News

No Culture – no Europe! "A Soul for Europe" meets in Brussels

24 September 2009

The Civil Society Initiative “A Soul for Europe” will meet in Brussels at the beginning of the new legislative period of the European Parliament to define its action plans on how to harness Europe’s cultural strengths more efficiently. Our Strategy Group, responsible for the conceptual development and dissemination of the Initiative, will hold a Strategic Working Meeting on the weekend of the 26th/27th September 2009 at the Flagey in Brussels. Over 50 young affiliates from diverse areas such as culture, politics, business, research and media will arrive from 21 countries to examine where the Initiative is headed, discuss new plans and visions and put them into action. The joint cooperation with the Network NECE is an example of the interrelation between citizenship education and cultural activities and how these complement each other. From bases in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Porto and Tbilisi the “A Soul for Europe” Initiative is building an international network of European cities and regions, the cultural sector and business as well as European policymakers. The initiative is supported by an informal cross-party Intergroup in the European Parliament, which provides a link between the work of the Initiative and that of political decision-makers. This novel co-operation model is characterised by two important principles: the private Initiative’s independence and the willingness of parliamentarians and political decision-makers to act as intermediaries to provide access to the “realm of power”. Following the Strategy Group Meeting, “A Soul for Europe” will be present at the launch of the European House for Culture, where its main office has been located since February 2009. The European House for Culture, initiated by the European Festivals Association, will be officially presented to the public at the Flagey in Brussels. The idea behind this initiative is the strong belief that culture and art hold a strong position in the European Union integration process. High level guests including founding and new members of the European House for Culture, artists, politicians and businessmen will contribute to the opening. >>> Short CVs of each Strategy Group member and more information on the initiative can be found on “A Soul for Europe’s” website. We will be delighted to arrange meetings with members of our network for interviews. Related documents and links: • Download the press release„A Soul for Europe“NECEEuropean House for CultureEuropean Festivals Association Contact “A Soul for Europe” c/o European House for Culture Place Flagey, 18 1050 Brussels, Belgium T + 32 9 241 80 81 E houseforculture@efa-aef.eu