The partners were welcomed to a closing event at the National Museum in Oslo by the Donor Programme Partners the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Arts and Culture Norway.
“I'm looking forward today to celebrate projects within the sphere of culture and arts, which create a space for exchange of opinions, reflections, and also thoughts on how we can preserve democracy, rule of law, and human rights in challenging times”, said Maria Varteressian, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Maria Varteressian, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Photo: Andreas Thulsted Børdalen)
At the event, the close and lasting relations of the partners were highlighted as a testament to the role of arts and cultural heritage being an intrinsic part of a strong and democratic society and a platform and language for cross-cultural cooperation.
Facilitating cultural cooperation
During the period of 2014 to 2021, nine countries have had culture programmes (Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary). The goal has been to strengthen social and economic development through cooperation, entrepreneurship and heritage management in the cultural sector.
The funding of 200 million euro has facilitated cultural cooperation, focusing on cultural dialogue, cultural diversity and the promotion of fundamental rights and freedoms through over 400 projects. Supported activities in the last period have included:
Cultural heritage management, preservation and conservation related to national, regional and local development
• Documentation and accessibility of culture and cultural heritage
• Cultural entrepreneurship and capacity development of cultural players
• Cultural, creative and artistic activities contributing to sustainable development and social cohesion
“Cooperation through the EEA and Norway Grants offers partners a new approach to existing challenges such as early reaction, better management and piloting,” said Egle Saudargaite from the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture.
“It allows us to address difficult topics like vulnerability of certain groups of the society, improves access to culture and involves regional NGOs as project promoters. The Grants offer more flexibility in combining investments in cultural services and infrastructure under one project and reach out to different beneficiaries at the local level.” 
Representatives from 11 partner countries met in Oslo to highlight the results of the Culture Programme. (Photo: Øyvind Aase Fluge)
Making cultural dialogue real
The keynote speakers of the closing event showcased their cultural collaboration projects aimed at strengthening artistic exchanges and cultural heritage.
Tine Tangestuen from the Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists and Zaneta Vavrova from Broumov Educational and Cultural Center presented their project Hortus Musicalis Broumov in the Czech Republic, which facilitates artistic collaborations between Czech and Norwegian composers and lyricists in the historic monastery in Broumov. The opening performance of the event from Liv Andrea Hauge trio, is an example of such a collaboration, as they themselves participated in an EEA and Norway Grants funded project, Music Gallery in Romania, an artist exchange which consisted of a concert and a workshop.
Björk Birgisdottir from the Museums of South Trøndelag in Norway and Ciprian Stefan from Astra Museums in Romania spoke on their collaboration developing new methods for teaching traditional crafts, and renovating Casa Artelor (House of Arts) in Sibiu in Romania to be used as a training center for traditional crafts. Casa Artelor will serve as a center of expertise for local craftsmen and contribute to local development and skills enhancement.
The Culture Programme will continue to build on these strong bilateral partnerships in the 2021-2027 EEA and Norway Grants period.
Vegard Berggård, Programme Coordinator at the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. (Photo: Øyvind Aase Fluge)
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Artist Lise Wulff on cooperations in Romania and Portugal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLbzayDj6Gk
Cooperation between Museums of South Trøndelag in Norway and ASTRA Museums in Romania on developing new methods for disseminating artisanal crafts and renovating the Casa Artelor, House of Arts: https://youtu.be/iJx13sr2Uik?list=PLfEciusAU7hXz-iDyWsY3tK2yLDHSm3xP