The EU project EU4Culture has awarded grants of 30,000 euros to each of the following regional municipalities: Kutaisi and Poti in Georgia, Charentsavan and Sevan in Armenia, and Orhei in the Republic of Moldova. They all belong to the EU4Culture Regional Cities Network. The grants aim to strengthen the sustainability of their Cultural Development Strategies established in 2022 with the support of the project. The five municipalities' strategic plans prioritise enhancing regional economies by promoting the growth of local creative and cultural industries. The recently awarded grants allow them to implement certain aspects of their Cultural Development Strategies.
In 2024, the two Georgian municipalities will use the funds to implement various cultural activities aligned with their cultural development strategies.
The municipality of Kutaisi will establish a "Public Art Festival" in July. The event's primary objective is to enhance the city's Cultural Development Strategy by fostering a dynamic cultural atmosphere through public art installations, performances, and educational activities.
The municipality of Poti will implement the "Spotlight on: City of Conceptual Festivals" project in September with three main components: supporting local cultural enterprises, the Poti Maritime Art Residency Program, and the Conceptual Maritime Festival. These activities will contribute to creating a vibrant and dynamic cultural landscape in the city.
Thus, through collaborations with key stakeholder communities and organisations, the municipalities will support the empowerment of the local cultural and creative industries with new development opportunities. As EU4Culture Regional Cities Network members, the municipalities will also share their experiences implementing their Cultural Development Strategies within and beyond the Network.
“Decentralised development of cultural and creative industries in Georgia is a remarkable opportunity for the country to empower local creative communities with new opportunities. The EU support provided by EU4Culture will serve as an encouragement for the regional cities to make further steps in realising the potential of their local arts and culture, which can truly have a major impact on the economic growth of the regions'', said Maria Stogova, Team Leader for Governance and Human Capital at the EU Delegation to Georgia.
“With EU support, EU4Culture continues promoting the growth of local cultural and creative industries in Eastern Partnership countries. The new package for the five municipalities can serve as additional encouragement to create development opportunities in the regions of Armenia, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova, hence establishing new models for strengthening the resilience of cultural and creative sectors in the countries,” – says EU4Culture Team Leader, Dr. Anatoli Beifert.
With a budget of €7.85 million, EU4Culture is a four-year project funded by the European Union to support the culture and creative sector with a particular focus on non-capital cities and towns in the Eastern Partnership Countries. The project is implemented by Goethe-Institut (Lead), Czech Centers, Danish Cultural Institute, and Institut Français de Géorgie.
