On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a violent and completely unjustified invasion of Ukraine, a peaceful and sovereign European country. During this war, Russia has killed and tortured thousands of civilians, extensively bombed Ukrainian cities, committed war crimes, and caused great destruction of the country’s cultural and architectural heritage.
In this dramatic situation, the Ukrainian Institute, Ukraine’s cultural diplomacy organisation, joins cultural workers from across Europe to call on the European Council to symbolically award the title of the “European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022” to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. With this symbolic designation, the European Union can send a clear signal of its commitment to intensification of cultural relations with Ukraine, and recognition of Ukraine’s cultural and territorial sovereignty. The designation would emphasise Ukraine’s membership within the European family, as Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has previously stated.
The European Capital of Culture initiative is one of the best-known and most successful instruments of EU cultural policy with worldwide appeal. Since its establishment in 1985, the Capitals of Culture have stood for a celebration of cultural richness and diversity in Europe. This instrument could now be used as a message of solidarity with the people of Ukraine and the country’s culture makers and institutions who, despite the extremely precarious and dangerous circumstances, are committed as ever to cooperate and develop links and partnerships with their incredibly supportive EU counterparts.
The call to designate Kyiv as “European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022” has now been handed over to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. More than 2,000 people from culture, science and civic community in Europe signed the call that was launched on 28 February 2022. The designation of Kyiv as the “European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022” should be made as quickly as possible, unscheduled, and independent of the regular procedure for awarding the title of the “European Capital of Culture”.
The call for Kyiv as „European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022“ remains open for signing at change.org