Establishing Franco-German cultural institutes is one of the 15 priority projects of the Treaty of Aachen, which was signed by Germany and France on 22 January 2019. Through this joint initiative, our two countries are working together to create innovative cultural spaces which boost the attractiveness of our respective networks, promote intercultural dialogue and inject life into the democratic and humanistic values that form the basis of our partnership.

Seven years after the Treaty of Aachen was signed, three Franco-German cultural institutes have already been opened: in Palermo in 2021 and in Ramallah and Atlanta in 2022. We are now continuing this momentum with the inauguration of two further cultural centres.

On 27 May, the Franco-German cultural institute in Córdoba (Argentina) was opened. This was preceded by a year of conversion work at the Alliance Française in Córdoba, which now also houses the Goethe-Institut. A further Kultur Ensemble is due to open in Glasgow (United Kingdom) on 3 June, following many years of cooperation between the Institut français d’Écosse, the Alliance Française Glasgow and the Goethe-Institut.

In addition, thanks to the bilateral agreement signed on 16 April 2026 between the French and the Kyrgyz governments, it is now possible to look to opening another joint cultural centre in Bishkek towards the end of this year.

These launches illustrate the momentum that is being generated in the sphere of Franco-German cultural cooperation and the joint desire to create new spaces for dialogue, creativity and open debate on today’s societies.

Germany and France share the conviction that culture and language play a crucial role in promoting mutual understanding, strengthening democratic values and defending freedom in the service of peace. In an international environment dominated by tensions and isolationist tendencies, the opening of the Franco-German cultural institutes stands for a common objective: to design a European space for cultural cooperation directed towards young people and embodying a resolutely globally minded approach. The values of diversity, plurality and openness form the foundation of European culture and our Franco-German cooperation, which is now closer than ever.