Diversity Makes the Difference in The Hague
The desire to see an enhanced and structural cultural components of a future EU foreign policy for the European Union grows apace. Increasingly debated at conferences and a subject of research, the issue will not go away, despite the blow to the European project dealt by the rejection of an EU Constitution.
Conference outcome:
The various panel discussions and the debate they generated ultimately led to a robust set of ‘Hague Recommendations’ (a set of practical policy proposals) which will set the agenda on this subject for the coming years.
Read the report booklet published after the conference
Read post-conference press release
How much political will is there in the EU member states to see such a policy in place? How would it enhance the EU’s role in the world?
Policymakers (national and European), representatives of national cultural institutes and others in the cultural sector met to discuss this vital topic at the ‘Diversity Makes the Difference’ conference in the
Peace Palace of The Hague on 9 March 2007. Speakers included Jan Figel (Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Sport), Sean Doyle (Strategic Director, DG External Relations), David Green (President of EUNIC and Director General of the British Council), Wolfgang Petritsch (former High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations Office at Geneva) and Gijs de Vries (EU’s anti-terrorism coordinator).
This event was the opening of a series of actions. The next event will be held at the German Presidency’s culture conference on 7-8 June 2007 in Berlin: ‘Culture powers Europe’ – ‘Kultur macht Europa’.
Common projects will be developed with a view on, and an evaluation in the Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008.
The companion volume to ‘A Cultural Component as an integral part of the EU’s Foreign Policy?‘, by Diane Dodd and 
Melle Lyklema (Boekmanstichting) and Kathinka Dittrich-Van Weringh (LabforCulture/ European Cultural Foundation) in 2006, was presented at the conference:
‘A Cultural Dimension to the EU’s External Policies – from Policy Statements to Practice and Potential‘ by Rod Fisher includes in-depth contributions from cultural stakeholders in six diverse EU countries. Both books were commissioned by LabforCulture. The new publication forms the second part of a two-tier project to ascertain the theoretical and practical potential of developing a coherent cultural policy for Europe.
Download the programme
Download the ECF´s contribution to the debate
‘Diversity Makes the Difference’ is co-organised by the ECF, the Goethe Institute Amsterdam as the project leader of the network of foreign cultural institutes in Amsterdam (EUNIC), and Service Centre for International Cultural Activities (SICA).