Policies for Culture news

Launching of the new website of the Policies for Culture programme
The Policies for Culture programme of the European Cultural Foundation and the ECUMEST Association is pleased to announce the launch of its new website. After four years of successfully implementing initiatives all over South East Europe, Policies for Culture provides a new online resource platform for cultural policy in the SEE region. Please visit www.policiesforculture.org. Your feedback and contributions are highly welcome!

Action project update: "Identifying and implementing new efficient funding mechanisms for the cultural sector in the Republic of Moldova" (Chisinau, Republic of Moldova)
The project, initiated by the "New Alternative" Association from Chisinau, Moldova, entered its second phase, aiming at the development of a policy document, which will be summarizing the conclusions and proposals of the experts' team. The results of the first research phase - the variety of alternative funding mechanisms for the cultural sector existing throughout Europe, their functioning etc. - have been presented and discussed by the experts. The discussion of the elaborated policy document in the framework of an international seminar, large debates on this issue with cultural professionals and administrators, and further implementation of an alternative funding mechanism are now to follow.
For more information write to Veaceslav Reabcinschi at slava@mcc.md or visit the page dedicated to this project at http://www.policiesforculture.org/project_home.php?id=28.

Action project update: "Strategic Development of Suburban Culture, Obrenovac" (Belgrade, Serbia)
The civic-public platform established during the project recently finished its dialogue on cultural development for the municipality and presented its completed strategy which is now available in Serbian. English version and Final Report will be available soon.
For more information contact Smilja Cupic & Divna Vuksanovic, NGO Green Pea, at smilja.cupic@zaprokul.org.yu or visit the page dedicated to this project at http://www.policiesforculture.org/project_home.php?id=29.

 News from the countries

Bulgaria: Cultural Realm of Europe - Visions and Practices
January 2004 represented the start of a cycle of lectures organised by the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate, Sofia. The project, developed in collaboration with EFAH and supported by the European Commission, aims to introduce to the Bulgarian public the debate about the impact the EU integration will have on culture, cultural developments and cultural policy in Eastern Europe, and more specifically on Bulgaria. The project consists of five debates organised over a period of five months in Bulgaria.
Details and source: http://www.redhouse-sofia.org/index_e.html.

Bulgaria: Follow up of the project Cultural Policy and Legislation: A New Approach to Sharing Responsibilities
After the completion of the project "Cultural Policy and Legislation: A New Approach to Sharing Responsibilities", initially supported by the European Cultural Foundation and implemented in the framework of the Policies for Culture programme, the Soros Center for Cultural Policies continues this line of policy. A permanent Expert Group for Analysis was established, whose task is to identify problems, prepare well-argumented statements on cultural and political issues and offer alternative scenarios for solving critical situations through offering expert statements, analysis of international practices, organising information debates, etc.
For more information about this new initiative and its latest results contact Marina Karakonova, Coordinator, at mkarakonova@soroscentercp.bg or visit the website of the Soros Center for Cultural Policies at http://www.soroscentercp.bg.

Romania: Latest Developments in the Independent Contemporary Dance
Following the second edition of BucharEast.West International Dance Festival (October 2003) and two-year lobby and press campaign, the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs decided to support financially a six-month dance season, "Dance_Apetit", put together by the independent dance scene. This dance season, managed by artistic director Manuel Pelmus (choreographer), was supposed to include weekly performances at Bucharest National Theatre, discussions with the audience as well as funding support for 7 new dance pieces. Initially supposed to be launched on April 27 through the seminar "Connecting Artists" organised by Project DCM Foundation, Bucharest (26-27 April), the season is now postponed due to financial problems related to the funding system in Romania.
For more details contact Andreea Grecu, Executive director of Project DCM Foundation, at fest@dnt.ro. Source: Project DCM Foundation.

 Projects and Initiatives

Global Cultural Tourism Research Project
This is a project launched in March 2004 by INTERARTS and ATLAS. The partners of this research project have joined forces to develop an international survey of cultural tourism. To date some 50 organisations in 25 countries have indicated their willingness to participate. The surveys will cover the profile, motivations and behaviour of visitors to cultural attractions and events, allowing comparisons to be made between countries, regions and different types of cultural facilities. They will be undertaken during 2004, and participating organisations will receive access to the full data set.
For more information contact Greg Richards, Interarts Foundation, at grichards@interarts.net; http://www.interarts.net. Source: http://www.culturelink.org/news/.

Integrated Rehabilitation Project Plan Survey on the Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (IRPP/SAAH) for cultural and natural heritage in South-East Europe
The coordination meeting of this project, which took place in Thessaloniki, 22-24 April 2004, brought together representatives of the EC and the CoE, as well as the experts from the countries involved in the Regional Programme for Cultural and Natural Heritage in SEE (RPSEE): Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro. The meeting in Thessaloniki has given priority to the practical application of the preliminary technical assessment to the monuments and sites listed as priority and prepared the future action in the process. For more information visit:
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Cultural_Co-operation/Heritage/Technical_Co-operation_and_Consultancy/. Source: RPSEE press release.

NEXUS Research Project "How to Think about the Balkans: Culture, Region, Identities"
It was hosted by the Centre for Advanced Study in Sofia and supported by the Volkswagen Foundation, Germany, the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS). It is an integral part of the Blue Bird "Agenda for Civil Society in Southeastern Europe", and was completed between October 1, 2000 and October 1, 2003.
For additional information contact Alexander Kiossev, NEXUS Convenor, at akiossev@cas.bg or visit www.cas.bg. Source: NEXUS.

 Upcoming Events

April 29 - May 17: Relais Culture Europe organises a series of information meetings on enlargement and culture
On the occasion of the May 1 event of the enlargement of Europe with 10 new members, Relais Culture Europe, Point de Contact Culture in France organise in partnership with three Poles Regionaux Culture Europe a series of meetings between French cultural operators and professionals coming from the new member countries, focusing on "Cultural Cooperation in the Enlarged Europe". Aiming at surpassing the European community frame and evoking the impact of the opening to the East on the relations between the Union and its direct neighbours, two of the meetings are dedicated to an in depth insight into the South Mediterranean regions and the Balkans. Corina Suteu, President of ECUMEST Association (Bucharest) and Head of the Cultural Management Unit at Institut de l'homme et de la Technology, Nantes, and Oana Radu, Regional coordinator of the Policies for Culture programme are participating in this meeting on the April 29.
For more details contact Leila Badis from the Relais Culture Europe at leila.badis@relais-culture-europe.org or visit http://www.relais-culture-europe.org/. Source: Relais Culture Europe.

Reminder: May 13-16. ENCATC Annual Conference: "Managing cultural dynamics within the renewed Europe" (Krakow, Poland)
In the context of the work of the European Convention and the discussions on the future Constitutional Treaty of the European Union, this event reflects the ENCATC desire and commitment to support and foster discussions among its members (network of institutions including civil society organisations in the field of culture & education). In the framework of this conference and under the title "ENCATC Reloaded", students in cultural management from ENCATC programmes from all over Europe shall have the unique opportunity to participate in the plenary sessions, to follow their own conference program and to present the outcome of their meeting. Students of the Jagiellonian University (Cracow), the Fachhochschule Potsdam, and the University of Arts (Belgrade) are the co-organisers of the event.
For additional information contact the organisers of "ENCATC Reloaded" at teambelgrade@yahoo.com or visit www.encatc.org. Source: ENCATC & the organisers of "ENCATC Reloaded".

Reminder: May 20-22. The Forum for Cooperation with South East Europe is supporting the participation of 6 representatives from SEE at "Networking for the Arts" conference in Cork (Ireland)
This meeting, organised by the Arts Council of Ireland, under the auspices of the Irish Presidency of the European Union 2004, will be a response to the European Council Resolution of 19th December 2002 about "implementing the work plan on European cooperation in the field of culture: European added value and mobility of persons and circulation of works in the cultural sector". The Cork conference will invite 2 representatives per EU member state (old and new), from government ministries or national arts intermediary agencies (such as arts councils). The Forum for Cultural Cooperation with SEE and the Arts Council of Ireland, have invited 6 representatives from SEE to attend the conference - including officials from the Ministries of Culture of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Croatia, and experts from Romania, Serbia and Moldova. A separate FCC meeting will be organised prior to the event.
For more information contact Hanneloes Weeda, Senior development officer, European Cultural Foundation at hweeda@eurocult.org or visit www.eurocult.org.

September 16-18 (21): The Best In Heritage - Annual presentation of the awarded projects in museums, heritage and conservation (Dubrovnik, Croatia)
Under patronage of ICOM, UNESCO (NC), Europa Nostra, ICOMOS and the City of Dubrovnik, "The Best in Heritage" is an international, annual presentation of the best, awarded museum, heritage and conservation projects, now in its third successful year. Their representatives explain why their achievements were proclaimed the best, either internationally or nationally.
For more details contact Professor Tomislav Sola, at info@thebestinheritage.com or visit http://www.thebestinheritage.com/. Source: The Best in Heritage.

 Opportunities

S.T.E.P. beyond mobility fund of the European Cultural Foundation
Europe is changing. As the European Union continues to extend its borders, countries and cultures once felt to be remote feature increasingly in the everyday lives of all Europeans.
The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) wants to see stronger cultural ties between European countries - including countries outside the EU. STEP beyond, the ECF's mobility fund (set up in 2003) encourages cross-border cultural cooperation and exchange, supporting individual travel in the setting-up phase of cultural and artistic initiatives. Art professionals, cultural operators, cultural journalists, cultural translators and cultural researchers are heartily invited to apply for funding. Grants make a contribution to travel costs and in some cases to the coverage of accommodation costs. Guidelines are available in English, French and Russian at the ECF website www.eurocult.org. Source: European Cultural Foundation.

Reminder: Amsterdam Summer University. Call for registration
The programme proposes a variety of summer courses among which: "The Value of Culture" (2-6 August 2004, Amsterdam); "Development and Management of Autonomous Creative Spaces in Europe" (24 - 28 August 2004, Amsterdam); "Innovative Strategies in International Cultural Cooperation" (29 August - 31 August 2003, Amsterdam). As the number of participants is limited, registration is expected as soon as possible. The coordination office will try, when possible, to help the participants to find scholarships.
For a full list of courses and further information visit www.amsu.edu or write to office@amsu.edu. Sources: AMSU, Artfactories & Felix Meritis call for registration.

 Publications & Information Resources

Cultural Cooperation within the Wider Europe and across the Mediterranean
March 2004. The European Cultural Foundation commissioned this paper to cultural policy analyst Jochen Fried. It analyses the outcomes of the series of Enlargement of Minds seminars organised by the Foundation in 2003 and makes concrete proposals for future action and steps. This document addresses the new context in which European cultural cooperation will be carried out in 2004 and beyond, analyses current cultural cooperation mechanisms and means within the Wider Europe and the Neighbourhood perspective, and proposes new and complementary areas and forms of action concerning cultural cooperation beyond EU frontiers.
Consult the report at http://www.eurocult.org/chapter2/news_detail.asp?newsID=174.
Source: European Cultural Foundation.

Cultural Policy and Cultural Diversity: Eastern European Perspectives
August 2003. This is the report of a project commissioned by the Council of Europe to Oesterreichische Kulturdokumentation. With Romania, Hungary and Russia, the emphasis is now on the central and eastern-European members of the Council of Europe. These countries present reports on the specific relationship between "Cultural Policy and Cultural Diversity" in their countries. This information serves as the basis for the final report, which is being drawn up by the Osterreichische Kulturdokumentation. The project was finished in July 2003.
For more information contact Irene Schwarz from the Oesterreichische Kulturdokumentation at irene.schwarz@kulturdokumentation.org. Consult the English version of this project's report at http://www.kulturdokumentation.org/download/EndberichtCult-Div.pdf.
Source: Oesterreichische Kulturdokumentation.

"Pour une histoire des politiques du patrimoine"
2003. Recently published book on the history of policies in the heritage sector gathers material from seminars held during 3 years in the framework of the History Committee of the French Ministry of Culture. French version only. More details: here.
Source: http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/comite-histoire.htm.