Cultures and religions in dialogue

“It’s clear that Europe is faced by significant challenges that have their roots in intercultural relations. The European Year 2008 gives us a valuable opportunity to explore ways to improve intercultural dialogue and relations between the cultures of the old continent”, said European Commissioner JÁN FIGEL in presenting in Brussels on 4 December the programme and objectives of the year that the EU is about to devote to dialogue between the cultural expressions, traditions and religions of the 27-member Europe. “TOGETHER IN DIVERSITY”. “At first sight the task may seem extremely difficult, but fifty years ago the idea of re-uniting the various populations of our continent under the aegis of the Community also seemed impossible to realise. Today we can see the results obtained by the European Union” and its “considerable success in uniting the various countries”. Therefore, according to Commissioner Figel, “we can and must tackle the challenges of the cultural and religious diversity of our continent”. The slogan chosen for the next twelve months is: “Together in diversity”. The objective of the European Year will be to “promote mutual understanding and learning to live together with mutual differences”. “The advantages of cultural diversity, and of the active participation of citizens in Community questions, will be examined, and attempts made to stimulate the sense of belonging to Europe”.GOODWILL AMBASSADORS, EUROPEAN AND NON. The various events that the EU and member states will hold as part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue “benefit – continued Comissioner Figel – from a budget of 10 million euros to support a campaign of information and of studies” on the subject, and to fund seven EU projects and twenty-seven national projects. The Commission has chosen various personalities, exponents of culture and art, as “ambassadors of intercultural dialogue”: they include the Slovak orchestral conductor Jack Martin Händler, the Romanian film director Radu Mih?ileanu, the Catalan musician Jordi Savall, the Turkish pianist Fazil Say, the Serbian singer (and Eurovision star) Marija Šerifovi? and the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. The basic idea, in this case, is that dialogue should be developed not only inside but also outside the frontiers of the EU. MEETINGS AND DEBATES IN THE 27. In the course of 2008, apart from the events being promoted in the main cities of the continent, six debates on intercultural dialogue will be promoted in Brussels (Residence Palace). The series begins on 6 February with a debate on “Arts and Cultures”. The theme for the next debate on 2nd April is “Interfaith Dialogue”, while the following debate on 4th April will be devoted to “Places of Work”. That will be followed on 3 September by a discussion on multilingualism. The fifth debate on 1st October will be on educational and intercultural skills, and the last on 3rd December on the role of the mass media. For all information on the programmes, events, projects and competitions (including the photographic competition “Cultures on my Street”) planned for the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, a special website has been created: www.dialogue2008.eu. TWELVE MONTHS ON LINE. The website of the campaign, “designed together with organizations of civil society – explained the Slovak Commissioner -, intends to offer a common space for intercultural dialogue. It comprises a section (Partners) aimed to stimulate the creation of networks and exchange of good practices” at the EU level. To this end, “this section contains over 500 profiles of individuals and organizations active in the field of intercultural dialogue”. Figel also points out that the European Year “intends to create a basis on which to establish lasting initiatives in the field of intercultural dialogue, to be adopted at the European level also beyond 2008”. The Commission intends that it should also contribute to the implementation of the European Agenda for Culture in an increasingly globalized world, as “proposed by the Executive last May and recently adopted by the EU Council”.EUROBAROMETER SURVEY . Coinciding with the presentation of the European Year, Eurobarometer has presented the results of a survey conducted on the themes that will be tackled in 2008. “Approximately three quarters of the citizens of the Union – explain the researchers of the Commission’s polling agency – think that people of another background, whether it be ethnic, religious or national, enrich the cultural life of their country. 23% of citizens, by contrast, do not share this conviction”. Of the 27,000 Europeans interviewed by Eurobarometer it emerges that 65% “are able to cite at least one inter-action during the previous week with one or more persons of nationality, ethnic origin or religion different than their own”. The highest rates of inter-action are registered in Luxembourg, Ireland, the UK and Austria, the lowest in Estonia and Romania. The countries in which the degree of inter-action is highest are also those in which are registered the most widespread and convinced positions that the presence of minorities tends to “add liveliness” to local and national culture.