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Lille - EFAH 12th General Assembly, October 28-30 2004 |
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The 2004 EFAH General Assembly in Lille attracted around 200 people, from over 25 countries across Europe. Within the context of an increased emphasis on a ‘Europe of Regions’ by the European Union and its many departments and agencies, the Assembly challenged participants to reflect on the roles and status of culture.
Speakers were chosen to give a starting point for discussions around three main questions:
- What is the place of culture in an expanding Europe of regions?
- How can regions provide a stable, open platform for cross-border cultural co-operation?
- What contribution can regional cultural policy make to cultural development and to the overall regional development?
Organised around keynote speeches and three workshop themes (Regions of the Mind, Regions of Policy and Regions of Practice), the conference made it possible for the delegates and EFAH members and staff to explore experiences and ideas from their different perspectives, countries and cultures. This type of meeting structure made it possible for many processes of debate and assimilation of ideas to take place simultaneously. As a result, delegates went away enriched with new and deepening notions of the qualities of regions that can be stimulating and helpful to cultural co-operation and cultural policy and those qualities that are more a distraction and do more harm than good. The staff and board of EFAH were able to listen to views from all parts of the European Union and from beyond its current borders gathering those arguments and concerns most important to represent in the coming year to the Culture Committee as well as other policy and programme departments of the EU.
Full report Short report Adrienne Goelhers opening speech Dieter Lesage's closing poem Programme Speakers with Photos |