© Roberto Ilardi
Franco-German cooperation
Kultur Ensemble opens in Palermo
Bonjour, Guten Tag: In June 2021, a German-French cultural institute opens in Palermo under the name “Kultur Ensemble.” Its foundation is the Aachen Treaty, signed in 2019 by then German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to further strengthen Franco-German cooperation.
© Goethe-Institut im Exil/Helen Bozhko
2022
Solidarity and relief programs
Russia’s War Against Ukraine
Following the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in February 2022, the Goethe-Institut provides extensive support for Ukraine’s cultural and educational sectors. This includes emergency scholarships for cultural professionals, heavily discounted language courses for refugees, and the project “A Suitcase Full of Books,” which supplied more than 600 libraries in Germany with around 20,000 Ukrainian-language books for children and young adults. Overall, the German Federal Government is providing an additional €11.7 million that year to help stabilise cultural and educational structures. The EU-funded programmeHouse of Europealso strengthens Ukrainian civil society and the cultural sector.
© Goethe-Institut/Caroline Lessire
Europe´ s largest mobility program
Launch of Culture Moves Europe
The official launch of the mobility project Culture Moves Europe takes place in Brussels. Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut, Culture Moves Europe is the EU’s largest mobility programme, supporting artists, cultural professionals, and host organisations in 40 European countries.
The funding covers a wide range of fields — from architecture, cultural heritage, design, and fashion to literary translation, music, and both the performing and visual arts.
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© Soren Lynggaard -
© Foto: Rosa Sonntag -
© Caroline Lessire -
© Caroline Lessire
Cultural work in areas of conflict
War in the Middle East
The war in the Middle East has claimed countless victims and caused great human suffering. It also poses a considerable challenge for the work of the Goethe-Institut in the region. The attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza have further hardened social divisions and led to tension with partner institutions. The Goethe-Institut is trying to maintain its role as a place of dialogue and peaceful exchange despite criticism, political sensitivities and growing polarisation – a difficult balancing act that involves keeping channels of communication open while at the same time taking a stand against terror, violence and all forms of misanthropy.
2023
1 Million
© Stephan Goerlich
2024
The Goethe-Institut at the Munich Security Conference
Culture and Security
For the first time, the Goethe-Institut appears jointly with the British Council at the Munich Security Conference, demonstrating that foreign cultural and educational policy also contains an important security-policy dimension. Under the title “A war on identity: How to build post-war society in Ukraine,” Johannes Ebert, Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut, Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, Director General of the National Art and Culture Museum Mystetskyi Arsenal, and Scott McDonald, CEO of the British Council, discuss the importance of culture for both Ukrainian society and the reconstruction of the country.
© Goethe-Institut
migration and mobility
No Skilled Workers Without Teachers
In June 2024, the conference “No Skilled Workers Without Teachers,” organized by the Goethe-Institut in Berlin, highlights the growing importance of German language teachers for the integration of skilled workers. Representatives from politics, business, academia, and professional practice discuss the close connection between the increasing international demand for skilled labour and the qualification of teachers both in Germany and abroad. For many years, the Goethe-Institut has been providing people around the world with linguistic and intercultural training, preparing them for life and work in Germany. With its learning and information services and its global network, the Goethe-Institut supports the entire migration process — from preparation in the country of origin to arrival in Germany.
2026
Anniversary
© Photo Michael Friedel