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The sleepy days of summer are well and truly over, and Culture Action Europe is jumping back into the autumn agenda with renewed energy and enthusiasm! Our successful re-brand has given us a renewed determination to tackle the cultural challenges that the coming years will bring. As a result we are working on a programme for the coming years; playing an active role in the EU’s new structured dialogue platforms, engaging with the elections to the European Parliament in 2009 and much more.
This edition of the Culture Action Europe newsletter reflects the variety and range of events and issues that we are following at present. It’s a packed agenda, with many members’ events also taking place over the autumn period.
Right now, the Culture Action office is putting its energies into the final stages of preparation for our 16th Annual Conference in Marseilles. It is going to be challenging and great fun to meet in the Mediterranean city, which has just been confirmed last week as European Capital of Culture for 2013, together with Košice in Slovakia. Please visit the conference website and join us there to make it our best event ever.
Ilona Kish
Secretary General
CULTURE ACTION EUROPE 2008 CONFERENCE
Scène ouverte – European Cultural cooperation across borders Marseilles, 23-25 October 2008
Our 2008 conference will focus on two issues featuring high up on the European cultural agenda: the place of culture in the external relations of the EU – with a special emphasis on the Euro-Mediterranean area – and the involvement of civil society, and thus of cultural actors, in the development of European policies. By addressing those issues, our ambition remains the same: to continue providing cultural operators with a common arena in which they can reflect on the European project, identify their interests and organise their political voice. Join us in Marseilles for two days of reflection, debate and action!
For more info and to register, visit the conference website.
FEATURE
The Lisbon Treaty – a Culture Action Europe perspective
In June 2008 the Irish voted ‘No’ to the Lisbon Treaty by 53 to 47%, a very convincing margin. We include in this newsletter an overview of the current situation for two reasons. Firstly because the Treaty contained a number of modifications that might impact on the cultural sector. Secondly, the future of the European Union is bound up with the response to the Irish No, and this will have a longer-term impact on the sector’s interests and activities in Europe. To find out more about what it all might mean for your organisation, read on.
European Agenda for Culture
Open Method of Coordination and Structured Dialogue – latest updates
The Member States working groups, on one hand, and of the cultural sector, on the other, have had their very first meetings since the pre-summer official launch of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) and of the the Structured Dialogue platforms. Even if the working themes of the OMC and those of civil society do not always match perfectly, the representatives of the chosen cultural organisations hope that the process will allow them over time to reinforce the voice of the cultural players in Europe and lead to a better recognition of the claims of these actors by European decision makers.
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CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE
“Rainbow Paper: Intercultural Dialogue – from practice to policy and back” Ready for endorsement soon
The participative process in which manifold organisations shaped the voice of European civil society for Intercultural Dialogue is about to present its results: The Rainbow Paper will be on-line for endorsement in a few days’ time. It proposes a 5-step path from intercultural challenges to interculturalism and makes 5 sets of recommendations: on educating and building institutional capacity for Intercultural Dialogue, on monitoring for sustained policies, mobilising across boundaries, and resourcing of Intercultural Dialogue. Watch www.rainbowplatform.org!
Also coming up: Platform General Assembly on 11th November in Stockholm
Organisations ready to endorse the Rainbow Paper will be eligible to become members of the Platform as an association - its legal establishment is underway. The first General Assembly will take place on 11th November in Stockholm. The Platform’s work plan for 2009 will be a key agenda point. Save the date! The Assembly will take place in conjunction with the Nordic Conference on Intercultural Dialogue, Stockholm, 12-13 November, organised by the Swedish Ministry of Culture. Platform participants are welcome to stay on.
FRENCH PRESIDENCY OF THE EU
More safeguards for cultural property and copyrights high on EU Council Agenda
On 21-22 July, the French Minister for Culture and Communication, Christine Albanel, brought her fellow EU ministers together for an informal meeting in Versailles. The main topic discussed on the first day was the expansion of the ‘European Heritage Label’ from the dozen initiating States to all 27 Members States. Ministers also examined possible joint measures to counter illegal trafficking in cultural property and artifacts, which is perceived as a strong threat to the European Heritage. The second day was entirely devoted to audiovisual affairs: mainly the Telecommunications Package and copyright issues.
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EUROPEAN CAPITALS OF CULTURE
Marseilles and Kosice to be European Capitals of Culture in 2013
Slovakia’s first European Capital of Culture will be Košice, the second largest city after the capital, Bratislava. This victory did not benefit Lyon, the French city with which Košice had formed an unprecedented alliance between candidate cities. In the end, it was the famous Mediterranean hub of Marseilles that was selected by the panel a few days later.
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Latest news from the Committee on Culture and EducationSessions of the 9-10 September 2008
The Parliamentary Committee adopted in September, amongst other documents, an opinion on the 2009 budget. The committee proposed reinforcing the support for intercultural dialogue and artist mobility. Two pilot projects were also put forward: one on support for Roma Culture and one as regards the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity. The MEPs also held three public hearings on digital on line content, the current work of the Council of Europe and intercultural education.
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CIVIL SOCIETY
Economic value of the non-profit sector in European statistic data
The non-profit sector (i.e. civil society organisations, not for profit bodies, charities and associations, including of course the not for profit cultural sector) is growing in most European countries and as a result employs a considerable number of the national workforce in some EU Member States. Despite this, little is known about its contribution to the economy, and overall European statistics for the sector are still hard to find.
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Report on the Civil Society Contact Group lunch debate
“Financing the EU: where does, could and should the money come from?”
On the 21 May, the Civil Society Contact Group organised in Brussels a NGO lunch debate on the subject of the income sources of the future EU budget. In the context of the EU budget review and the related online public consultation, this debate addressed in an accessible way the central question of resourcing the European project. The Contact Group produced an interesting report on the debate.
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Euractiv policy briefing on the European Elections 2009
Culture Action Europe will be actively following the campaign for the European Parliament Elections in 2009, in order to influence European policy at its coalface. In the meantime, Euractiv has published a comprehensive policy summary on the European Elections 2009.
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European Civic Days, 4-6 September, La Rochelle
Mobility, Dialogue, Participation: Towards Active European Citizenship
The European Civic Forum organised a major event in La Rochelle to bring together citizens and association leaders from all over the European Union. The meeting that gathered almost a thousand citizens and association leaders from the 27 Member States was organised with the support of the European Commission as a high-profile event in the "Europe for Citizens" programme.
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MEMBERS’ ITEMS
AEC organizes its Annual Congress 2008 in Denmark
The European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) is preparing its Annual Congress in Denmark this year. The event, which will take place at the Royal Academy of Music in Arhus 6-8 November, will see sessions on the role of research in music academies, the training of instrumental/vocal teachers and internationalization. More information…
PEARLE: action on work permits & visas for European performers in USA
Pearle sent a letter to Vice president Barrot regarding the difficulties for European performers to obtain a work permit and visa if they want to perform in the USA. This is a topic within a framework of actions that Pearle undertakes to facilitate mobility and to draw the attention of the EU to the particularities of the performing arts sector. Read the letter on the Pearle website.
EFA spotlights festivals celebrating intercultural dialogue
The European Festivals Association launched FestFlash. This monthly newsletter highlights exceptional cases of festivals celebrating intercultural dialogue. In Ljubljana, during the opening of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, festivals signed a Declaration to engage in the process of enhancing intercultural dialogue. The FestFlash shows how the Arts Festivals’ Declaration on Intercultural Dialogue is brought to life. Read the July issue and the August Issue.
Kunstenaars&Co: building bridges between artists and society
Kunstenaars&CO is a special organisation in the Netherlands. With the law on the income of artists as a starting point, it has grown to becoming an organisation specialised in building bridges between artists and society, a subject near to the EU Cultural policy. Kunstenaars&CO works with artists from all disciplines and has many examples of good practice where art functions as catalyst for change. The link to the description of their work is: www.kunstenaarsenco.nl/english/
Eurozine - The 21st European Meeting of Cultural Journals - “Crosswords x mots croisés”, Paris, 26-29 September 2008
The 21st European Meeting of Cultural Journals is organized by the European network of cultural journals, Eurozine, and its French partners Sens Public, Multitudes and Esprit, in cooperation with Ent'revues. Over a hundred editors and intellectuals from Europe's leading cultural journals will participate in this event and explore themes related to multilingualism in Europe. For further information: www.eurozine.com or www.xwords.fr
HKW presents “African Screens: New Cinemas from Africa”, House of World Cultures, Berlin, 9 October - 9 November 2008
Most fascinating about the new African filmscape is the fact that Africans from every country on the continent now have their say and address audiences across the globe. African Screens presents these current developments and creative visions in contemporary African film. Manthia Diawara, the famous specialist of Afro-American and African Film, is curating the festival. See www.hkw.de.
FUSIC presents: “Ulysses, the discovery of Europe”, a street show in Barcelona on the 19 October at night
Ulysses is open to the participation of all associations, groups and artists linked to the city, from the civic and social fields as well as from the cultural and artistic ones. The event will focus on intercultural dialogue with many immigrant artists. See www.projecteulisses.cat or contact
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EMC Music on Troubled Soils, Jerusalem, 23 to 26 October 2007
This conference examines the role of musical activity as a facilitator for intercultural dialogue in troubled social and political circumstances. Concerts and musical presentations - including both Israeli and Palestinian musicians - will introduce to the richness of the music being practised in this region of the world. Guided tours in different sites will allow the participants to discover the actions being carried on in situ. More information.
ELIA Biennial Conference, Gothenburg, 29 October – 1 November 2008
In a time of unprecedented changes in higher arts education, the 10th ELIA Biennial conference will address many major developments and challenges. The programme includes a keynote speech by leading theatre director Peter Sellars, and various symposia (see topics). New to this 10th Biennial are the sessions on fashion, opera & musical theatre, and international relations. The physical centre of the conference will be a tent in the heart of the city that houses the interactive forum.
Go to www.eliabiennial.org or register here.
IETM Autumn Plenary Meeting, Zurich, 6-9 November 2008
The meeting in Zurich will make a contribution to the “European Year of Intercultural Dialogue” by focusing on the theme of “misunderstanding”. Ten theatres invite you to an up-to-date review of the Swiss contemporary theatre and dance scene. Put together by a team of Swiss curators, the “Sélection” provides a broad spectrum of current theatre, dance and performance productions from the German-speaking as well as French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Conference website.
European Jazz Orchestra will be on tour from 18 April to 7 May 2009
EJO will be fronted in 2009 by the legendary Peter Herbolzheimer and will give concerts in Denmark, Poland, Czech Rep., Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. EJO is supported by the EU-commission and Swinging Europe. The Jazz Producers Network of the European Broadcasting Union has been producing EJO every year since 1998. For more information.
"The Cultural Economy" co-edited by Raj Isar
The Cultural Economy (680 pages), the second volume in the 'Cultures and Globalization Series' co-edited by Culture Action Europe's President, Yudhishthir Raj Isar, has just been published by SAGE Publications. The volume provides a thoughtful and comprehensive international overview of the complex 'cultural industries landscape. For more information, click here.
Region North-Pas de Calais – “Industries, Culture & Innovation”, Tourcoing (France), 12–13 Novembre 2008
The North-Pas de Calais Region organises the conference "Industries, Culture and Innovation" in co-operation with the Relais Culture Europe and Ars Industrialis during the French Presidency period and right before the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, in the National Studio of Arts. The conference will bring together European people from politics and economy in to develop new strategies and interfaces between territories and decision-makers. More information on www.lead-network.org
Culture Action Europe is supported by the European Commission's Culture Programme and the European Cultural Foundation:
This publication reflects the views of Culture Action Europe and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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