Policy Profile Belarus
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Policy Profile Belarus
Belarus is not a member of the European Union, neither is it a candidate country nor seeking membership.
The EU still maintains an embassy in Belarus to foster cooperation with the country. Until 2020 Belarus participated in various European Commission initiatives in the field of culture. In particular, European Heritage Days were regularly held in the country.
After 2020, cooperation with European institutions ceases and the country abandons its previously assumed obligations. In 2021, Belarus announced the suspension of its participation in the Eastern Partnership program. In 2023, Belarus suspended the 1954 European Cultural Convention.
At a national level, the Ministry of Culture is the central government agency in charge of pursuing the state policy in the sphere of culture and in charge of coordinating the work of other central government agencies and municipal authorities in this sphere. The main principles of state policy in culture are described in the Code on Culture of the Republic of Belarus, which sets the legal, organisational, economic and social framework of cultural activities. The Ministry is divided into 12 departments, including the Office for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage and the Department of Cultural and Folk Art Institutions.
There are about 5,600 state-run cultural institutions in Belarus and 34 organisations subordinate to the Ministry. Moreover, the Fund of the President of the Republic of Belarus for Support of Culture and Arts contributes a lot to the preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the country.
Belarus is characterised by a centralised system of cultural governance The role of regional and local cultural departments is primarily to implement directives from the capital.
View all Belarus policies gathered so far
* = This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
