Informele discussie over de rol van cultuur in het Europese externe beleid (en)

On 17 October in Vilnius, the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture will co-host an informal meeting of senior officials of the EU’s Foreign Ministries and Ministries of Culture, who are responsible for culture.

The event will be attended by representatives of the EU Member States, the European Commission, the General Secretariat of the Council, and the European External Action Service.

Lithuanian and foreign academics, public opinion makers and officials from the EU Member States will discuss the European Union’s ability to act in the field of culture and to make a positive impact on neighbouring countries. The meeting is intended to discuss how a common history and a common culture can contribute to the European Neighbourhood Policy, deepen mutual trust, and promote intercultural dialogue. Participants of the meeting will raise questions about how culture can promote political reforms, democratisation and dialogue between representatives of civil society in neighbouring countries and cultural policy makers.

At the meeting, intermediate results of the European Commission’s Preparatory Action “Culture in the EU External Relations” will also be presented. Based on the outcomes, the strategic role of culture in external relations and the added value of EU’s cooperation in the field will be discussed.

The European Commission commissioned a consortium led by the Goethe Institute to carry out this preparatory action. The consortium is tasked with mapping existing resources, approaches and strategies regarding culture in external relations in 54 EU Member States, neighbouring countries of the EU, other third countries as well as strategic partners of the EU.