Skopje, 25 November 2024 (MIA) - The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is in the process of establishing a council for creative industries, composed of experts that will draft a national strategy for the development of the creative industries alongside an action plan, said Minister of Culture and Tourism Zoran Ljutkov at “Skopje Forum – Creative Sector Consultations” organized in Skopje by the Ministry, the British Council and the Union of Macedonian Associations in the Creative Industries (UMPACI).

Ljutkov said the Ministry is implementing preparatory activities for the realization of a new mapping of creative industries in the country, after which, he said, a new project funding call will be published.

“The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is joining these processes, and it is very important that we have a good start. Before I became a culture minister, I spoke about how important these industries are for the future of the country. Maybe the beginning will be a bit modest, but I hope that in the future we will show how important and how productive they can be and how much they can contribute to the country’s economic growth,” Ljutkov said.

The Minister said on a global scale the creative industries have shown they can be “an exceptionally productive and profitable area” that offers an open space for creatives to present their skills, imagination and talent, and for it to be appropriately “valorized” on the market.

“As part of the undertaken activities, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is in the process of establishing a council for creative industries composed of experts that will draft a national strategy for the development of the creative industries alongside an action plan,” Ljutkov said. 

The Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, Daniel Fieller, in his address at the event said the creative industries drive economic growth and are among the top priorities of the British Government. 
 
“The creative industries are a powerful tool for the development of the identities and narratives of a region and a country. They have a significant social impact and make places interesting for visitors, for tourists. North Macedonia is a country of creative people. You have a rich culture that is recognized throughout the world. Artists such as the Stefanovski brothers and Milcho Manchevski are the ones that build the identity of this country,” Fieller said. 

Photo: MIA