The Magazine. N°28.
Date: 2003-05-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Subjects: EU policy, cultural policy, culture, education, education policy, serial publication

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

ISSN  1023-3725

TheMagazine

N°28

Education and Training | Youth | Culture | Sport

2008: Europe’s big 
culture conversation

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Summary

European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 - Together in diversity 

Setting the stage for a dialogue of cultures 

A promising investment in intercultural dialogue 

European culture on the global stage 

Promoting intercultural dialogue – some bright ideas 

Talking to the world 

Ethical journalism to bridge intercultural divides 

Weaving intercultural dialogue into the EU’s policy fabric 

A sporting chance at success 

EIT: the new ﬂ agship for European innovation 

A future for Europe’s youth 

Erasmus – From strength to strength 

Erasmus Mundus – Making a world of diﬀ erence 

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Odile Quintin, Director-General 
for education and culture

European Year of Intercultural 
Dialogue 2008 - Together in diversity

The ‘European Year of Intercultural Dialogue’ is all about celebrating the EU’s cultural diversity and how this 
can pave the way to greater unity through mutual understanding and active European citizenship.

The bigger picture

Chiming in with EU strategies

When  Education  and  Culture  Commissioner  Ján  Figel’ 
launched the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, he 
underlined the complex cultural mix of the 27-member 
European  Union  and  its  ﬂ ourishing  contact  with  the 
rest  of  the  world.  “Dialogue  between  cultures,”  he 
said,  “would  therefore  appear  to  be  an  essential  tool 
in forging closer links both between European peoples 
themselves and between their respective cultures.”

Europe’s  diversity  is  a  rich  source  of  vitality  and 
creativity,  which  the  European  Commission  is  helping 
to  celebrate  through  its  past  and  recent  initiatives 
in  this  area.  Against  a  background  of  many  diﬀ erent 
identities  and  beliefs,  Europeans  need  to  be  able  to 
make the most of their increasingly open and complex 
cultural environment. 

The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (EYID) 2008 
takes  place  within  the  overall  framework  of  the  ﬁ rst-
ever European agenda for culture in a globalising world, 
which was launched by the Commission in May 2007.

A  Europe  proud  of  its  many  individual  identities,  but 
united  in  its  diversity,  will  be  a  formidable  force  for 
dealing with the challenges of increasing globalisation. 
The EYID oﬀ ers a unique opportunity for people to build 
bridges both within their own countries and across the 
whole  of  the  EU  and  thus  assemble  a  cultural  jigsaw, 
learning  from  each  others’  cultures,  and  presenting  a 
dynamic, multifaceted image to the rest of the world.

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During  the  EYID,  all  the  Member  States  of  the  EU  will 
be involved in projects that make connections with the 
cultures of others. The overall aims of the Year are ﬁ rst 
to promote intercultural dialogue as a means by which 
Europeans can improve their ability to deal with a more 
open,  but  also  more  complex,  cultural  environment. 
Second,  it  seeks  to  highlight  intercultural  dialogue 
as  an  opportunity  to  contribute  to,  and  beneﬁ t  from, 
a  diverse  and  dynamic  society  both  in  Europe  and 
the  wider  world;  and,  third,  to  raise  the  awareness 
of  Europeans  –  in  particular  young  people  –  of  the 
importance of developing an active European identity, 
which is open to the world, respects cultural diversity 
and is based on common values in the EU.

Such objectives are, in turn, tools for the achievement 
of  overall  European  strategies,  as  I  recently  noted, 
during a speech in Brussels. “The decision to launch the 
EYID  2008  underlines  the  importance  of  intercultural 
dialogue in achieving some of the key strategies of the 
Union.”

A time to sow seeds for the future

Intercultural dialogue is already a valued aspect of EU 
action  that  has  long  been  encouraged  through  many 
programmes  and  initiatives.  It  has  been  given  further 
prominence by the Education and Culture DG’s Culture 
programme for 2007 to 2013 and, in that context, 2008 
oﬀ ers  a  concentrated  time-frame  for  a  deeper,  more 
structured and wide-ranging dialogue. I wish to stress 

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that the activities of the EYID will be an anchor for the 
longer-term  involvement  of  everybody  living  in  the 
Union, with special attention being given to the young 
and to disadvantaged and excluded groups.

Preparing the ground

Identifying best practice

In November 2006, a conference held in Brussels looked 
at  the  concept  of  intercultural  dialogue  from  diﬀ erent 
perspectives and identiﬁ ed concrete examples of best 
practice supported by EU programmes. The conference 
selected  29  such  models  that  can  inspire  future 
projects, especially in the context of the EYID.

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In preparation for the EYID, the Commission canvassed 
opinions  from  all  who  might  be  involved  in  the  2008 
initiative  so  as  to  identify  expectations  for  the  event, 
shape calls for proposals and determine what should be 
covered by the information campaign that aims to raise 
awareness of the occasion among the general public. 
Member  States  have  also  been  preparing  national 
strategies  for  the  EYID.  As  I  have  pointed  out:  “We  are 
determined to continue our eﬀ orts to make intercultural 
dialogue a sustainable priority. However, we cannot do it 
without the collaboration and collective commitment of 
the respective countries.” To help Member States devise 
appropriate strategies and projects, speciﬁ c objectives 
that will help achieve the overall aims of the EYID have 
been identiﬁ ed:
• 

to  best  practices 

Raise  awareness  among  all  those  living  in  the  EU, 
in  particular  young  people,  of  the  importance  of 
engaging in intercultural dialogue in their daily lives;
Work  to  identify,  share  and  give  a  visible  European 
recognition 
in  promoting 
intercultural  dialogue  throughout  the  EU,  especially 
among young people and children;
Foster the role of education as an important medium 
for  teaching  about  diversity  and  increasing  the 
understanding of other cultures; 
Highlight  the  central  role  of  the  media  in  promoting 
the principle of equality and mutual understanding;
Raise  the  proﬁ le,  increase  the  coherence  of  and 
promote  all  Commission  programmes  and  actions 
contributing  to  intercultural  dialogue  and  ensure 
their continuity;
to 
Contribute 
intercultural dialogue involving co-operation between 
a wide range of stakeholders.

to  exploring  new  approaches 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

How it will work

The EYID has been allocated a budget of EUR 10 million 
to help fund:
• 

An information campaign promoting the objectives of 
the EYID;
Flagship  projects  at  the  European  level  to  raise 
awareness of the objectives of the EYID;
National projects with a strong European dimension 
that will be co-ﬁ nanced by Member States.

• 

• 

Odile Quintin 
Director-General
for education and culture

“Culture and creativity are important drivers 
for personal development, social cohesion and 
economic growth. Today’s strategy promoting 
intercultural understanding conﬁ rms culture’s 
place at the heart of our policies.” José Manuel 
Barroso, President of the European Commission 
(Brussels, May, 2007.)

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Setting the stage for a dialogue of cultures

Preparations are in full swing for the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (EYID). 
This page outlines what the Commission is doing to pave the way to 2008.

The EYID will focus on a number of actions:
• 

An  EU-wide  information  and  promotion  campaign 
which will be tailored to national and regional needs 
An EYID website to bring together all those involved 
in  intercultural  dialogue  and  to  share  tools  and 
resources
A  study  of  national  approaches  and  practices  on 
intercultural dialogue and a study for the evaluation 
and monitoring of the impact of the EYID 
An 80% grant for a limited number of ﬂ agship actions 
at the EU level to raise awareness of the objectives of 
the Year, particularly among young people
The 50% co-ﬁ nancing of dialogue actions at the national 
level which have a strong European dimension 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The Commission will also provide non-ﬁ nancial support 
in  the  form  of  authorisation  to  use  the  logo  and  other 
materials  associated  with  the  EYID  by  initiatives  that 
can  contribute  signiﬁ cantly  towards  achieving  the 
objectives  of  the  Year.  One  such  initiative  will  be  a 
conference  on  cultural  diversity  as  an  entrepreneurial 
resource called “Gain from cultural diversity”, organised 
in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Foundation.

Keep abreast of developments

In  order  to  maximise  the  success  of  the  EYID,  the 
Commission is tapping into the knowledge and expertise 
of civil society, citizens and other stakeholders across 

Europe for bright ideas. A “call for ideas” last year met 
with a fantastic response and has inspired the planning 
for the Year. 

One  space  to  watch  for  people  interested  in  taking 
part  or  following  the  Year  is  the  EYID  website:  www.
dialogue2008.eu 

Launching  in  November  2007,  the  website  will  contain  a 
wealth  of  information  on  intercultural  dialogue  targeted 
at  the  general  public,  partner  organisations,  educational 
establishments, young people and the media.

Those  interested  in  getting  involved  in  the  EYID  can 
already upload their proﬁ les in the partners section of 
the  website.  When  registered,  they  can  describe  their 
projects  and  register  their  planned  events  on  a  notice 
board  which  will  then  be  accessible  to  the  general 
public  as  a  searchable  calendar  for  the  Year.  Those 
searching for partners or wishing to become partners in 
EYID-related events can make use of the matchmaking 
service available on the site. 

For  those  in  search  of  ﬁ nancing,  the  site  will  contain 
valuable  information  on  EYID  funding  opportunities 
available under the Commission’s various programmes 
and other external sources.

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FAQ on the 2008 European Year 
of Intercultural Dialogue

Q: What is the oﬃ  cial website of the Year?
A: www.dialogue2008.eu

Q:  Who  decided  to  designate  2008  European  Year  of 
Intercultural Dialogue?
A:  Jan  Figel’,  current  European  Commissioner  for 
Education,  Training,  Culture  and  Youth,  launched  the 
idea of a European Year of Intercultural Dialogue during 
the  hearing  of  the  new  Commissioners  prior  to  the 
appointment of the Barroso Commission. 

Following  a  proposal  from  the  European  Commission, 
the  Council  of  the  European  Union  and  the  European 
Parliament adopted Decision No. 1983/2006/EC, declaring 
2008 the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

Q: What is the budget for the Year?
A: At the community level, the Year 2008 is supported 
by  a  budget  of  EUR  10  million.  EUR  3  million  will  be 
dedicated to the co-ﬁ nancing (up to 80 %) of actions on 
a  Community  scale,  taking  the  form  of  approximately 
10  ﬂ agship  European  projects.  Another  EUR  3  million 
will  be  allocated  to  the  co-ﬁ nancing  (up  to  50  %)  of 
actions at the national and regional level with a strong 
European dimension.

The  remaining  EUR  4  million  are  to  be  used  for  a 
communication campaign in the 27 EU countries during 
2008, as well as for surveys and studies on the topic of 
intercultural  dialogue  and  the  evaluation  of  the  Year’s 
implementation. 

Q: How are the European ﬂ agship projects selected?
A:  In  April  2007,  an  open  call  for  proposals  was 
published  on  the  DG  EAC  website,  with  the  deadline 
of  31  July  2007.  An  independent  panel  of  experts  will 
assess the project submissions on the basis of a points 
system corresponding to four criteria:

• 
• 

• 

• 

European dimension;
Number  of  individuals  (including  young  people) 
directly / indirectly involved;
Education,  sustainability,  trans-sectoral  approach 
and innovation; 
Project management.

Q:  When  will  the  ﬂ agship  projects  that  receive  EU 
funding be announced? 
A:  The  announcement  of  the  selected  projects  is 
expected in December 2007.

Q: What are the key messages of the Year?
A: The message that the Year 2008 wants to pass on to 
everyone  living  in  the  EU,  especially  young  people,  is 
that intercultural dialogue contributes to:
• 
• 
• 

mutual understanding and a better way of living together;
exploring the beneﬁ ts of cultural diversity;
fostering an active European citizenship and a sense 
of European belonging.

Q: What does the logo of the Year 2008 stand for?
A: The logo of the Year 2008, entitled “People reaching 
out for each other”, signals the need for Europeans to 
explore  “the  other”,  and  to  beneﬁ t  from  increasingly 
diverse  societies.  The  logo  portrays  people  joining 
hands 
in  an  open  circle,  which  underlines  the 
importance of fostering an active European citizenship 
open to the world.

Q:  What  is  the  role  of  the  European  Ambassadors  for 
Intercultural Dialogue?
A:  Ambassadors’  activities  can  take  many  forms,  but 
are  essentially  intended  to  generate  visibility  for  the 
Year  and  its  key  messages,  through  highlighting  the 
importance  and  the  beneﬁ ts  of  intercultural  dialogue, 
based on the ambassadors’ own experiences.

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Q: Who are the European Ambassadors of Intercultural 
Dialogue?
A: Ambassadors already conﬁ rmed include:

Cinema: 
Agnieszka Holland, Polish director and screenplay 
writer 
Radu Mihaileanu, Romanian-born, French ﬁ lmmaker 
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgian ﬁ lm directors

Music: 
Jack Martin Händler, Slovakian conductor 
Abd Al Malik, French rap/slam singer 
Jordi Savall, Spanish viola player (tbc) 
Charles Aznavour, French popular singer
Fazil Say, Turkish pianist and composer
Marija Šerifović, Serbian singer, winner of the 2007 
Eurovision song contest 

Literature: 
Adam Michnik, Polish author, Solidarity activist, and 
editor-in-chief of major daily Gazeta Wyborcza

Henning Mankel, Swedish author and screenplay 
writer 
Marjane Satrapi, Graphic novelist, author, 
Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist

Art: 
Marko Peljhan, Slovenian artist 

Q: How can I become involved in the Year 2008?
A:  On  www.dialogue2008.eu,  a  special  section  is 
devoted to partners who wish to be involved in the Year 
2008. You are welcome to register, upload your proﬁ le, 
share your ideas, and share examples of best practice 
in  the  ﬁ eld  of  intercultural  dialogue.  You  will  have  the 
possibility  to  register  your  events  on  a  Notice  Board 
which will then be accessible to the general public as a 
searchable calendar for the Year.

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Isabelle Schwarz

A promising investment 
in intercultural dialogue

Isabelle Schwarz, head of cultural policy development at the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), 
and Sabine Frank, deputy secretary-general of the European Forum for the Arts and 
Heritage (EFAH), explain why their organisations are keen to be part of the EYID.

Some civil society actors may view EYID as yet another 
European Year of ‘something’. But could 2008 truly be 
an opportunity to show that we care about getting our 
multiethnic and multicultural societies into shape? 

to  give  an  inspirational  and  educational  dimension 
to  political  endeavours,  and  can  provide  the  spark 
for  citizens  to  become  interested  in  the  challenges  of 
intercultural dialogue.

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At  the  ECF  and  the  EFAH,  we  have  cast  aside  any 
scepticism and have decided to embrace this occasion 
wholeheartedly.  True,  the  EYID  is  run  by  a  small  team 
at the Commission’s Education and Culture Directorate-
General,  and  co-operation  with  other  Directorate-
Generals and long-term continuity are real challenges. 
But some political forces have already been mobilised, 
and momentum in civil society is building up. The EYID 
could  be  a  golden  opportunity  to  engage  millions  of 
citizens  and  organisations  from  across  Europe  on  an 
issue that concerns us all, and it is a chance not to be 
missed.

The  EYID  oﬀ ers  the  European  institutions,  Member 
States  and  civil  society  the  prospect  of  starting 
something  new  together:  a  concerted  approach  to 
developing  and  spreading  creative  models  for  people 
with diﬀ erent cultural backgrounds and aspirations to 
live  together  and  interact  peacefully  within  the  same 
space and time, and to enter into a constructive mode 
of co-operation with other regions of the world.

Coming  from  two  cultural  organisations,  we  have 
a  particular  interest  in  demonstrating  that  art  and 
culture  have  a  special  role  in  intercultural  dialogue 
because  they  question  prejudices  and  stereotypes, 
break  taboos,  trigger  curiosity,  play  with  images  and 
words,  inspire  and  connect.  They  have  the  potential 

All of Europe’s a cultural stage

Clearly,  however,  the  Year  can  be  successful  only  if 
it  engages  not  just  the  cultural  sector,  but  also  other 
policy  sectors,  such  as  education,  youth  and  social 
aﬀ airs,  migration  and  anti-discrimination,  as  well  as 
international  relations.  That  is  why  the  ECF  and  EFAH 
have launched the Civil Society Platform for Intercultural 
Dialogue  to  bring  together  organisations  from  across 
Europe  active  in  all  those  ﬁ elds  to  explore  successful 
practices  and  policies  for  intercultural  dialogue  –  or 
better  still,  “trans-cultural  engagement”  –  which  can 
inspire citizens as much as politicians.

intercultural  activities, 

The  Civil  Society  Platform  for  Intercultural  Dialogue 
collects  insights  and  experience  from  the  ﬁ eld  and 
facilitates cross-sector learning. It covers a fascinating 
including 
kaleidoscope  of 
immigrants  and 
community  arts  programmes  for 
asylum  seekers,  neighbourhood  artistic  parades 
gathering  people  from  diﬀ erent  ethnic  backgrounds, 
social  service  organisations  exploring  new  ways  of 
helping  people  with  recent,  distant  or  no  migration 
background,  as  well  as  projects  tackling  prejudice  in 
early childhood education. 

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Sabine Frank 

Stepping-stones to success

The next step is to translate successful experience into 
a concerted agenda for political support for actions for 
intercultural dialogue. A campaign will be launched in 
2008 to mobilise as many European citizens as possible 
for  intercultural  engagement  in  its  many  forms.  This 
campaign  will  be  based  on  the  results  of  a  European-
wide  consultation  process  on  intercultural  dialogue: 
the  consultation  for  a  “Rainbow  paper”,  which  closed 
on  14th  September  2007  (see  www.efah.org  or  www.
civilsocietyplatform.eurocult.org).

The  Commission’s  ‘Communication  on  a  European 
agenda  for  culture  in  a  globalising  world’  –  which 
counts among its three core objectives, the promotion 
of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, and the 
promotion  of  culture  as  a  vital  element  in  the  Union’s 
international relations – oﬀ ers hope for the emergence 
of a longer-term policy framework.  

The  European  institutions  and  the  Member  States  will 
have to work together on the implementation of these 
objectives. This will also involve designing appropriate 
actions  and  making  resources  available. 
In  the 
Communication,  the  European  Commission  reiterates 
its commitment to pursuing a ‘structured dialogue’ with 
civil society stakeholders for policy-making, follow-up 
and  evaluation.  The  ﬁ rst  encouraging  evidence  to  this 
eﬀ ect  is  already  in  place:  the  Commission  set  up  a 
‘contact group’ for the EYID (made up of the Platform’s 
steering group and representatives from the European 
Social  Platform  and  the  European  Youth  Forum),  and 
encouraged  the  Portuguese  Presidency  to  conduct  its 
Cultural  Forum  (which  took  place  in  Lisbon  on  26-27 
September 2007) as a stakeholder consultation forum.

The  offi  cial  EYID  must  not  simply  be  seen  for  its 
communication  campaign  or  limited  funding,  but  as  a 
stepping-stone. It must put in motion a process whereby 
experience  gained  throughout  2008  is  translated  into 
a  new  and  long-term  policy  framework,  be  it  via  the 
intercultural  dialogue  projects  supported  under  the 
EYID programme, the mobilisation of civil society, or the 
policy  reﬂ ections  and  debates  at  European,  national, 

regional  and  local  levels.  Vision,  determination  and 
clarity are the cornerstones of success.

instead  of 

Real  impact  also  depends  on  the  ability  of  political 
institutions 
to  put  policy  achievements  ﬁ rmly 
before  their  need  for  public  recognition.  This  means 
institutional  collaboration 
institutional 
positioning. There could be, for instance, added value 
in  bringing  the  Council  of  Europe’s  long-standing  and 
important  work  on  intercultural  dialogue  (notably 
its  White  Paper  on  Intercultural  Dialogue)  into  the 
policy  reﬂ ections  of  the  European  Union  and  the 
intergovernmental  co-operation  of  its  Member  States, 
including, for example, through the recently suggested 
Open Method of Coordination for the culture sector. 

The  stepping-stone  lies  before  us  –  let’s  lift  our  feet 
and  take  the  necessary  step  towards  channelling  the 
positive  experience  from  the  ﬁ eld  into  a  ‘European 
strategy for intercultural dialogue’.

The European Cultural Foundation is a leading 
independent organisation devoted to cultural 
development and passionately advocates 
cultural co-operation motivated by a belief 
in the enriching experience of diversity, and 
in the power of culture to promote mutual 
understanding and respect. 

More information: www.eurocult.org

The European Forum for the Arts and Heritage 
seeks to ensure that cultural associations, 
operators and artists have a voice in Europe. 
EFAH’s members represent over 5 000 
organisations active in all cultural domains 
across the EU and beyond.

More information: www.efah.org

Together, the two organisations have launched 
the Civil Society Platform for Intercultural 
Dialogue.

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Bernard Foccroulle

European culture on the global stage

The Education and Culture DG’s Director-General Odile Quintin interviewed Bernard Foccroulle – director 
of Brussels’ La Monnaie opera house and director of the Aix-en-Provence Festival – to discover 
his views on intercultural dialogue and the EU’s proposed cultural agenda in our globalising world.

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Odile  Quintin:  The  EU’s  agenda  for  culture  has  three 
main  objectives:  promoting  cultural  diversity  and 
intercultural  dialogue;  encouraging  creativity 
to 
stimulate culture’s economic role; and making culture 
a  key  component  in  the  EU’s  external  relations.  What 
does this communication mean to you?

Bernard  Foccroulle:  It  strikes  me  as  very  important 
because it opens up new pathways. Three years ago, some 
100 artists signed a petition calling for a Europe based on 
its culture, so this communication marks a very important 
moment both for Europe and its cultural interests.

One  might  say  that  opera  can  be  seen  as  a  true 
expression  of  European  culture.  It  stimulates  socio-
economic  activity  and  tourism  and  is  an  art  form  that 
allows us to hear many diﬀ erent voices. Do you share 
this view?

Yes. If you compare it with theatre, opera has a special 
quality that allows us to hear many diﬀ erent voices: the 
individual,  a  collective  view  through  the  chorus  –  as 
in  a  grand  chorus  of  Verdi  –  and,  above  all,  opposing 
views  at  the  same  time.  And,  after  400  years,  opera  is 
relevant  to  today’s  discussion  because  it  is  so  clearly 
European, having been born in Italy and giving us now 
the  same  repertoire  from  Lisbon  to  Moscow,  and  from 
Helsinki  to  Palermo.  It  is  renowned  all  over  the  world, 
yet quintessentially European.

An important item on the agenda concerns the mobility 
of artists and works. Do you see any obstacles in this 
respect?

I  see  some  obstacles,  especially  for  the  countries  of 
Eastern  Europe,  whose  artists  and  public  were,  for 
many  years,  prevented  from  circulating  freely.  Today 
they  are  free  to  travel  but  can  face  practical  problems 
of ﬁ nance or distance. I think mobility between east and 
west,  and  to  a  certain  extent  between  the  south  and 
north of Europe, is very important. I am very happy that 
certain  European  programmes  already  permit  a  sort  of 
sponsorship: for example, with the opera houses of the 
Baltic  States  and  those  of  Western  Europe  organising 
exchanges of technicians, artists, training courses and 
so  on.  This  mobility,  for  artists  and  the  repertoire,  but 
most  essentially  for  new  works,  is  crucial.  Each  time  a 
new performance travels from town to town and is seen 
by  a  wider  public,  the  performance  is  enriched  and 
grows in maturity.

Do  you  think  it  is  possible  to  stimulate  culture’s 
economic  potential  without  destroying  its  speciﬁ c 
character?

It’s  a  delicate  matter,  but  we  have  to  remind  all  those 
responsible that, by investing in culture, we go beyond 
culture  itself.  Take  our  towns.  All  the  towns  that  have 
invested  in  culture  over  recent  years  have  seen  real 
regeneration.  The  European  Capitals  of  Culture  have 
produced  interesting  results,  some  more  than  others, 
but where there is political will both to serve culture and 
to  make  it  an  integral  part  of  the  social  and  economic 
fabric, the outcome is remarkable. We could extend this 

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idea to regions and countries. Finland, for example, has 
invested enormously in culture, especially music, and it 
is  no  accident  that,  at  the  same  time,  the  country  has 
made great technological and economic progress.

2008  is  the  European  Year  of  Intercultural  Dialogue. 
Culture is strongly related to national identity. How do 
you see the role of culture in promoting dialogue to aid 
social cohesion and tolerance?

Yes,  culture  is  often  linked  to  national  identity  and  art 
has always expressed this identity but, at the same time, 
the great works have a universal quality. Art allows us 
to  access  and  experience  a  diﬀ erent  identity  from  our 
own. I have learnt about the cultures of countries I have 
been unable to visit thanks to books, ﬁ lms, works of art 
and  artistic  encounters.  In  today’s  world,  the  need  for 
intercultural  dialogue  is  reinforced  by  migration  and 
globalisation. We need mutual respect among cultures 
through  dialogue.  This  is  linked  to  the  ﬁ ght  against 
social exclusion, as often we ﬁ nd that social and cultural 
exclusion are connected.

The  Open  Method  of  Coordination  facilitates  co-
operation  among  EU  Member  States  in  a  number  of 
ﬁ elds including culture. What would you make a priority 
for such coordination?

The  relationship  between  culture  and  education  is 
important  because  the  European  dimension  can  bring 
something  extra.  By  exchanging  examples  of  best 
practice  and  experience  we  learn  from  each  other.  The 
European  Opera  Education  Network,  RESEO,  with  the 
aid of the Commission, has reinforced opera education 
services  across  Europe.  Cultural  co-operation  can 
also  be  a  part  of  development  aid,  and  it  is  our  duty 
to  ﬁ nd  ways  of  supporting  centres  of  creativity  and 
transmitting works, in Africa, say, and in other parts of 
the developing world.  

The  EU  has  ratiﬁ ed  UNESCO’s  Convention  on  Cultural 
Diversity. Do you think that globalisation and cultural 
diversity work against each other or in harmony?

The  UNESCO  convention  is  a  victory  in  protecting 
cultural  diversity  not  just  for  Europe  but  also  for  the 
planet, and we have to thank the EU for its role in that. 
Does globalisation lead to standardisation? I think there 
are two contradictory processes; one is towards greater 
standardisation that can lead to the suppression of some 
minority or of weaker cultures that cannot compete with 
major  cultural  players.  At  the  same  time,  we  now  have 
more instruments to ﬁ ght against that process and help 
us to respect cultures, whether traditional or new. So we 
ﬁ nd  ourselves  in  two  opposing  currents,  probably  the 
stronger is that of standardisation, but the other allows 
us  to  resist  and  construct  something  sustainable  and 
positive both for Europe and the planet.

Two  ﬁ nal  questions:  the  role  of  culture  in  Europe’s 
external  relations  is  important.  Do  you  think  that 
culture  has  an  important  role  to  play  in  sustainable 
development  and  harmonious  relations?  In  addition, 
one of our ideas is to have a systematic and structured 
dialogue  between  the  cultural  world  and  European 
authorities along with the creation of a forum. Do you 
ﬁ nd this approach useful?

Intuitively I feel that culture should be totally integrated 
into  our  eﬀ orts  to  promote  sustainable  development. 
And  structured  dialogue  is  useful  so  that  the  cultural 
world  learns  to  express  itself,  where  possible,  with  a 
united  voice,  not  just  at  the  European  level  but  also  at 
the  national  and  local  level.  Dialogue  is  at  the  heart 
of  artistic  action  and  it  is  important  for  cultural  actors 
across  all  sectors  to  ﬁ nd  a  means  of  expressing  what 
unites them, as well as what  diﬀ erentiates them, and so 
create strong zones of convergence that can be supported 
at the European, regional and national levels.

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Promoting intercultural dialogue – 
some bright ideas

Breaking down barriers between diﬀ erent communities and cultures will take passion, commitment 
and a bag full of bright ideas. The Magazine examines how some Europeans who took part 
in the Commission’s “Call for ideas” on intercultural dialogue would promote intercultural 
dialogue in this most diverse of continents.

Breaking down barriers

Diego  Moreno  is  a  student  from  Vigevano,  a  city  in 
Lombardy,  northern  Italy.  For  him,  dialogue  and  co-
operation  must  start  by  breaking  down  barriers  and 
nurturing trust and understanding. 

“People are afraid and so create a prejudice in relation 
to what they don’t know,” explains Diego. “Learning to 
know diﬀ erent cultures is a ﬁ rst step in learning how to 
accept and love others.”

Diego  is  keen  to  see  families  and  school  pupils 
learn  about  other  cultures,  perhaps  with  the  help  of 
multimedia packs which would outline how people live 
and  work.  The  packs  would  explain  the  experience, 
expectations, dreams and problems of other cultures.

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local  community 

is  already  engaged 

Diego’s 
in 
promoting  intercultural  dialogue,  especially  among 
the  young.  “We  have  systematically  organised  some 
meetings for young foreign people, Italians, volunteers 
and  cultural  operators,”  says  Diego,  who  adds  that 
the  work  has  engendered  a  good  atmosphere  for  the 
sharing of experience.

According to Diego, music is a useful means for creating 
harmony  –  metaphorically  and  literally.  He  would  like 
to  see  a  multi-ethnic  music  band  formed,  made  up  of 
young  people  from  diﬀ erent  countries,  each  of  whom 
would  bring  their  own  style  and  musical  inﬂ uences  to 
the venture.

And  what  about  spreading  positive  messages?  Diego 
feels the EU could help here by backing the creation of 
a  blog  where  voluntary  associations  and  citizens  can 
swap ideas, solve problems and provide assistance to 
one another.

Targeting the urban community

As  a  spokesperson  for  Bund  Berlin’s  Intercultural 
Working  Group,  Desiree  Zwanck  knows  that  urban 
centres are on the frontline when it comes to promoting 
dialogue between diﬀ erent peoples. Europe’s cities are 
true  melting  pots  and  home  to  the  majority  of  people 
that come here from other parts of the world.

Desiree  believes  people  should  join  forces  to  address 
shared  problems  and  challenges.  “Men,  women  and 
children from diﬀ erent cultural backgrounds should be 
brought  together  to  share  their  expertise,  to  protect 
and  re-design  the  very  environment  they  live  in,”  she 
explains.

A ﬁ rst step would be to build consensus for community 
activities through dialogue, which would bring together 
citizens,  politicians,  entrepreneurs,  environmentalists 
and others. 

Desiree  and  her  colleagues  in  Berlin  suggest  a  range 
of  environment-based  activities  that  could  generate 
lasting  cultural  understanding  and  co-operation.  For 
example,  community-based  urban  land  cultivation 

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projects could provide a focus for people from diﬀ erent 
backgrounds to work on a shared activity. 

Climate  change 
is  another  problem  that  aﬀ ects 
everyone regardless of ethnic or cultural background. 
According  to  Desiree,  “the  potential  for  co-operation 
between  diﬀ erent  communities, 
institutions  and 
governments is high”.

Water conservation could also beneﬁ t from intercultural 
dialogue.  Joint  activities  in  this  area  of  environmental 
protection  would  have  to  cross  political  and  cultural 
borders  to  be  eﬀ ective.  “Water 
is  symbolic  for 
interdependence  and  our  rivers  and  oceans  connect 
several European cities and states,” explains Desiree.

Exploring citizenship

“In  a  democracy,  we  must  all  dare  expose  ourselves 
to  the  power  of  communication,”  says  Danish  artist 
Morten Groll. He believes progress depends on mutual 
respect and a genuine desire to take part in intercultural 
dialogue.

Morten  is  concerned  that  the  European  project  has 
become  a  top-down  process  of  communication  which 
alienates  ordinary  people.  If  the  European  dream  of 
a  shared  identity  is  to  make  progress,  it  must  involve 
everyone.

Morten  suggests  setting  up  a  programme  of  public 
conferences  where  people  can  debate  EU-citizenship 
issues.  Panel  members  would  be  drawn  from  majority 
and  minority  groups,  but  no  politicians  would  be 
allowed to attend!

“It  is  crucial  that  representatives  of  many  diﬀ erent 
cultures  are  invited  to  take  part  and  that  organisers 
[ensure] a feeling of equality between the participants,” 
explains Morten. 

Decent  funding  would  have  to  be  provided  to  run  the 
conferences,  which  ideally  should  be  held  in  local 
communities across Europe.

In  2004,  Morten  organised  a  conference  on  Danish 
citizenship, which aimed to develop a set of norms for 
citizenship  in  multiethnic  Denmark  that  takes  account 
of people’s backgrounds and values.

The  artist  wants  to  see  more  democratic  engagement 
in  debates  about  European  citizenship.  “The  EU  is  an 
enormous institution which seems light years away from 
the  regular  citizen.  However,  it  is  possible  to  involve 
any individual in the “European dream”…. if he or she is 
allowed to share the dream and contribute to it.”

Charting a course to unity

Cologne-based artist Frank Bölter believes in the power 
of  community  art  to  generate  understanding  and  co-
operation  between  people.  He  has  devised  a  project 
called  “Shipping  Europe”  which  involves  giant  paper 
ships “setting sail” on Europe’s largest rivers.

journeys  would  depend  on 

The  ships’ 
local 
municipalities  taking  responsibility  for  each  vessel  as 
they  enter  diﬀ erent  regions  and  countries  en  route. 
School  children  could  help  make  the  Origami-style 
paper ships and river captains would be enlisted to tow 
the ﬁ nished models.

Frank suggests rivers such as the Volga, Danube, Rhine 
Elbe, Rhone, Seine and the Ebro could be used for the 
venture. Ideally, a number of ships would be launched 
at  the  same  time  to  create  a  genuinely  Europe-wide 
event.

According  to  Frank,  moving  the  ships  on  through 
diﬀ erent  regions  and  countries  could  be  hugely 
symbolic  because  the  project  requires  people  coming 
together to achieve a shared goal.

“The  folding  ships…illustrate  an  open  future  and 
conﬁ dent  attitude  for  the  European  community,”  he 
adds.

More information: 
http://www.dialogue2008.eu/

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Talking to the world

The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (EYID) is not just about sparking a cultural 
conversation within the EU, but also between Europe and other parts of the world. Such global 
dialogue can contribute to global understanding and hence promote peace and prosperity.

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One  important  aspect  of  the  EYID  will  be  to  bolster 
intercultural  dialogue  between  the  EU  and  the  rest  of 
the world, particularly in neighbouring regions, such as 
the non-European Mediterranean. 

“Worldwide, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue 
have become major challenges for a global order based 
on peace, mutual understanding and respect for shared 
values, such as the protection and promotion of human 
rights  and  the  protection  of  languages,”  observes  the 
Commission’s  draft  “European  agenda  for  culture  in  a 
globalising world”, which was published in May 2007.

The  Union’s  own  internal  track  record  of  constructing 
unity  through  diversity,  as  well  as  its  economic  and 
political  might,  put  it  in  an  advantageous  position  to 
promote  global  understanding.  “The  European  Union 
is  not  just  an  economic  process  or  a  trading  power, 
it  is  already  widely  –  and  accurately  –  perceived  as 
an  unprecedented  and  successful  social  and  cultural 
project,” the draft agenda points out. 

“The  EU  is,  and  must  aspire  to  become  even  more,  an 
example of a ‘soft power’ founded on norms and values 
such  as  human  dignity,  solidarity,  tolerance,  freedom 
of  expression,  respect  for  diversity  and  intercultural 
dialogue,  values  which,  provided  they  are  upheld 
and  promoted,  can  be  of  inspiration  for  the  world  of 
tomorrow,” it continues.

Mobilising for peace

The  EU  has  already  invested  heavily  in  intercultural 
dialogue with its partners. For instance, the Barcelona 
Process  with  the  Union’s  Mediterranean  partners 

has  had,  since  its  launch  in  1995,  the  aim  of  creating 
a  “common  area  of  peace  and  stability  through  the 
reinforcement of political and security dialogue”.

One  recent  manifestation  of  this  was  the  creation 
of  the  Anna  Lindh  Euro-Mediterranean  Foundation 
for  Dialogue  Between  Cultures  in  Alexandria,  Egypt. 
Named after Sweden’s popular foreign aﬀ airs minister 
who  was  tragically  murdered  in  2003,  the  foundation 
seeks to further her pro-European and internationalist 
legacy. 

Jointly established and funded by all 35 members of the 
Euro-Med  partnership,  it  strives  to  bring  people  and 
organisations  from  both  shores  of  the  Mediterranean 
closer  together  and  to  help  bridge  the  gaps  between 
them.

Europe  also  supports  dialogue  and  culture-related 
activities in the context of the European Neighbourhood 
Policy (ENP). It focuses on building better relations with 
the EU’s post-enlargement neighbours.

Culture is one of the focuses of the EU’s new “Investing 
in  people”  thematic  programme  (2007-2013)  which  is 
targeted  at  the  Union’s  developing  partner  countries. 
The  programme  has  the  dual  aim  of  bringing  together 
peoples  and  cultures  on  an  equal  footing,  and 
promoting  greater  international  co-operation  to  take 
better  advantage  of  the  economic  potential  of  the 
cultural sector. 

In  addition  to  these  and  other  international  eﬀ orts, 
the  Commission  has  recommended  that  the  EU  set  up 
a  cultural  fund  for  its  African,  Caribbean  and  Paciﬁ c 
(ACP) partner countries.

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The  EYID  will  raise  awareness  of  these  initiatives  and 
complement  them  with  dialogue  activities  with  the 
wider world. 

More information:
“European  agenda  for  culture  in  a  globalising  world” 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri
=COM:2007:0242:FIN:EN:HTML 

The Barcelona Process 
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/euromed/ 

European Neighbourhood Policy 
http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/index_en.htm 

The  Anna  Lindh  Euro-Mediterranean  Foundation  for 
Dialogue Between Cultures
www.euromedalex.org 

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Ethical journalism to bridge 
intercultural divides

These are challenging times for journalists.  In addition to coverage of increasingly complex 
wars, civil conﬂ icts, terrorism, foreign relations and economic developments, reporters and 
editors are faced with the daunting task of writing and commenting on rapid social changes 
taking place worldwide. Brussels-based journalist Shada Islam reports.

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Keeping track of the rapid transformation of once mainly 
homogenous societies into vibrant and colourful multi-
ethnic and multi-religious communities is diffi  cult – but 
also fascinating. The good news is that this increasingly 
diverse mix of people, races and faiths has triggered a 
new political, cultural and economic dynamism across 
continents.  

People travel easily across borders, transporting fresh, 
innovative  ideas  and  attitudes  to  their  new  homes. 
However,  the  shifting  social  and  cultural  landscape 
often also results in friction and strain as communities 
with  diﬀ erent  cultures,  faiths  and  traditions  adjust  to 
living together. 

As societies change, misunderstanding and intolerance 
are  on  the  rise.  Racism  and  xenophobia  have  re-
emerged as powerful perils in many parts of the world, 
conﬁ rmed by the increasing popularity of anti-foreigner 
political parties in Europe and elsewhere.

Europe  has  seen  a  range  of  controversies  that  spotlight 
the  need  for  stronger  action  to  promote  inter-cultural 
understanding.  Among  them,  the  outrage  following 
publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, 
racist  attacks  and  violence  in  the  streets  of  France  and 
Britain,  anger  over  controversial  ﬁ lm-maker  Theo  Van 
Gogh’s  murder  in  the  Netherlands,  and  growing  anti-
immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment in many countries.

Not  surprisingly,  the  focus  is  on  how  newspapers, 
broadcasters  and  other  media  outlets  can  take  up  the 

challenge  of  portraying  the  global  social  revolution. 
Working behind the scenes, a core group of journalists 
and  media  groups  have  developed  a  new  “ethical 
journalism initiative” spearheaded by the International 
Federation  of  Journalists*  (IFJ)  to  help  foster  the 
development  of  sound,  quality  journalism  to  provide 
reporters and editors with the tools needed to work in 
a multicultural world.  

through  dialogue  and 

The  ethnical  journalism  campaign  aims  to  strengthen 
raise 
democratic  values 
awareness  of  the  role  that  informed  journalism  plays 
in  creating  understanding  where  there  is  division.  It 
will  highlight  three  ethical  principles  in  the  practice 
of  good  journalism:  the  respect  for  truth,  editorial 
independence and the need to minimise harm.  

The  initiative  focuses  on  promoting  a  global  inter-
media dialogue as an essential element in any strategy 
to avoid cultural misunderstandings and foster peace-
building and development.

The  need  for  such  action  is  undeniable.  Media  in 
all  parts  of  the  world,  including  Europe,  remain 
wedded  to  an  old-fashioned  and  outdated  concept 
of  “immigrants  and  foreigners”  as  exotic  outsiders 
who  bring  dangerous  ideas  and  customs  into  host 
societies.  Too  few  journalists  in  Europe,  for  instance, 
have tried to reﬂ ect on the continent’s racial and ethnic 
transformation or shown an interest in highlighting the 
many  fascinating  facets  of  an  emerging  multicultural 
Europe.  Many  media,  unfortunately,  have  taken  the 

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easy  but  grimmer  route  of  promoting,  rather  than 
countering, bias and prejudice.

Sensationalist  reporting  is  to  be  expected  from  the 
popular  tabloid  press.  What  is  depressing,  however, 
is  that  many  broadsheet  newspapers  have  failed 
to  provide  space  to  counter  arguments  and  those 
advocating a less hysterical “white against black” view 
of the world.  

European media – including broadcasters and internet-
based  information  outlets  –  have  been  especially 
unable or unwilling to provide a true image of Europe’s 
20-million-strong Muslim minority.  

Alarmist  and  almost  hysterical  coverage  of  minorities 
is  not  exclusive  to  Europe.  Papers  across  the  globe 
are  guilty  of  providing  a  simplistic,  one-sided  view  of 
‘the  other’.  Such  sensationalist  reporting  may  help 
sell  papers  in  an  increasingly  competitive  media 
environment, but it has contributed to an increasingly 
fearful climate between communities.

Meddling in media aﬀ airs

Journalists  across  the  world  are  united  in  dismissing 
demands  for  curbs  on  press  freedoms  and  remain 
adamant  that  there  must  be  no  new  rules,  codes  or 
regulations.  Politicians  and  governments  must  not 
meddle in media aﬀ airs. However, there is also growing 
recognition  that,  in  a  world  racked  by  conﬂ icts  both 
inside  societies  and  between  countries,  the  need  for 
informed  and  professional  journalism  has  never  been 
greater.  

Writing about more complex, diverse societies requires 
sensitive,  careful  handling.  This  does  not  mean 
refusing to report on conﬂ icts but ensuring that articles 
dealing  with  such  issues  are  written  with  the  same 
care, objectivity and impartiality given to other issues.  
Additionally, care must be taken to avoid incitement to 
hatred and a perpetuation of bias.

Good  journalistic  conduct  requires,  for  instance,  that 
government policies are challenged and politicians taken 

to task when they propagate intolerant, xenophobic or 
racist  views.  Widespread  negative  assumptions  about 
immigrants  need  to  be  questioned  and  tested.  Both 
sides  of  the  story  have  to  be  reﬂ ected.  The  actions  of 
one extremist or a group of militants should not lead to 
the demonisation of entire communities.  

Many of these norms were included in the declaration 
of  principles  on  the  conduct  of  journalists  adopted  by 
the World Congress of the IFJ in 1954. That declaration 
points out very clearly that a “journalist shall be aware 
of the danger of discrimination being furthered by the 
media and shall do the utmost to avoid facilitating such 
discrimination  based  on  race,  sex,  sexual  orientation, 
language,  religion,  political  or  other  opinions  and 
national or social origins.”

Those principles need to be given more substance and 
potency  in  these  diffi  cult  and  fearful  times.  Although 
many  journalists  strive  to  maintain  high  standards, 
media groups, in ferocious competition for readers and 
viewers and trying to cope with revolutionary changes 
in  the  media  market,  are  cutting  back  on  full-time 
employment  and  reducing  investment  in  training  and 
investigative journalism.

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Today, journalists seeking to perform their tasks to the 
best of their abilities need to tackle an array of diffi  cult 
but urgent issues. These include:
• 

Debating  “self-regulation”  to  ensure  it  is  viewed  as 
another  manifestation  of  sound  editorial  judgment 
rather than self-censorship; 
Ways of encouraging journalists to be better informed 
to avoid manipulation by extremists or unscrupulous 
politicians; 
Ensuring 
impartiality  and  application  of  core 
principles of ethical journalism when covering issues 
of crime, immigration, community relations, religious 
belief, and terrorism, especially when public anxiety 
is high; 
Practical  actions  to  be  taken  to  improve  quality 
media  and  eliminate  prejudice  within  the  industry, 
including through the recruitment of minorities to the 
newsroom; 

• 

• 

• 

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consultation  in  case  of  doubt  on  intercultural  topics. 
The  campaign  also  plans  to  monitor  violations  of 
ethical  standards  as  established  by  the  journalists’ 
codes  of  conduct.  Support  for  twinning/exchange 
programmes between media organisations is also part 
of the project. 

Lastly, the initiative is a powerful reminder to journalists 
that  their  key  task  is  to  provide  accurate  information 
(objectively,  rapidly  and  independently)  to  a  public 
seeking to understand the complexities and challenges 
of today’s world.  

• 

Discussion  of  these  complex  issues  with  other 
civil  society  groups  and  policy-makers  without 
compromising editorial independence. 

journalism 

campaign 
to 

focuses  on 
The  ethical 
implementing  practical  actions 
the 
improve 
performance  of  media  through  improved  training, 
recruitment  and  newsroom  practice,  and  encouraging 
co-operation between reporters in diﬀ erent parts of the 
world.  

Plans  are  also  well  advanced  to  establish  a  website 
including  reliable  sources  for  interviews  or  simply  for 

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* The International Federation of Journalists is the world’s largest organisation of journalists. First established in 1926, it was re-launched in 1946 and 
again, in its present form, in 1952. Today, the Federation represents around 500 000 members in more than 100 countries. The IFJ promotes international 
action to defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists. The IFJ is the organisation that 
speaks for journalists within the United Nations system and within the international trade union movement.

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Weaving intercultural dialogue into 
the EU’s policy fabric

Intercultural dialogue has long been a thread running through the European Commission’s 
initiatives and programmes. Within the European Union, and in the wider world, the Commission 
has fostered cultural diversity through a wide range of activities including academic conferences, cultural 
and educational initiatives, and its funding programmes. This weaving of intercultural dialogue into the 
overall fabric of Union activity is known technically as “mainstreaming”.

Intercultural  dialogue  is  a  common  theme  running 
through  the  entire  spectrum  of  activities  managed 
by  the  Education  and  Culture  Directorate-General 
and  involves  co-operation  with  other  parts  of  the 
Commission  –  especially  those  dealing  with  non-
discrimination,  social  cohesion  and  external  relations 
– as well as other EU institutions and Member States. 

This  mainstreaming  will  help  reinforce,  deepen  and 
make intercultural dialogue more visible. But this is not 
merely an end in itself. Intercultural dialogue is also a 
tool for achieving the overall strategies of the EU when 
facing  the  challenges  of  cultural  diversity,  migration, 
and globalisation. 

Spotlight on mainstreaming

In  November  2006, 
the  Commission  organised 
a  conference  to  raise  awareness  of  the  role  that 
intercultural  dialogue  plays  in  EU-funded  projects. 
The gathering aimed to select, promote and exchange 
examples  of  best  practice  that  demonstrate  how 
intercultural  dialogue  can  best  be  fostered  in  EU-
supported projects. 

The  conference  was  a  platform  for  increasing  the 
visibility  of  initiatives  carried  out  with  the  support 
of  Commission  funding,  showing  through  concrete 
examples  how  dialogue  between  citizens  of  diﬀ erent 

cultures  can  improve  the  overall  quality  of  their 
lives.  Political  actors  in  the  ﬁ eld  of  culture  and  civil 
society  had  an  opportunity  to  exchange  views  on  the 
appropriate  means  to  integrate  intercultural  dialogue 
in  future  actions,  at  regional,  national  and  European 
levels.  A  crucial  focus  of  the  conference  was  on  the 
29  model  projects  chosen  to  illustrate  how  best  to 
stimulate intercultural dialogue. 

In  addition,  the  conference  was  also  a  preparation  for 
the  European  Year  of  Intercultural  Dialogue  (EYID)  in 
2008, targeting how its actions can have lasting impact 
and examining the means of drawing wider attention to 
the results, thereby maximizing their eﬀ ect.

At the same time, the Commission has also launched a 
wide-ranging study of the diﬀ erent national approaches 
and experiences of intercultural dialogue in the EU. The 
study is helping the Commission to understand better 
cultural  diﬀ erences  across  the  Union  and  learn  how 
each Member State addresses diversity.  

The beneﬁ ts of mainstreaming 

An  examination  of  projects  carried  out  across  the 
Commission’s  funding  remit,  such  as  that  provided 
by  the  conference,  shows  that  intercultural  dialogue 
requires  a  grass-roots  approach  with  citizens 

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playing  a  vital  role.  Civil  society  needs  to  exchange 
experiences  of  intercultural  dialogue,  and  to  ensure 
that  the  EYID  reaches  citizens.  Regional,  national  and 
local  involvement  is  also  necessary.  Among  the  many 
conclusions  reached  at  the  conference  were  some 
key  points  that  can  help  shape  future  policies  and 
programmes, including:

• 
• 

• 

• 

We need to speak less and listen more. 
Intercultural dialogue should not be monopolised by 
the  majority.  However,  some  minorities  do  not  have 
access  to  dialogue.  Such  groups  need  a  platform  to 
express their concerns.  
We  must  stress  the  importance  of  the  concept  of 
European  citizenship  and  identity  and  of  common 
belonging, no matter what our origins are. 
We  need  to  move  from  intercultural  dialogue  to 
intercultural  co-operation  based  on  equality  of 
people and citizenship.

To  move  forward  in  these  areas,  a  great  eﬀ ort  is 
required  across  the  EU  to  ensure  that  intercultural 
issues are integrated into education at all stages, that 
patterns  of  migration  and  the  challenges  it  poses  are 
better  understood,  and  that  citizens  are  given  all  the 
tools  they  need  –  language  proﬁ ciency,  for  example. 
By  mainstreaming  intercultural  dialogue  across  EU 
actions, the Commission can advance these eﬀ orts and 
strengthen individual cultural identities while fostering 
mutual respect.

Projects in action 

Two  of  the  29  model  projects  are  outlined  here  to  give 
a ﬂ avour of the varied activities taking place across the 
EU to stimulate intercultural dialogue: The ﬁ rst is young 
volunteers work for social integration via the Commission’s 
European  Voluntary  Service  (EVS),  coordinated  by  the 
International Cultural Youth Exchange. 

countries,  promoting  the  inclusion  and  integration 
of  marginalised  groups.  In  2004,  15  volunteers  made 
a  big  commitment  that  has  enriched  their  own  lives 
and  those  of  the  communities  in  which  they  worked. 
The  volunteers,  aged  18-25,  gave  six-12  months  of 
their  time  to  work  abroad  in  centres  for  refugees  and 
migrants  and  with  human  rights  organisations.  Eight 
young  people  from  EU  Member  States  in  western  and 
northern  Europe  went  to  centres  for  migrants  and 
refugees  and  human  rights  organisations  in  countries 
of  south-eastern  Europe  and  seven  volunteers  from 
Balkan countries went to EU Member States. 

For many, this was their ﬁ rst experience of living away 
from  home,  of  working  with  people  from  diﬀ erent 
cultures and of speaking diﬀ erent languages. Such an 
upheaval involves a major culture shock. The volunteers 
were ﬁ rst given training to help them prepare for this. A 
three-day course in Berlin gave an overview of the host 
countries  and  covered  practical  aspects  of  the  visit. 
On  arrival  in  the  host  country,  volunteers  received  an 
additional three days of training on the details of local 
life  and  the  situation  of  migrants  and  refugees  in  the 
country.  Language  lessons  were  also  provided  as 
needed. 

This opportunity for ﬁ rst-hand experience of a diﬀ erent 
culture for both the host communities and the volunteers 
is a prime example of meaningful intercultural dialogue. 
The hosts beneﬁ t from the time, energy, practical ideas, 
personal skills, and the diﬀ erent cultural perspectives 
of the volunteers. The volunteers gain unique insights 
into issues of social inclusion and human rights, while 
developing  their  intercultural  understanding  through 
working  in  a  diﬀ erent  ethnic,  cultural  and  religious 
environment.  A  volunteer  from  Macedonia    working  in 
the children’s department of the Caritas refugee shelter 
in  Vienna  commented:  “The  whole  project  was  a  very 
life-enriching experience for me, during which I learned 
a  lot  ...  not  only  about  the  country  where  I  stayed  but 
also about myself.” 

The  EVS  encourages  young  people  to  contribute  to 
human  rights  and  reconciliation  in  one  another’s 

Activities  of  this  sort  reverberate  long  beyond  the 
closing  date  of  the  project.  Marginalised  groups 

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can  see  that  their  plight  is  not  ignored  and  the 
volunteers  expand  their  intercultural  understanding 
and awareness of some of society’s most intransigent 
problems, and make a lasting commitment to support 
human rights.

including  the  Coordination  Européenne  des  Festivals 
de  Cinéma  (Pierre  Duculot),  Cineteca  di  Bologna  (Guy 
Borlée),  Alternativà  in  Barcelona  (Tessa  Renaudo)  and 
Premiers  Plans  in  Angers  (Frédéric  Lavigne  played  an 
advisory role throughout the project.

Celluloid dreams

In  2004,  the  Consortium  des 
Instituts  Culturels 
Européens  à  Bruxelles  (CIBEB)  launched  the  LARGE 
ﬁ lm  project.  This  was  made  up  of  eight  short  ﬁ lms 
of  eight  to  15  minutes  duration.  These  ﬁ lms  were  the 
products  of  collaboration  between  three  young  and 
talented  professionals  –  a  producer,  a  director  and 
a  scriptwriter  –  each  from  a  diﬀ erent  country  in  the 
new  Member  States.  They  met  and  began  their  work 
during  a  pre-production  seminar  in  Brussels.  The 
Danish scriptwriter, Mogens Rukov, coached the young 
professionals  and  the  project  received  support  from 
three  producers  acting  as  mentors:  Despina  Mouzaki 
(from  Greece),  Olivier  Guerpillon  (from  Sweden)  and 
Ales Hudsky (from the Czech Republic). 

The Commission ﬁ nanced the project under the Culture 
2000  programme,  and  several  non-ﬁ nancial  partners 

The ﬁ lms depict contemporary Europeans, reﬂ ecting the 
diversity of the EU’s cultures. In digital format and with 
subtitles  in  19  languages,  it  can  be  viewed  as  8  short 
ﬁ lms  or  a  long  90-minute  programme.  The  ﬁ lms  cover 
24  countries  including  all  of  the  new  Member  States. 
Each  short  ﬁ lm  brings  together  directors,  producers 
and  scriptwriters  from  diﬀ erent  countries,  enhancing 
the  intercultural  dimension  in  the  process  of  creating 
the diﬀ erent works alongside the intercultural content 
of the subjects treated.

Clearly  this  kind  of  project  has  a  lasting  and  wide-
ranging value in that the ﬁ lms can be seen throughout 
Europe  in  educational  settings,  or  simply  for  their 
intrinsic  interest,  bringing  intercultural  awareness  to 
those who can only be “armchair” travellers. 

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A sporting chance at success

The Commission has taken its ﬁ rst run at a comprehensive initiative on sport. The resulting White Paper 
and accompanying Action Plan provide much-needed strategic orientation on the role of sport in the EU.   

European  policy-makers  have  recently  delivered  a 
groundbreaking  White  Paper  on  Sport(1).  Two  years  in 
the making, the Paper is the Commission’s contribution 
to European debate on the importance of sport in daily 
life, whether it be in combating obesity in young people, 
encouraging greater social inclusion or ﬁ ring Europe’s 
economic engines. 

This important document aims to enhance the visibility 
of sport in EU policy-making, raise awareness of speciﬁ c 
needs in the sector, and identify appropriate responses 
at the European level. 

The Paper is the result of extensive consultations with 
major  sporting  federations, 
international  sporting 
bodies,  including  European  Olympic  Committees,  and 
with Member States and key stakeholders. 

Further input came from nearly 800 on-line submissions 
by  interested  organisations  and  individuals  between 
(2007).  This  open 
February  and  April  this  year 
consultation shed light on some of the more challenging 
issues facing sport in Europe, including how to respect 
“home-grown  player”  quotas  and  the  possible  impact 
this may have on EU anti-discrimination laws and player 
mobility, as well as the issue of media rights.

Olympic spirit

The White Paper proposes concrete action in a detailed 
document, the “Pierre de Coubertin Action Plan”, named 
after the forward-thinking French Baron who rekindled 
the Olympic Movement(2) in the 1890s. 

1  The White Paper is available at http://ec.europa.eu/sport/index_en.html 
2  The  Olympic  Movement  http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/

index_uk.asp 

The Plan naturally deals with the physical, educational 
and  health  aspects  of  sport,  but  also  with  the  socio-
In 
economic,  ﬁ nancial  and  political  components. 
addition,  it  puts  forward  numerous  proposals  for 
further  “structured  dialogue”  to  be  developed  in  the 
coming months to years.

Among  these  proposals  are  new  guidelines  and  a 
network to boost physical activity, as well as a European 
labelling  scheme  to  reward  schools  that  actively 
promote sports. Measures to facilitate a coordinated EU 
approach to ﬁ ghting doping in sports and for Member 
States  to  strengthen  political  co-operation  on  sport 
were also put forward.

ideas 

include  setting  up  social  dialogue 
Other 
committees in support of employer-employee relations 
in  sport,  a  yearly  “European  Sport  Forum”  to  further 
encourage  eﬀ ective  dialogue,  and  studies  to  evaluate 
the impact of volunteering in sports and the funding of 
grassroots sports in the Union. 

Putting the plan to work   

Adopted  by  the  European  Commission,  on  11  July,  the 
White Paper made its way through the European policy-
making pipeline. The results of this were presented to EU 
sports ministers, and a Commission-hosted conference 
took place in October 2007 to discuss all of these issues 
with sports stakeholders from all over Europe.

“Implementation of the White Paper can help pave the way 
towards future EU supportive action in the sport sector, 
as the European Council has re-opened the possibility of 
a  Treaty  provision  on  sport,”  noted  Ján  Figel’,  European 
Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, 
including sport, in a statement for the launch.

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EIT: the new ﬂ agship for European innovation 

In response to the challenges of globalisation and the knowledge economy, a new and innovative 
Commission initiative will optimise Europe’s innovation potential. By helping to bridge 
the innovation gap that separates Europe from its major competitors, the European 
Institute of Technology will contribute to stimulating sustainable employment and growth.

The EIT will stand at the interface between education, 
R&D  and  enterprise.  It  will  spearhead  excellence  in 
innovation,  research  and  higher  education.  Subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
Council later this year, the EIT should be up and running 
in 2008. Based on so-called “knowledge and innovation 
communities”  (KICs)  –  which  are  partnerships  among 
universities, research organisations and enterprises – 
the institute’s work will be coordinated by a Governing 
Board that will ensure its strategic management.

Redressing the “innovation gap”

Europe  is  falling  short  in  ﬁ lling  the  innovation  gap 
and  in  developing  an  integrated  “knowledge  triangle” 
that  eﬀ ectively  combines  education,  research  and 
innovation. Europe encounters diffi  culties in converting 
knowledge outcomes into commercial opportunities, in 
promoting an innovation and entrepreneurial culture in 
research and education and in rewarding excellence in 
ways which attract the best students and researchers. 

The  EIT  is  a  response  to  these  shortcomings.  It  will 
contribute to the ability of the EU and its Member States 
to innovate by:
• 

Promoting  excellence  in  innovation,  research  and 
higher education;
Integrating  the  three  sides  of  the  knowledge 
triangle;
Increasing the momentum in collaborative European 
research
Improving synergies among existing initiatives;
Deﬁ ning  and  disseminating  new  models 
innovation;

• 

• 

• 
• 

for 

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• 

Setting  in  motion  a  clear  and  visible  European  R&D 
identity.

Innovative, ﬂ exible two-level structure

In  operational  terms,  the  EIT  will  be  organised  on  the 
basis of a two-level structure:

1.  A  Governing  Board  made  up  of  stakeholders  at  the 
forefront of the scientiﬁ c, academic and entrepreneurial 
worlds  and  backed  by  a  small  support  team.  It  will 
deﬁ ne the EIT’s priorities, choose the KICs and evaluate 
and coordinate their work.

2. Knowledge and innovation communities (KICs)
Located  throughout  Europe,  they  will  constitute  the 
operational level of the EIT, developing and integrating 
innovation,  research  and  education.  Each  KIC  will 
work  within  an  area  of  interest  crucial  to  enterprises 
and  citizens.  The  EU’s  priority  policies,  such  as  those 
regarding  renewable  energy  and  climate  change,  will 
be  taken  into  consideration  when  the  ﬁ rst  KICs  are 
identiﬁ ed.

Industry will be an independent stakeholder in the EIT, 
and its active participation will be a necessary condition 
for the success of the initiative. Enterprises will intervene 
both at the strategic level (Governing Board) and at the 
operational level (partners in the KICs). 

In the driver’s seat

The  Governing  Board  will  consist  of  15  well-known 
personalities  who  will  represent,  on  an  equal  basis, 

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the  scientiﬁ c  and  educational  communities,  as  well 
as  industry.  They  will  be  joined  by  four  individuals 
representing  EIT  and  KIC  personnel  and  students.  The 
Board’s task will be to deﬁ ne the EIT’s areas of activity 
and select, establish and evaluate the KICs, as well as 
ensure their coordination. 

Unlike  other,  existing  EU  programmes,  this  initiative 
puts  education,  research  and  innovation  on  an  equal 
footing,  within  a  long  timeframe.  By  doing  so,  the  EIT 
will oﬀ er new opportunities that will open up horizons 
beyond existing programmes and networks.

Once  the  EIT  is  fully  operational,  the  Governing  Board 
will have a support team of approximately 60 people.

Higher education and the EIT

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A sense of community

The KICs will constitute the EIT’s operational level. They 
will be autonomous partnerships focused on excellence 
and  bringing  together  universities,  research  bodies, 
public  and  private  enterprises  and  other  players  into 
the innovation process. Their mission will be to perform 
innovation  activities,  integrating  the  research  and 
education  dimensions,  and  to  disseminate  and  apply 
the results achieved.

Following  an  open,  competitive  and 
transparent 
selection  procedure,  KICs  will  be  established  for  a 
period  of  seven  to  ﬁ fteen  years.  They  will  be  given 
substantial autonomy in terms of internal organisation, 
composition  and  operation  and  will  be  subject  to 
regular assessment.

The relations between the KICs and the EIT will be laid 
down in a contract.

Serving strategic priorities of the Union 

The  creation  of  synergies  between  European,  national 
and regional policies, and the linking of those policies, 
will  be  ensured  by  a  Strategic  Innovation  Agenda, 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  European  Parliament 
and  of  the  Council  of  Ministers.  This  strategy  will 
deﬁ ne  the  EIT’s  long-term  priorities  and  forecast  its 
future  ﬁ nancial  needs.  It  will  also  take  the  results 
of  the  periodic  evaluations  into  consideration.  The 
ﬁ rst  Strategic  Innovation  Agenda  will  be  presented  to 
Parliament and the Council before the end of 2011.

Education  at  the  post-graduate  and  doctoral  levels 
will be one of the EIT’s main priorities. It will focus on 
innovative  education  programmes  (interdisciplinary 
approaches,  entrepreneurship,  risk  and  innovation 
management, etc.).

Degrees and diplomas, to be granted by the participating 
universities  in  accordance  with  Member  States’  rules 
and procedures, may also bear the EIT brand.

The EIT will also encourage participating universities to 
award joint degrees and diplomas.

A major research and innovation player

Within  10  to  15  years,  the  EIT  is  expected  to  become 
a  major  player  in  innovation,  research  and  higher 
education.

By then, it could consist of ten KICs, grouping up to 5 000 
scientists,  6  000  post-graduate  and  4  000  doctoral 
students, with an annual budget of EUR 1.5-2 billion.

Its main features will be:
• 

Wide-ranging  themes  related  to  the  main  economic 
and  societal  challenges  facing  Europe  in  the  21st 
century,  such  as  climate  change  and  renewable 
energy;
Structured  partnerships  with  world 
industry and services;
An active network of technology transfer centres and 
innovative SMEs integrated in the regional and local 
communities;
Co-operation  agreements  with  leading  universities 
from  around  the  world,  especially  in  the  United 
States and Asia.

leaders 

in 

• 

• 

• 

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The long view

Principal milestones (indicative)

The  EIT  will  be  built  up  gradually  with  a  long-term 
development  perspective.  In  the  ﬁ rst  phase,  two  or 
three KICs will be established. Others will follow after 
the  adoption  of  the  ﬁ rst  Strategic  Innovation  Agenda. 
The  EIT  will  be  independently  evaluated  before  2011. 
This  evaluation  will  examine  the  activities  of  the  EIT 
and the KICs and will take into consideration the views 
of stakeholders at national and EU levels.

The multiplier eﬀ ect

The EIT will be ﬁ nanced from various sources, including 
a  direct  contribution  from  the  EU  budget  amounting 
to  EUR  308.7  million  for  the  2008-2013  period.  These 
funds  will  cover  the  costs  of  the  EIT  support  structure 
and of the project’s European dimension, including the 
costs of knowledge transfer, coordination and mobility 
required to sustain the integrated work of the KICs.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Adoption of the regulation establishing the EIT – end 
2007
Appointment  of  the  Governing  Board  –  summer 
2008
Decision  on  the  location  of  the  EIT  headquarters  – 
end 2008
Selection and identiﬁ cation of the ﬁ rst KICs – spring 
2010
Independent evaluation of the EIT and of the activities 
of the KICs – during 2010
Presentation  of  the  SIA  to  the  Council  and  to 
Parliament – before the end of 2011

For more information: 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/eit/
index_en.html     

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Current and future themes for ‘Youth Events’  
2007: Social inclusion and diversity
2008: Intercultural dialogue
2009: Creativity and entrepreneurship, Stocktaking 
of the Open Method of Coordination in the youth ﬁ eld

A future for Europe’s youth

Young people are taking their rightful place at the heart of EU policy.  A new Commission 
Communication charts the situation, reviews the instruments at EU level, makes 
recommendations to Member States and shows the way to empower European youth to make 
the most of the future by helping to shape the present. 

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The Commission Communication, adopted on 4 September 
2007, describes the complex challenges Europe faces in 
promoting young people’s full participation in education, 
employment  and  society  –  challenges  that  call  for  a 
transversal cross-cutting approach. 

Without  the  right  conditions,  a  spiral  of  poverty,  poor 
education and resulting unemployment is diffi  cult to break, 
the document suggests. Child poverty, it explains, is too 
often  linked  to  poor  education  and  health.  Lacking  an 
education condemns some Europeans to poorly paid jobs 
or unemployment as job markets become less favourable 
to unskilled workers. What is more, Europe’s educational 
systems are, for the large part, not struggling enough to 
meet the changing needs of employers.  

These problems are not new but are more diverse and 
complex.  They  must  be  tackled  by  diﬀ erent  policies  – 
embracing  education,  employment,  social  inclusion, 
health,  enterprise,  etc.  Alternatives,  such  as  the 
recognition  of  informal  learning,  must  be  found  as 
we  move  on  from  the  classical  approaches.  Indeed, 
a  “transversal”  youth  strategy  is  needed  –  one  that 
involves  players  at  European,  national,  regional  and 
local levels. While it is up to Member States to put it in 
place, the EU can be a valuable coordinator.   

No one left behind

The  Commission  acknowledges  that  Europe  invests 
considerably  in  its  youth.  But  it  also  says  that  not  all 
young  people  beneﬁ t  equally  from  this  eﬀ ort.  It  is 
necessary to develop policies which create conditions for 
those with fewer opportunities to learn, work and become 

active citizens. This is essential for sound economic and 
social development in the EU, particularly in the context 
of globalisation, knowledge-based economies and ageing 
societies.  

A policy directed at young people naturally relies on their 
participation.  The  Commission  wishes  to  reinforce  the 
partnership  with  young  people  and  their  organisations 
in a declaration which will contain a mutual commitment 
to  permanent  structured  dialogue.  Youth  should  take 
part  more  and  also  take  more  responsibility  in  policy 
shaping  and  evaluating  in  the  ﬁ elds  covered  by  the 
Communication (education, employment, social inclusion, 
health, active citizenship). The Communication proposes 
several  initiatives:  some  broad,  others  more  concrete. 
For instance, an EU report on youth should be prepared, 
together  with  young  people,  every  three  years.  A  pilot 
project called “Your ﬁ rst job abroad” is a more concrete 
way  of  stimulating  mobility  among  young  workers.  A 
quality  charter  on  internships  will  be  drafted.  Further, 
the planned new health strategy will be tailored to young 
people. Several initiatives are aimed at encouraging youth 
voluntary activities and increasing access to culture.  

Structuring the dialogue

Structured  dialogue  means  that  governments  and 
administrations,  including  EU  institutions,  can  have 
positive and signiﬁ cant debate with young people over 
important  themes,  with  the  results  inﬂ uencing  later 
policy-making. 

The  dialogue  is  organised  in  cycles  and  follows  a 
bottom-up  approach,  from  local  and  regional  through 

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national up to the European level. It can take the form 
of debates, seminars or internet exchanges, depending 
on the young people themselves. At the EU level, youth 
events  are  organised  by  the  countries  presiding  over 
the  EU  and  by  the  Commission,  in  close  co-operation 
with  youth  organisations.  Conclusions,  submitted  to 
ministers  and  institutions,  are  regularly  evaluated. 
(Learn  more  about  structured  dialogue  at:  http://
ec.europa.eu/youth/policies/structured_en.html)

From Rome to Brussels, via Cologne

Three  big  youth  events  this  year  have  already  made  a 
major contribution to the structured dialogue. 

The ﬁ rst ever EU Youth Summit, held in Rome on 24-25 
March  2007,  went  by  the  theme  “Your  Europe  –  your 
future”.  Over  200  young  people  from  the  27  Member 
States gathered in Rome to mark the 50th anniversary of 
the signature of the Treaty of Rome. Their conclusions 
were  conveyed  to  the  European  leaders  who  gathered 
in Berlin that same weekend. (View coverage at: http://
europa.eu/50/news/article/070316_a_en.htm).

The next event was organised by the German presidency: 
140  young  people  from  34  countries  gathered  in  the 
city  of  Cologne  from  13  to  16  April  2007.  The  overall 
theme was “Equal opportunity and social participation 
for  all  children  and  youth”.  The  participants  adopted 
conclusions and an action plan. 

The  conclusions  of  both  these  events  were  presented 
to  delegates  at  the  European  Youth  Week’s  ‘Youth 
in  action!’  event  in  Brussels  on  3-6  June  2007,  and 
served  as  background  material  and  reference  points 
for  the  discussions.  Participants  in  Brussels  had 
the  opportunity  to  discuss  the  conclusions  with 
EU  commissioners  and  representatives  of  other  EU 
institutions in a roundtable debate. 

The three events showed that structured dialogue with 
young  people  oﬀ ers  many  beneﬁ ts,  but  also  presents 
limits  and  obstacles.  The  Commission  is  drawing 
from  this  experience  to  draw  up  plans  to  promote 

less  frequent,  but  more  focused,  events  to  provide  a 
platform  for  widespread  debate  by  stakeholders  at  all 
levels in the 27 Member States. This, it is expected, will 
lead to more tangible and ambitious outcomes.

EYF gets behind 
new youth Communication

Bettina Schwarzmayr, president of the European 
Youth Forum (EYF), applauds the cross-sectoral 
approach proposed in the European Commission’s 
Communication to promote young people’s 
participation in education, employment and society.  

“Education, employment, citizenship, health and 
culture are, for the ﬁ rst time, being dealt with 
in one document. That is good news for young 
people,” she says. 

Schwarzmayr, whose organisation was consulted 
during the Communication’s drafting, welcomed 
this open dialogue on youth matters. 

“It’s recognition that we can be complementary 
to administrations while following the same 
objectives. And I appreciate the spirit of 
partnership.” Young people, she suggests, 
will appreciate above all the Communication’s 
very concrete measures, like the charter for 
traineeships, support for volunteering, or the 
planned regular EU youth report. 

The EYF, she conﬁ rms, is ready to do its bit, 
helping to collect data, answer relevant questions 
and disseminate information. She thinks that 
there is enough material for such a report: it is 
just necessary to ﬁ nd it and put it together. 

It is a good beginning, Schwarzmayr suggests, 
but her organisation will wait for the promised 
declaration and what comes next before celebrating 
too much. “We want to see whether it does not 
remain just nice words without any follow-up!”

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Erasmus
From strength to strength

The Erasmus programme, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has become the ﬂ agship European Union 
action in education. It is widely celebrated as one of the Union’s best successes, with many seeing it as the 
epitome of European integration.

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The  Dutch  scholar  and  writer  Desiderius  Erasmus  spent 
his  life  moving  between  the  major  European  centres  of 
learning of the 15th century. His travels allowed him to mix 
with  the  best  thinkers  from  around  the  continent  while 
retaining  his  independence;  and  he  ended  up  writing 
some  of  the  most  inﬂ uential  treatises  of  his  day.  Half  a 
millennium  later,  the  EU  programme  named  after  him 
enables modern-day students to follow in his footsteps.

Under  the  programme,  students  spend  between  three 
and  twelve  months  studying  at  a  university  in  one  of 
the  participating  countries.  They  receive  a  monthly 
grant  to  help  cope  with  the  costs  of  their  stay  and  the 
courses  they  take  count  towards  their  studies  at  home. 
In addition, teachers can spend periods abroad to build 
up their professional experience and share new teaching 
and learning methods.

The  1.5  million  students  that  have  taken  part  in  the 
programme so far have experienced “European-ness” in 
a very real way, as they met, lived and shared experience 
with peers from all corners of the EU and beyond. 

Education and Culture Commissioner Jan Figel’ summed up 
the importance of the programme in a recent speech. “We 
can now talk of an ‘Erasmus generation’ of open-minded 
Europeans who are shaping perceptions about Europe.”

Cultural phenomenon 

From fairly modest beginnings – around 3 000 students 
took part in the ﬁ rst year (1987) – the programme has 

blossomed into a true social and cultural phenomenon.  
Erasmus  students  have  become  an  integral  part  of 
virtually all the campuses across Europe. In 2005-2006, 
there were over 178 000 participants, involving at least 
2500 universities from 45 diﬀ erent countries.

For  participants  –  80%  of  whom  have  never  lived  in  a 
foreign country before – the programme can be a life-
changing experience. “When students and teachers go 
oﬀ   to  study  or  teach  abroad  under  Erasmus,  they  are 
not  just  getting  a  high-quality  academic  experience. 
They  are  learning  new  ways  of  seeing  things  and  new 
ways  of  being.  [They]  learn  languages  and  cultures. 
They  become  more  open-minded  to  ‘other  ways’  of 
doing things,” added Commissioner Figel’. 

According to research, a major beneﬁ t of the programme 
has been in improving individuals’ job prospects. In an 
increasingly  interlinked  world,  employers  are  growing 
more  aware  of  the  beneﬁ ts  of  a  study  period  abroad. 
Language skills are becoming more valued, as well as 
the other “soft skills” that participants pick up, such as 
improved communication and cultural sensitivity.

Reforming role

The  programme  is  not  limited  to  actions  on  individual 
mobility. It has also played a key role in reshaping the 
face of higher education in the EU and beyond. Erasmus 
funding  is  available  for  projects  that  boost  inter-
university  co-operation  in  areas,  such  as  curriculum 
development and thematic networks.

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Erasmus  has  been  a  key  driver  of  the  “Bologna 
process” – a major EU initiative to simplify and improve 
the quality of higher education in 45 countries. And in 
the years to come it must continue to help universities 
modernise to meet changing times. “We need networks 
not  just  of  universities  but  also  between  universities, 
research  and  business,  to  harness  Europe’s  potential 
for creativity and innovation. By kicking oﬀ  the reforms 
that  we  take  for  granted  today,  Erasmus  has  helped 
to  join  the  three  sides  of  the  knowledge  triangle  – 
education, research and innovation,”, Figel’ said.

University  reform  is  necessary  in  the  context  of  global 
change. The best universities now compete on a worldwide 
basis  both  for  students  and  academic  staﬀ ,  as  well 
as  for  research  funding.  Erasmus  has  a  role  to  play  in 
helping  European  universities  become  more  active  and 
entrepreneurial in order to capture available opportunities.

The Erasmus programme will continue to expand in the 
years to come, reaching more students per year. With a 
budget of EUR 31 billion agreed for 2007-2013, the total 
number of students mobilised since 1987 is expected to 
increase to 3 million by 2012. That can only be a good 
thing  for  European  integration  as  the  next  generation 
of students expand their horizons to new possibilities.

An Erasmus student

Cinzia Ermini, 27, from Italy did an Erasmus exchange 
at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE) in 2002.

Current  employer:  The  Italian  Ministry  for  Foreign 
Aﬀ airs

Home university: Bologna 

What  subject  did  you  study?  European  economics, 
central and eastern European history and international 
relations.

How long was your Erasmus exchange? Ten months.

What  experiences  did  you  take  away  from  Erasmus? 
Europe  is  both  big  and  small:  we  are  many  in  Europe, 
but we are much more alike than we think.

Did it help your studies? A lot.

What  were  the  social  or  cultural  beneﬁ ts?  Learning  a 
new language, and ﬁ nding out about diﬀ erent cultures, 
habits and countries.

How could Erasmus be improved? Giving higher monthly 
grants to students as a lot of them could not participate 
because of the high costs of living abroad.

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The Erasmus road show

One van, 50 events and 25 000 km. That was 
the three-month journey taken this summer 
by members of the Erasmus Student Network 
(ESN) to mark 20 years of student mobility 
under Erasmus.

The van and its changing multicultural crews 
visited 50 of the many Erasmus Days that were 
organised by local ESN groups. The journey 
went from Prague through Austria and the 
Balkans to Turkey, eastern Europe and up to 
Scandinavia, back down to Germany, Denmark, 
the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy to Spain 
and Portugal, via France and the UK, ending up 
in Belgium. 

In total, over 50 volunteers were involved. “These 
crews spent amazing days full of laughter, joy and 
work together. The volunteers distributed CDs, 
provided information and gathered [views] on the 
Erasmus programme”, said Matthias Fenner, vice-
president of ESN’s International Board.

The opinions and views that they collected 
about the programme are being put into an 
upcoming report. The report will be available at 
http://20erasmus.eu/.

ESN was founded shortly after the programme 
itself to support exchange students. The 
organisation has a presence in more than 240 
higher education institutions, with more than 
10 000 volunteer students lending a helping hand.

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Erasmus Mundus
Making a world of diﬀ erence

Higher education is becoming increasingly international, with universities and colleges from all over the 
world competing to secure the best students and staﬀ . To ensure that European institutions are at the top of 
the pile, the European Commission has had a programme in place since 2004 to enhance the quality, visibility 
and attractiveness of European higher education internationally – the Erasmus Mundus programme.

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The  main  thrust  of  the  programme  has  been  the 
development of a series of integrated master’s courses 
that  give  students  from  around  the  world  the  chance 
to  study  at  several  top  quality  universities  around 
Europe. In addition, there are scholarships for incoming 
international  students,  as  well  as  partnerships  with 
institutions  in  third  countries  and  actions  to  promote 
European higher education. 

The  programme  has  been  greeted  with  enthusiasm 
by  both  students  and  universities.  In  July  2007,  the 
European Commission suggested revising and expanding 
the programme when the current period ends in 2008, 
with a large increase in funding from 2009 onwards. The 
proposals – which still have to come under the scrutiny 
of the European Council and Parliament – would see the 
inclusion of all levels of higher education, improvement 
in funding opportunities for European students and more 
opportunities  for  co-operation  with  higher  education 
institutions in third countries. 

Commissioner 
for  External  Relations  and  European 
Neighbourhood  Policy  Benita  Ferrero-Waldner  explained 
the importance of modernising Europe’s higher education 
system:  “In  today’s  global  economy  and  increasingly 
knowledge-based 
international 
co-operation  and  mobility  between  higher  education 
institutions in the European Union and other countries is a 
win-win situation: it contributes to the mutual enrichment 
of nations and to a better understanding among peoples, 
as well as supporting economic and social development.”

society,  promoting 

 Lagging behind

The  number  of  students  seeking  an  education  abroad 
grows  each  year  –  from  around  1.8  million  in  2001  to 
2.5 million in 2004.  By 2025, the ﬁ gure is projected to 
be  7.2  million,  with  70%  coming  from  Asia.  Although 
European  universities  are  major  players,  taking  44% 
of  all  international  students  (1.1  million  students)  in 
2004, they are in danger of missing out on the brightest 
students in the future if they do not adapt to changing 
times.

European  higher  education  lags  behind  the  US  and 
Japan  in  some  crucial  areas,  such  as  the  number  of 
new  PhDs  awarded  and  how  many  researchers  are 
employed. Recent research has found that international 
students perceive US universities as being foremost in 
terms of innovation, dynamism and competition. Asian 
students  –  the  bulk  of  foreign  students  –  believed 
that,  overall,  the  United  States  had  better  facilities, 
provided a higher quality of education and gave them 
a better chance of getting a job after their studies.

Meanwhile,  European  universities  were  generally 
regarded as “traditional” and the European university 
system  as  fragmented  and  confusing  because  it  is 
split  into  diﬀ erent  national  systems.  In  addition,  the 
majority of international students coming to the EU are 
concentrated in three countries – the UK, Germany and 
France.

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The mechanics of Erasmus Mundus  

The  Erasmus  Mundus  programme  aims  to  reverse  the 
negative perceptions and introduce more dynamism into 
European higher education. In the initial phase (due to 
end in 2008), there are four actions. The main priority 
is the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Courses – integrated 
courses  oﬀ ered  by  at  least  three  universities  in  three 
diﬀ erent  European  countries.  This  is  supported  by  an 
action oﬀ ering scholarships for students and scholars 
from  third  countries.  Then  there  are  partnerships 
with  higher  education  institutions  in  third  countries 
and  scholarships  for  students  and  scholars  from  EU 
countries  to  study  outside  Europe.  Lastly,  there  are 
projects  to  boost  the  image  and  quality  of  European 
higher education.

By  2006,  the  programme  had  supported  80  master’s 
courses involving 321 universities, 2 325 scholarships for 
incoming students, 19 partnerships with third-country 
institutions  (with  expected  mobility  towards  these 
third-country  institutions  of  985  European  students 
and  229  European  scholars)  and  23  attractiveness 
projects. 

In  December  2006,  an  additional  scholarship 
mechanism  for  EU  partner  countries  was  launched  – 
the  Erasmus  Mundus  External  Co-operation  Window. 
This  initiative  fosters  co-operation  between  higher 
education institutions from EU and EU partner countries 
by facilitating the mobility of students, researchers and 
academic staﬀ . In 2007-2008, over 160 institutions will 
work  together  to  promote  the  mobility  of  some  1  800 
students and staﬀ . There are 24 countries involved from 
the  Southern  Mediterranean,  Eastern  Europe,  Central 
Asia  and  the  Middle  East,  as  well  as  33  European 
countries. 

The  Window  activities,  which  will  be  incorporated  in 
the new phase of the programme, are funded through 
other EU external funding mechanisms. 

The  proposed  revisions  for  the  2009-2013  period 
would give a wider scope and geographical reach. The 
programme  would  be  consolidated  into  three  main 

actions:  doctoral  level  studies  would  join  master’s 
courses  and  be  oﬀ ered  in  integrated  programmes, 
with  scholarships  available  for  both  European  and 
third-country  students;  broad  partnerships  between 
European  universities  and  third-country  institutions 
would  help  in  the  transfer  of  know-how  and  the 
exchange  of  students  and  academics;  and  projects 
to  enhance  the  attractiveness  of  European  education 
would remain as the third stream.

The ﬁ nal details of the second phase programme will be 
decided by the European institutions in the months to 
come and it should enable many more higher education 
institutions  and  students  from  the  whole  world  to 
beneﬁ t.  

information  on  the  Erasmus  Mundus 

For  more 
Programme, go to: 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/mundus/
index_en.html

Case study: European Master’s 
course in software engineering

This two-year Master’s programme in software 
construction is organised by a consortium of 
four leading universities in Spain, Germany, 
Italy and Sweden. Each institution concentrates 
on its strengths, meaning that students get to 
work with the best experts for each individual 
subject area.

Students also get a broad view of software 
development in diﬀ erent countries and gain 
expertise in diﬀ erent working strategies. 
It is hoped that the course will lead to the 
development of a recognised standard for 
software engineering across Europe, as well 
as help to shape software engineering as a 
discipline in its own right.

For more information, see: www.ﬁ .upm.se/emse

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The evolution of Erasmus Mundus

Current programme 2004-2008

Proposal for 2009-2013

Actions

Action 1 – joint Master’s programmes 
oﬀ ered by several European higher 
education institutions.

Action 1 – joint Master’s and PhD 
programmes oﬀ ered by several European 
higher education institutions.

Action 2 – scholarships for students and 
scholars from third countries.

Action 2 – partnerships with third-country 
institutions, including scholarships.

Action 3 – partnerships with third-
country institutions, with scholarships 
for EU students and scholars.

Action 3 – projects to enhance the 
attractiveness of European higher 
education.

Budget

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Action 4 – projects to enhance the 
attractiveness of European higher 
education.

EUR 296.1 million (EUR 230 million for 
Erasmus Mundus + EUR 57.3 million 
(“Asian Windows”) and EUR 8.8 million 
(“ACP Window” and “Western Balkans 
Window”) through the “External Co-
operation Window”) 

EUR 493.7 million for Actions 1 and 3 + 
EUR 460 million for Action 2

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European Commission

The Magazine, Education and culture in Europe - issue 28
2008: Europe’s big culture conversation

Luxembourg: Offi  ce for Offi  cial Publications of the European Communities

2007 —  32 pp. — 21 x 29.7 cm

ISSN  1023-3725

How to obtain EU publications

Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), 
where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice.
The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. 
You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758.

TheMag28-ENDef.indd   33

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION

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Directorate-General for Education and Culture:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/index_en.html

Culture:
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/index_en.html

Culture portal:
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/portal/index_en.htm

European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008:
http://www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu/

Sport:
http://ec.europa.eu/sport/index_en.html

EIT:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/eit/index_en.html

Youth:
http://ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.html

Youth portal:
http://europa.eu/youth/

Erasmus:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/erasmus/index_en.html

Erasmus Mundus:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/mundus/index_en.html

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