Skopje, 14 June 2022 (MIA) – Young talents will promote culture and foster cultural heritage through the good practice of transnational cultural cooperation between North Macedonia and the European Commission, Culture Minister Bisera Kostadinovska-Stojchevska and Themis Christophidou, Director General for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture of the European Commission, agreed at a Brussels meeting. Cooperation will also resume as part of the Creative Europe Program and the activities included in the Western Balkans Agenda and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), the Culture Ministry said in a press release. The Culture Ministry, said Kostadinovska-Stojchevska, through the Creative Europe Program awards support for contemporary challenges facing the cultural and creative sectors. “The EU this year will open two new programs and the country is allowed to apply. One of the programs is designed for individual or group of young talents in culture and the other for civil organizations willing to contribute to culture,” said the Minister. Our country, she added, takes active part in the new program 2021-2027 and it remains a partner of the European Commission not only by being committed to technical assistance to facilitate access to the program but also by securing significant financial support for Macedonian beneficiaries through the co-financing mechanism of the Culture Ministry and the Film Agency. According to the Minister, as part of the EU’s Western Balkans Agenda – Culture, a culture platform will be established at the upcoming ministerial meeting in Tirana on June 27-28. The interlocutors also discussed IPA saying there is an excellent intensity to bring closer professionals, cultural workers and municipalities thanks to their joint activities under the auspices of the EU, said the press release.