International exchange and cooperation
Denmark's international cultural exchange and cooperation are handled by The Agency for Culture and Palaces.
Denmark’s international cultural exchange activities cover all of the arts and the cultural heritage sector. Artistic quality, originality and relevance are the main criteria for all projects and applications for funding which Denmark chooses to support, whether nationally or internationally.
Organisation of the international work
Denmark’s international exchange and cooperation activities are conducted on two separate fronts:
- Councils, Expert Committees & Art Professional Centres
- Administrative and political bodies and agencies
The work of the various bodies on these two fronts is coordinated by an International Cultural Panel presided by the Ministry of Culture.
Read more about the organisation of the international work:
The International Culture Panel
The International Culture Panel is a cross-ministerial collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Business and Growth and the Ministry of Culture. The purpose of the panel is to bring together an array of prominent cultural institutions in order to strengthen the cultural exchange and give it a shared focus.
The overall aim of the International Culture Panel is to increase Denmark’s cultural exchange with foreign countries and strengthen the internationalisation of Danish cultural life. The strategic action plan of the International Culture Panel stipulates that the members must practically contribute to the fulfilment of the four purposes of the international cultural exchange, which are:
- development and renewal of Danish arts and culture
- promotion of Denmark as a country
- furthering of cultural export
- furthering of intercultural dialogue
Read more about the international focus in the work of The Agency for Culture and Palaces
The Nordic Council of Ministers
The cooperation of the Nordic Ministers for Culture in the Nordic Council of Ministers.
A cornerstone in the community
Art and culture form a cornerstone in the community binding the Nordic countries together. In the Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture, the Danish Minister for Culture cooperates with his colleagues from the Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland and the three autonomous areas of Greenland, Åland and the Faroe Islands on joint initiatives and activities in the cultural field.
Themes and focus areas
Nordic cultural cooperation includes a wide range of themes and focus areas, from popular communities to the activity of the individual artist. The preconditions should be in place for both to grow and develop, and the programmes of the joint Nordic institutions and of the ministers should create good, flexible frames for this.
Nordic cultural cooperation also involves the Baltic region, including the Baltic countries, Russia, Poland and Germany.
Objectives of Nordic cultural cooperation
The guiding objectives of joint Nordic cultural cooperation are:
- The cooperation is to reflect the priorities in the area of culture and art that are common to the Nordic countries
- The cooperation is to further a Nordic perspective in the individual countries
- The cooperation is to further interaction between the Nordic and the international
Facts
- The Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture has an annual approximately DKK 160 million at its disposal.
- These resources are used in areas such as the following:
-Culture and art projects through the Nordic Culture Fund and the programmes of the Council of Ministers.
- Development and operation of the Nordic houses, institutes and institutions.
- The three Nordic prizes for culture.