The morning meeting, which focused on culture, audiovisual and media issues, also adopted conclusions on the creation of a European strategy for the ecosystem of the cultural and creative industries, according to a statement by the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The agenda of the morning meeting, at which Cyprus was represented by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Prodromos Prodromou, also included support for the cultural sector and the protection of cultural heritage in Ukraine in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of the country, with the intervention of Ukrainian Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko.
According to the statement, during his intervention Mr Prodromou reiterated Cyprus' condemnation of the Russian invasion and stressed that Cyprus is ready to support with all means at its disposal the cultural and media sector in Ukraine.
He then referred to Cyprus' experience in the field of digitisation of cultural heritage, and expressed our country's willingness to contribute actively to the preservation of Ukraine's digital cultural heritage.
He also made special reference to the need for vigilance regarding the illicit traffic of cultural property and informed his counterparts about the activities of the National Committee for Combating the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage, which works in coordination with other states to identify antiquities that are illegally trafficked.
In this context, Mr Prodromou also stressed the importance of the adoption by more states of the Council of Europe Convention on offences relating to cultural heritage, also known as the "Nicosia Convention", which entered into force on 1 April.
In the afternoon, the Ministers discussed issues related to sport. In this context, Mr Prodromou stressed the importance of the adoption by more states of the Council of Europe Convention on offences relating to cultural heritage, also known as the "Nicosia Convention", which entered into force on 1 April.
In the afternoon, the Ministers discussed issues related to sport. In this context, Mr Prodromou stressed the importance of the adoption by more states of the Council of Europe Convention on offences relating to cultural heritage. In this context, Mr Prodromou participated in a working lunch, where the provision of incentives and support measures for women in the sports sector was discussed, with the aim, inter alia, of improving their access to positions of responsibility in the governance of sports organisations.
As noted in the statement, the Ministers held an orientation debate on promoting EU values through sport, and examined ways to support Ukrainian athletes, with the intervention of Ukrainian Minister of Sport Vadym Huttsait.
Mr Prodromou reiterated Cyprus' readiness to provide assistance and facilities to Ukrainian athletes, such as, for example, the recent approval for the participation and all expenses coverage of the Ukrainian Junior Swimming Team for their participation in competitions to be held in Cyprus on 9 and 10 April 2022.
At the same time, the Minister highlighted the use of sports diplomacy as a tool to promote EU unity and values, both in support of Ukrainian refugee athletes and more generally, as well as the exploitation of opportunities offered through European Financial Programmes such as Erasmus+, Cohesion Policy Funds and others.
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