our lives. – Culture is about being free as much as about bringing people together, and that indeed is what makes us citizens.

 

We, the Ministers for Culture of the European Union and senior Representatives of the EU institutions, vow to strongly uphold these ideals and to combat barbarism and crime with a renewed ambition for culture in Europe, serving a shared horizon we now need more than ever."

 

Maggy NAGEL

Minister for Culture

Luxembourg

 

Fleur PELLERIN

Minister for Culture and Communication

France

 

Monika Grütters

Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media

Germany

 

Dr. Ludwig Spaenle

Representative of the German Federal States in the EU Culture Ministers' Council

Germany

 

Josef OSTERMAYER

Federal Minister for Arts and Culture, Constitution and Media

Austria

 

Isabelle WEYKMANS

Vice Minister-President

Minister for Culture, Employment and Tourism

German-speaking Community

Belgium

 

Sven GATZ

Minister for Culture, Youth, Media and Brussels

FlemishCommunity

Belgium

 

Joëlle MILQUET

Vice Minister President of the French-speaking Community and Minister responsible for education, culture and childhood for the French-speaking Community

Belgium

 

Vezhdi RASHIDOV

Minister of Culture

Bulgaria

 

Berislav ŠIPUŠ

Minister of Culture

Croatia

 

Costas KADIS

Minister of Education and Culture

Cyprus

 

Daniel HERMAN

Minister for Culture

Czech Republic

 

Bertel HAARDER

Minister for Culture

Denmark

 

Indrek SAAR

Minister of Culture

Estonia

 

Sanni GRAHN-LAASONEN

Minister of Education and Culture

Finland

 

Prof. Monika GRÜTTERS

Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media

Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor

Federal Republic of Germany

 

Dr. Ludwig SPAENLE

Representative of the German Federal States in the EU Culture Ministers' Council

Federal Republic of Germany

 

Prof. Aristides BALTAS

Minister of Culture and Sports

Hellenic Republic

 

Zoltán BALOG

Minister of Human Capacities

Hungary

 

Heather HUMPHREYS, T. D.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Ireland

 

Dario FRANCESCHINI

Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism

Italy

 

Dace MELBĀRDE

Minister for Culture

Latvia

 

Šarūnas BIRUTIS

Minister of Culture

Lithuania

 

Dr. Owen BONNICI

Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government

Malta

 

Dr. Jet BUSSEMAKER

Minister for Education, Culture and Science

The Netherlands

 

Prof. dr hab. Piotr GLIŃSKI

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage

Poland

 

Teresa MORAIS

Minister of Culture, Equality and Citizenship

Portugal

 

Vlad ALEXANDRESCU

Minister for Culture

Romania

 

Marek MAĎARIČ

Minister of Culture

Slovak Republic

 

M.Sc. Julijana BIZJAK MLAKAR

Minister of Culture

Slovenia

 

Iñigo MÉNDEZ DE VIGO

Minister of Education, Culture and Sport

Spain

 

Alice BAH KUHNKE

Minister for Culture and Democracy

Sweden

 

Ed VAIZEY

Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy

United Kingdom

 

Tibor NAVRACSICS

Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport

 

Silvia COSTA

Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament

http://www.eu2015lu.eu/en/actualites/communiques/2015/11/20-declaration-paris-culture/index.html