Members of the European Alliance of Academies have signed the Bratislava Declaration, which was published during the Open Culture! International Conference on 30 May 2025.

The two-day conference organised by the alliance Open Culture! / Otvorená Kultúra! brought together over 400 cultural professionals in Bratislava to discuss the cultural policy situation in Slovakia and throughout Europe and to develop strategies to defend artistic freedom. 
Manos Tsangaris, President of the Akademie der Künste,  discussed together with Bohunka Koklesová, rector of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, and Mart Kalm, rector of the Estonian Academy of Arts, the freedom of art in the university context. Alliance members Josip Zanki from Croatia and Ferenc Czinki from Hungary contributed their experiences as artists and cultural workers in authoritarian systems to the ‘Authoritarian Cultural Policies’ panel.

The Bratislava Declaration reflects the experiences of cultural professionals, artists and representatives of institutions who are confronted daily with the consequences of the erosion of artistic freedom in Europe. The signatories call for a European Artistic Freedom Act, which the institutions of the European Union can use as a legal instrument against the growing influence of populist and nationalist governments in the arts and culture sector. It has so far been signed by 14 European and international partners, including the European Alliance of Academies, Wiener Festwochen, Culture Action Europe, Artistic Freedom Initiative and Trans Europe Halles.

Since a left-wing populist-right nationalist government took office in autumn 2023, cultural institutions in Slovakia have been systematically restructured and artistic freedom restricted, while extremist rhetoric has increased in public discourse. Under the leadership of Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová, experienced professionals have been removed from top positions in key national institutions, including the Slovak National Theatre, the Slovak National Gallery and the Slovak National Museum. The Slovak Arts Council, which plays a key role in funding independent cultural initiatives, is currently unable to function.

The cooperating Artistic Freedom Initiative has released their new advocacy report entitled, „Early Warning: The Politicization of Slovak Arts and Culture.“ where you can find a thorough description of the destruction of the cultural sector in Slovakia.

As an official co-operation partner of the Open Culture! International Conference, the European Alliance of Academies has expressed its solidarity with Slovak artists and cultural workers since 2024.

👉 platformaok.sk/bratislava-declaration