Public debates concerning the European Agenda for culture in a Globalizing World

In May 2007, the European Commission published a document entitled European Agenda for Culture in a Globalizing World, which presents a general structure for the action of European institutions in the field of culture today. It also aims to foster a new debate on the role of culture in Europe, involving both institutions and citizens.

In January 2009, several European organisations have launched a project entitled Euromedinculture Citizenship, which aims to enable citizens to take part in a public discussion on culture, including its several expressions and its diversity, as a key element in the development of the European Union.

The present questionnaire is one of the elements used to foster this debate. It will be followed by a series of regional forums which will be held in Andalusia (Spain), Lisbonne/Guimaraes (Portugal), Marseille (France), La Louviere/Bruxelles (Belgium), Liverpool (UK), Munich (Germany), Heraklion (Greece) and Malta between April and May 2009. A final and concluding European forum, following on from the regional forums, is scheduled to take place during July 2009, in France.

A final report summarising the results of the consultation process will be presented to European institutions by the end of 2009. It will also be sent to anyone interested, including those who have responded to the questionnaire.

Questionnaires should be sent by 15 March 2009. They can be fill in on line in: French, English, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Catalan and soon Spanish. Link to the questionnaire : http://citoyennete.euromedinculture.org/limesurvey/index.php?sid=15128&lang=en  

The respondents with more original and interesting ideas will be invited to take part in one of the regional forums!
European partners of Euromedinculture Citizenship: 

• Association pour le Développement Culturel Européen et International (Marseille, France) - project leader
• ACE-Etnia : Cultura e Desenvolvimento (Lisbon, Portugal)
• Brouhaha International (Liverpool, United-Kingdom)
• Centritudes (La Louviere, Belgium)
• Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (Msida, Malta)
• Fundació Interarts (Barcelone, Spain) - scientific coordinator
• International Munich Art Lab / Kontrapunkt e.V. (München, Germany)
• Junta de Andalucia - Consejeria de Cultura (Sevilla, Spain)
• Prefecture of Heraklion (Héraklion, Greece)

(from www.adcei.org) 

Europe without Barriers, Czech's Presidency's work programme for 1 January - 30 June 2009

The Czech Presidency of the EU has released its work programme for the first half of this year under the motto "Europe without Barriers ", to reflect the aim of a Europe without internal economic, cultural and value barriers for individuals, entrepreneurs and economic entities.

The main priority areas outlines in the Czech Presidency's document are economy (prevent the deepening of the financial crisis and revive the economic growth of the EU economies), energy (active involvement in international negotiations about climate protection after 2012) and the European Union in the world (enhance the partnerships with the US, Russia, develop the Eastern and the Southern European dimensions of the European Neighbourhood Policy).

As far as the culture priorities are concerned, the Presidency's work programme mentions the focus on making culture more accessible for civil society, especially by promoting cultural heritage, cultural tourism, cooperation with arts education and greater mobility in the area of culture.

The Czech Presidency will give priority to:

1. the digitising of cultural material
2. the development and relationship between creativity and culture (as part of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009)
3. the support of the European Heritage Label project, so as to promote and support the access of the general public to cultural heritage as a source of the EU's fundamental values
4. informal discussions on the protection of cultural assets
5. the issue of works of art seized from victims of the Holocaust.

Please access http://www.eu2009.cz/en/calendar/2/ for a complete calendar of cultural events during the Czech Presidency.  

Read the Work Programme of the Czech Presidency at: http://www.eu2009.cz/en/czech-presidency/programme-and-priorities/programme-and-priorities-479/.

Diversity of talents - International meeting on talent development looking for experts

The High Art school of Utrecht and Mira Media are hosting an International meeting on talent development, on the 27th of October 2008. Experts that might be interested to present a showcase or best practise at the conference can contact Brechtje Smidt at Brechtje.smidt@theater.hku.nl  or Nelly van der Geest at nelly.vandergeest@central.hku.nl .Deadline 20 june 2008.

Attached documents:

• NoLabel expertcsED
• werving via SICA

Europa Nostra Awards - 2008

The European Union’s Prizesfor Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards, jointly launched in 2002 by the European Commission and the Europa Nostra network in the framework of „Culture 2000” Programme, aim at rewarding each year outstanding initiatives in the field of cultural heriage in Europe, ranging from restoration of buildings and their adaptation to new uses, to urban and rural landscape rehabilitation, archaeological site interpretations, research and care for art collections.

In 2008, for the first time, the awards include education projects related to cultural heritage, and dedicated service to heritage conservation by individuals or organisations.

This year’s edition of the prestigious awards brought recognition to Romanian culture through a prize offered to the Specialization Centre in the field of rehabilitating the built heritage in Bonţida - at the Education, Training and Awareness Raising category and through a medal for arhitect Şerban G. Cantacuzino- at the Dedicated Service category.

More about the Europa Nostra Awards at http://www.europanostra.org/lang_en/index.html

Rainbow Paper II: public consultation on intercultural dialogue (deadline 16 May 2008)

The Civil Society Platform for Intercultural Dialogue, joint initiative of the European Forum for Arts and Culture (Bruxelles) and the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam) launched the online public consultation on its Rainbow Paper II on intercultural dialogue in Europe. The Paper is the result of over a year's work by experts, practitioners and policy makers in the fields of culture, education, youth, social affairs, anti-racism, minority rights and inter-faith dialogue and it includes recommendations for civil society organisations and the EU on how to put in practice the respect for cultural diversity. To make the Paper better, the consultation invites the views of as many stakeholders as possible to be expressed until May 16th at http://rainbowplatform.labforculture.org/site/. The results will be the subject of a plenary meeting of the Rainbow Platform on 4th June 2008 in Bruxelles. At this meeting the Rainbow Platform will become a formally recognised discussion partner for the European Union institutions under the process known as "Structured Dialogue".

Black Sea cultural co-operation

On June 25, 1992, following the Istanbul Declaration, 11 countries convened on creating the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation (BSEC): Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Republic of Moldavia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine.
A permanent Secretariat (BSEC - PERMIS) was settled in Istanbul in 1994.

The purpose of the new structure was to assure peace and stability, to use the geographical nearness as a premise for the multilateral co-operation.

In 2004 Serbia joined BSEC, so the number of the member states became 12.

The Black Sea co-operation has also a cultural dimension.

On the occasion of the 2nd meeting of the Working Group "Culture" which took place in Istanbul (January 17 - 18, 2008) there was adopted a two-years Action Plan that defines the mechanisms of cultural co-operation. According to this document, the cultural co-operation at the Black Sea is based on 2 kinds of actions:

1. association of the cultural operators in networks with converging interests
2. promotion of thematic cultural routes.

Obviously, in order to be assumed by BSEC, the proposed projects must include at least 3 member states.
Till March 31, 2008, at the Permanent Secretariat (PERMIS) were received the following project proposals:

1. "The Route of the Book"
2. "The Route of the Rose"
3. "The Routes of Coinage"
4. "The Myths of Two Seas, Black Sea and Caspian Sea"
5. "The Route of the Roman Emperors"
6. "The Cultural Crossroads of the Black Sea
7. "Olive Trees Routes"
8. "Vine Routes"
9. "Cultural, Tourism and Show Business - International City Museum: New Gonio-Apsarus"
10. Network of Co-operation in the Field of Translation, Literature and in the Field of Book.

The Romanian institutions and organizations that are interested in one or more of the proposed projects are kindly asked to express their interest to participate in them at the Consultancy Centre for European Cultural Programmes, contact person: Ms. Oana Balutescu; tel/fax: +40 21 3166060; +40 21 3166061; e-mail: oana@eurocult.ro.

Consultancy Centre for European Cultural Programmes has launched a website for the activities developed in Romania under the framework of 2008 - European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Visit www.dialog2008.ro!

Intercultural Dialogue - A Priority of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Starting with January 1, 2008, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union is held by Slovenia. Six months from now, various events will be performed and they will present the programmes and priorities of this country. These initiatives will include among other events, the promotion of the intercultural dialogue, within the framework of the communitarian Programme 2008 - European Year of the Intercultural Dialogue.

As a matter of fact, one of the explicit priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union, is the promotion of the dialogue between cultures, beliefs and traditions within the European Year of the Intercultural Dialogue. According to this approach, the activities which will take place in 2008, are meant to encourage the intercultural dialogue within the European Union.

It is a very important fact for the European audience to be acquainted with the value of this dialogue, and Slovenia will grant a special attention to its promotion within the West Balkans. A correct initiative, which Slovenia wants to accomplish within the 6 months of its presidency, is to establish an Euro-Mediterranean University in the town of Piran.

Slovenia will terminate its mandate in June, being followed by France to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.    

For additional information about Slovenian Presidency mandate, its priorities and the events that are going to take place, you may visit the official page www.eu2008.si.

A new EU agenda for culture

The European Commission addressed in May 2007 a Communication on a European Agenda for Culture in a Globalizing World (COM (2007) 242) to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Committee of Regions and the Economic and Social Committee.

The Communication explores "the relationship between culture and Europe in a globalizing world" and proposes three objectives for a new EU agenda for culture.

The objectives which have already been recognized in earlier Community policy documents are:

• the promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue;
• the promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs;
• the promotion of culture as a vital element in the Union's international relations.

These objectives are considered to be the guide for future EU actions but nonetheless the principle of subsidiarity will still be respected and, therefore, culture will primary remain a responsibility of the Member States.

An important element mentioned in the Communication is taking cooperation between Member States one step further by using the Open Method of Coordination (OMC). The OMC was first formally identified as a distinct intergovernmental method of European policy coordination in the Lisbon Strategy (March 2000).  The EC considers that OMC offers an appropriate framework for co-operation in the field of culture between the Member States. The OMC consists of agreeing on common objectives, then regularly surveying their progress and exchanging best practices and relevant data in order to foster mutual learning.

The new approach of the EU regarding culture, expressed in the Communication, consists of the systematic integration of the cultural dimension and different components of culture in all external and development policies, projects and programmes and of the support for specific cultural actions and events. Culture is according to the Communication a resource in its own right and access to culture should therefore be considered as a priority in development policies.

The Communication

Culture and the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union

On July 1, 2007, Portugal took over the presidency of the European Union. Its mandate will last 6 months and the next country to act as President of the EU will be Slovenia, beginning with January 2008. .

In a speech made on June 27,  the Portuguese prime-minister, Mr  José Sócrates, presented the priorities of his countryţs Presidency of the EU for the next 6 months.

According to the official document, culture is considered to be, next to tourism, an important element of the economical dimension of the measures that have to be taken in order to reach the objectives set out by the Lisbon Strategy designed in 2000. More exactly, it is said that "The development of tourism and cultural industries are important areas for growth and sustained job creation. Portugal will organize a European Cultural Forum and a European Tourism Forum, in order to underline the necessity of these areas in our common
agenda."

For more information concerning the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union, its priorities and agenda for July-December 2007, please visit the official website www.eu2007.pt.

Culture 2007 - a new programme of the European Union for the cultural sector
The new programme dedicated to the cultural sector will be active at the beginning of next year and it will last till 2013.

Starting from global vision, Culture 2007 aims to embrace the cultural sector as a whole and to favor its synergies, in the attempt to create a common cultural European space, with respect for national and regional diversities. The specific objectives of the new programme are:

1. to promote the transnational mobility of people working in the cultural sector
2. to encourage the transnational circulation of works and cultural and artistic products
3. to encourage intercultural dialogue

It sustains the development of cultural cooperation, on three different but complementary levels of interventions: support for cultural cooperation actions, support for European organizations active in the field of culture, support for analyses and for the collection and dissemination of information in the field of cultural cooperation.
The purpose of the programme is to offer opportunities to create networks and develop projects in favor of artists and art works mobility, of cultural dialogue in Europe and other regions of the world for cultural operators and European citizens.

financing programmes and grants: