Internationalisation of cultural life

Cultural life depends on an active international exchange of knowledge and experience. A wide range of people are involved in this exchange, including artists, staff of cultural institutions and freelance producers. There has been a strong increase in international contacts in the cultural sphere.

International initiatives enhance the development of the whole of Swedish cultural life. The objectives of government support for international cultural exchange are

• high quality, artistic integrity, a long-term perspective and reciprocity,
• Swedish successes abroad,
• international cultural meetings in Sweden and
• deeper interaction between policy areas.

Counsellors for Cultural Affairs abroad

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for the eight Cultural Affairs Counsellors at Sweden's embassies in Berlin, London, Moscow, Tokyo, Vilnius, Washington and Warsaw, and at the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union in Brussels. In Paris the Counsellor for Cultural Affairs is linked to the Swedish Cultural Centre, the Swedish Institute's branch office in Paris.

The overall task of these Counsellors is to promote cultural exchange and stimulate cultural dialogue between the host country and Sweden.