Det Europæiske Økonomiske og Sociale Udvalg
At a time when war has returned to the European continent, culture needs, more than ever, to become a core strategic vehicle of the EU's foreign policy. To unlock its full potential, the EESC calls for the establishment of a fully-fledged multiannual strategic action plan on cultural diplomacy.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted a debate on “rEUnaissance - A cultural vision for Europe”, featuring Andre Wilkens, director of the European Cultural Foundation; Pier Luigi Sacco, special adviser to Tibor Navracsics, commissioner for education, culture, youth and sport; Airan Berg, artistic director of the Festival of the Regions and Elke Kaschl Mohni, director of the Goethe Institute in Brussels.
Participating in the workshop on Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development at the Closing Conference of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 #EuropeForCulture, organised under the outgoing Austrian presidency in December in Vienna, Tom Jones emphasised that the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) had fully supported the designation of the thematic year and the initiatives around it. He also recalled that public investment must be "rural-proofed", to maximise support to rural creative sectors and local groups working to enhance the infrastructure of our rural heritage.
Culture and the arts are key drivers for the future of Europe. I am therefore pleased to propose a short publication on culture and civil society, summarising the rEUnaissance – A cultural vision for Europe on Culture panel, which took place on 31 October 2019, during the EESC plenary session. Download the publication here.
The "LEONARDO: rEUnaissance today" project will be launched on 16 and 17 November in Rome. The project is a concrete expression of the slogan of the Presidency of Luca Jahier: "rEUnaissance" which is closely linked to one of the Presidency priorities: Culture. In a challenging time in European politics, and before the crucial European elections of May 2019, the EESC President looks to the Renaissance era for an inspiration for a positive narrative for the European Union of today.
EESC President Luca Jahier participated in the 129th plenary session of the Committee of the Regions. In the debate about "Regions and cities - Key drivers for reinforcing the European identity through culture" the participants highlighted that cities and regions reflect Europe's cultural diversity and are best placed to turn Europe's cultural heritage into a strategic asset.
Read the press release here | Read President Jahier's speech here
On June 20-21, the Various Interests' Group organised a conference entitled: 'A hope for Europe! Culture, cities and new narratives', organised in partnership with Bozar and the Education and Culture Committee of the European Parliament. The conference welcomed over 200 participants and emphasized the enormous potential culture has for ...
