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European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Speech by Commissioner Micallef at High-level Meeting on Heritage and Architecture in Ukraine Paris, 27 January 2026 Minister Dati, Dear Rachida Minister Berezhna, Dear Tatyana Chair Khiari, Excellencies, Mesdames et Messieurs, Chers amis, Je remercie chaleureusement à la France de nous accueillir ici à Paris. Merci également à l'ALIPH, à l'Institut français et à ...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Speech by Commissioner Micallef at High-level Meeting on Heritage and Architecture in Ukraine Paris, 27 January 2026 Minister Dati, Dear Rachida Minister Berezhna, Dear Tatyana Chair Khiari, Excellencies, Mesdames et Messieurs, Chers amis, Je remercie chaleureusement à la France de nous accueillir ici à Paris. Merci également à l'ALIPH, à l'Institut français et à l'Institut ukrainien de nous avoir réunis. Over the past three years, we witnessed shocking images. Museum staff carrying paintings into basements. Librarians moving rare books into shelters. And volunteers wrapping statues in sandbags. Not for exhibitions. But for protection. The Ukrainian people have been risking their lives to save their culture. This is Ukrainian culture. Brave. Resilient. Alive. So I want to start by thanking you all for being here, and for continuing to show up for our Ukrainian friends. Today, I want to focus on three points. First: what is happening in Ukraine, and why it matters to Europe. Second: how we are acting together. Third: how we build forward. The war in Ukraine is a war on identity. A war on values. We see this through deliberate and targeted attacks. Heritage sites being hit. Museums damaged. Churches destroyed. And archives, and the memories they hold, are being lost. UNESCO has verified damage to hundreds of sites. Ukrainian authorities count more than a thousand cases of damage. Behind every number is a child who cannot step into a museum. A family that loses a place of prayer. A city that loses a piece of its soul. For Europe, this matters deeply . Because culture is Europe's first line of defence. It connects people. It carries memory. Culture shapes who we are. In a world full of crises, attention moves fast. But our attention to Ukraine remains steadfast. Ukraine's future is Europe's future. And culture belongs at the centre of that future. Understanding what is happening is only where we start. Second: we need to focus on how we respond. Ladies and gentlemen, Europe's strength lies in its unity. We act. We organise. We show up. Together. Since the war began, the Commission mobilised over 50 million euro for Ukraine's cultural and creative sectors. Over 11.5 million euro for cultural heritage, including 4 million through ALIPH. And last year, in a true Team Europe spirit, we brought Member States together to launch the Team Europe Approach for Cultural Heritage in Ukraine. Today, this initiative brings together 76 actions from 24 EU Member States. Pooling in resources to provide support to Ukraine. To protect artefacts. To train cultural first aiders. To digitise collections. To support museums, artists, and institutions. This is what unity looks like in practice. Here, allow me to say a clear word of thanks to France. France has stood with Ukraine. From emergency protection of heritage, to support for Ukrainian professionals, To today's discussions on protection and restoration. Madame la Ministre, votre engagement direct pour soutenir l'Ukraine, est une source de fierté pour l'Europe. Today's discussion matters. Because Ukraine is also taking action. The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund will turn solidarity into structure. It will bring donors together. Ensuring transparency in project selection. Supporting Ukraine's digital transformation in heritage. And strengthening the capacities of its heritage professionals. Last year, the Commission was proud to have contributed a study to inform the establishment of this Fund. ALIPH is now supporting its launch. Some of the pledges from our Team Europe approach will go towards it. And the Commission is exploring further measures for supporting its governance. This is how we respond. With trust. With clear rules. And with long-term thinking. Third and finally: how we build forward. Europe is acting. Here and now. In these last few minutes, I spoke about concrete contributions in the cultural sector, with resources already mobilised and delivering impact now. The same is true across other sectors. From culture to energy, to the €90 billion loan supporting Ukraine's budgetary and defence needs over the next two years. Ensuring that people can live, work, and stay warm this winter. Europe is standing with Ukraine today, while helping prepare for tomorrow. But rebuilding Ukraine is not only about roads and bridges. It is about memory. It is about identity. And it is about dignity. A French architect once said that: Rebuilding is not reproducing what was destroyed. It is inventing a new way of living. That idea matters today. Ukraine does not need copies of the past. It needs cities that honour their history and open doors to the future. Architecture shapes how people live. How they meet. How they belong. Heritage anchors those places in meaning. In memory. In cultural pride. To summarise – and let me close with this: When we protect heritage, we protect people. When we rebuild heritage, we rebuild dignity. When we invest in culture, we invest in peace. Merci beaucoup. Thank you for being here. Slava Ukraini. SPEECH/26/246
Speech Brief