Jansa’s First Days

These are intense days for Janez Jansa, the Slovenian Prime Minister who oifficially initiated the first semester of presidency of the EU on January 7 and 8 by meeting the College of Commissioners in Bfdo and inaugurating the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue in Lubiana.Meetings and projects for the next 12 months. The conference that opened the year dedicated to dialogue between cultures, held at the Cankarjev dom Cnter of Lubiana, was entitled “Intercultural Dialogue: fundamental value of the EU.” Personalities from te worlds of literature, the arts and sciences, the university and journalsts were present. A speech by Slovenian Minister Vasko Simoniti initiated the conference. Other speakers included Slovenian President Danilo Turk, the President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering and Commissioners Jan Figel’ and Janez Potocnik. In the course of this year there will be hundreds of events in the 27 member states in addition to various “central” initiatives in Brussels including seven debates on migrations, minorities, education, culture and multilingualism, religions and art. The Commission is financing over 27 national projects and six of the EU to “favour the manifold cultural expressions” of the continent and the encounter between “cultures, traditions, languages and religions” present in Europe. The programs of the year can be seen on the website: www.dialogue2008.eu.  The cultural and spiritual dimension. According to Vasko Simoniti , intercultural dialogue is “a precondition for the development of a diversified, tolerant society” capable of “favouring cooperation between national identities” among “majority and minority groups” who live within the borders of “a common home.” Prime Minister Janez Jansa also spoke on these topics, stating among other things that “Now more than ever we must be aware of what the founding fathers of a United Europe held to be true: in order to achieve full integration, a great and single market and economic growth are certainly not sufficient. We need to cultivate the cultural and spiritual dimension of Europe without hesitation.” “From this perspective”, Jansa added, “the EU should be celebrating the richness of its different cultures, stress creativity and support projects that explore the European heritage”, mobilizing civil society. In fact “it is from this heritage that the universal values of modern Europe were born, such as liberty, the spirit of justice, equality, the State of law and protection of the rights of man.” An initiative for schools. Commissioner Jan Figel’ described some projects that are being financed this year by the EU, with special reference to the national project of Slovenia “which will be aimed at young students. Figel explained that they have need of intercultural experiences from the early years of childhood so that they will be able to adapt to the needs of a changing world and to take advantage of the opportunities offered by cultural diversity.” In the margins of the Lubiana encounter, representatives of the principal festivals of the arts, culture and theatre in the continent signed a declaration of intentions, adhering to the objects of the special Year, whose message will be circulated thanks to musical, events, cinema, poetry and literature. Darko Brlek, president of Efa (the Association of European festivals in 38 States), explained that the big festivals of the next months will constitute “a single platform from which to launch to millions of spectators, the message of free exchange, respectful of and capable of maintaining and protecting cultural diversity.” The role of religions. In the calendar of the Year there are seven debates from March to November, which will be hosted by the Residence Palace of Brussels (the calendar and speakers are still being defined). The first will be on “interreligious dialogue.” In this context, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, explained on Vatican Radio that “there is no culture without religion and no religion without culture.” The Catholic Church has promised to devote much attention to the European Year. For Tauran, “interreligious dialogue is on the level of the relations between man and God, as man asks himself the great questions regarding the meaning of life”, on culture and on his times. Within this dialogue there is “an educational method that adds to the understanding of the unity of the human species, the dignity of the person and that inevitably opens up to the need for forgiveness and for reciprocal understanding.” The next appointment of this Year is for Tuesday, January 15 in Strasbourg when a solemn meeting of the Parliament will be called in the presence of Ahmad Badr El Din El Hasoun, Great Muftì of Siria. Pope Benedict XVI has also been invited to speak in the course of this series of encounters with representatives of religious communities and leading international personalities.