Council conclusions of 22 May 2008 on Intercultural Competences
Date: 2008-05-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, acculturation, cultural cooperation, cultural pluralism, cultural policy, public awareness campaign

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IV

(Notices)

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES

COUNCIL

Council conclusions of 22 May 2008 on Intercultural Competences

(2008/C 141/09)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1.

referring to the provisions of Decision No 1983/2006/EC of
the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December
2006 concerning the European Year of
Intercultural
Dialogue 2008 (1);

2.

referring to the Unesco Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions;

3. having regard to the Commission's Communication of
10 May 2007 on a European Agenda for Culture in a
Globalizing World (2) and to the Council Resolution of
16 November 2007 on a European Agenda for Culture (3);

4.

5.

the Recommendation 2006/962/EC of

the
recalling
European Parliament and of the Council on 18 December
2006 on key competences for lifelong learning (4);

recalling the Conclusions of the Council and of the Repre-
sentatives of
the Member States,
meeting within the Council of 15 November 2007, on
improving the quality of teacher education,

the Governments of

CONSIDERING that:

— intercultural dialogue is a key tool in addressing some of the
most important challenges Europe is facing at present and
that it constitutes one of the three strategic objectives of the
European Agenda for Culture, to be implemented through
triennial work plans,

— in order to foster open and inclusive societies established on
core European values and to promote active citizenship,

(1) OJ L 412, 30.12.2006, p. 44.
(2) Doc. 9496/07 and ADD 1.
(3) OJ C 287, 29.11.2007, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 394, 30.12.2006, p. 10.

European citizens need to be equipped with intercultural
competences, which constitute a key factor for strengthening
intercultural dialogue,

— the knowledge, skills and attitudes of particular relevance to
intercultural competences are those relating to the following
key competences: communication in foreign languages,
social and civic competences, and cultural awareness and
expression (5).

RECOGNIZING that:

With a view to strengthening intercultural competences in
society, a sustainable and cross-sectoral approach towards inter-
cultural dialogue needs to be developed. This approach should
seek to integrate and support the following relevant initiatives in
the fields of:

A. CULTURE, in particular as foreseen in the Work Plan of the

Council for the period 2008-2010:

— the promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural
dialogue as a means to foster open and inclusive socie-
ties,

— the promotion of everyone's active participation in
cultural life and access to culture and heritage in all their
diversity, with particular attention to people who have
less opportunities for access,

— the improvement of the conditions for mobility of artists

and works of art,

— the supporting of cooperation between culture and
both formal education and training and informal and
learning in the field of cultural awareness
non-formal
and artistic education,

(5) Key competences as defined in the Recommendation 2006/962/EC.

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— the fostering of linguistic competences and of translation
to facilitate access to artistic expressions in different
languages.

— the promotion of

the role of organised civil society,

particularly the involvement of youth organisations.

B. EDUCATION:

D. AUDIOVISUAL:

— the development of a lifelong learning perspective which
includes the acquisition by all citizens of the key compe-
tences most relevant to intercultural competences and
most likely to foster an appreciation of cultural diversity
as a core value, such as linguistic, social and civic compe-
tences and cultural awareness and expression,

— the development of policies based on equity principles
aimed at integrating children from a diverse range of
social and cultural backgrounds into mainstream forms
of education and training, without any discrimination,

— within the framework of a coherent policy for multilin-
gualism, the active promotion of language learning by
encouraging the provision of a wide variety of opportu-
nities, including the use of ICT and distance learning, to
learn languages in formal, non-formal and informal
environments,

— the encouragement of mobility schemes among learners,
teachers and other teaching staff as an effective tool for
the promotion of intercultural dialogue,

— the career-long development of skills that will enable
teachers to better manage cultural diversity and facilitate
the development of
competences, and
thereby contribute effectively to the establishment of
inclusive learning communities.

intercultural

C. YOUTH:

— the engagement of young people as a resource for contri-
buting to intercultural dialogue in open and pluralistic
societies,

— the promotion, development and recognition of intercul-
tural competences of young people through non-formal
and informal learning,

— the development of opportunities for young people for
acquiring intercultural competences as early in life as
possible through various forms of active participation in
and through
society,
greater mobility as a way to experience the diversity of
cultures and multilingualism,

including voluntary activities,

— the promotion of access to and the role of culture, arts,
music and sport in shaping young people's identities and
bringing them together,

— the promotion, development and recognition of intercul-
tural competences of youth workers and youth leaders
by facilitating their mobility and their educational and
training opportunities,

— the encouragement of media literacy,

in line with the
Commission Communication of 20 December 2007
‘A European approach to media literacy in the digital
environment’ and the Audiovisual Media Services Direc-
tive of 11 December 2007 (1) which, inter alia, promotes
cultural diversity, both for linear and non-linear services,
so that individuals are better equipped:

— to identify, access and appreciate content relating to or

originating within different cultures, and

— to use new technological tools (software and hardware)

to create and distribute their own cultural content,

— the promotion of media and audiovisual content that is
culturally rich, diverse, and informative for all individuals
by means of, inter alia:

— encouraging co-productions at European, national

and regional levels,

— encouraging non-profit civil society-based media (2)
to better
the opportunities
advantage of
provided by digital technologies,

take

— fostering the process of digitalisation of cultural materials
and content to enable new media — on-line as well as
mobile services — to contribute to enhanced accessibility
of cultural diversity.

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION, WITHIN
THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS OF COMPETENCES, TO:

— promote intercultural competences through the existing
instruments and initiatives in the fields of culture, education,
youth and audiovisual policy, in particular by exploring how
these measures could be further deepened and enhanced in
support of intercultural dialogue,

— increase synergies between these fields with a view to devel-
oping intercultural competences, for example by envisaging
joint initiatives, taking into account the need of citizens to
understand and respect their own culture, the culture of
others and cultural diversity in general, to communicate in a
culturally diverse environment and to identify and actively
participate in fostering and developing common values of
democracy and fundamental rights,

(1) OJ L 332, 18.12.2007, p. 27.
(2) Often referred to in English as ‘community media’ and in French as

‘médias associatifs’.

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— create opportunities for dialogue at local, regional, national
and EU levels by strengthening support for the development
of
existing
programmes in the fields of culture, education, youth and
audiovisual policy,

competences

intercultural

through

the

— identify and share good practices in the development of
intercultural competences, taking account in particular, as a
follow-up, of initiatives undertaken at national and EU level
as part of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue,

— foster a favourable environment for creativity and innovation
to make their full contribution in shaping intercultural
competences and enhancing intercultural dialogue,

— enhance and promote the concept of intercultural dialogue
in all other relevant policy fields, both within the EU and in
their external relations.