Wednesday 3 December 2003
Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London
A one day conference on the impact and future of the Culture 2000 Programme of the European Union
Opened by
Rt Hon Estelle Morris, MP
Minister for the Arts
Representatives from:
European Commission
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
English Heritage
Plus
Presentations from over 20 successful projects Representatives from CCPs from
the accession countries Participation from a Culture 2000 jury member
Organised by EUCLID, UK Cultural Contact Point
BACKGROUND
Culture 2000 was introduced in January 2000. It replaced the previous programmes - Kaleidoscope, Raphael and Ariane. Originally scheduled to run to 2004, it has recently been extended to 2006.
Culture 2000 aims to contribute to the promotion of a cultural area common to the European peoples. It supports co-operation between creative artists, cultural operators, private and public promoters, the activities of cultural networks, and other partners. It has four main strands:
Culture 2000 supports projects that are either one year or multi-annual (i.e. which run for 2-3 years). The key to successful projects is a strong partnership of cultural organisations from the different eligible countries working together - a minimum of 3 partners for one year projects, and 5 partners for multi-annual projects. There are now 30 countries eligible to participate in Culture 2000 - the 15 Member States of the EU, the three eligible countries of the European Free Trade Agreement (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and the 12 accession countries (10 of whom will join the EU from 1 may 2004).
In the first three years of Culture 2000, nearly 250 UK cultural organisations participated in pan-European projects funded by Culture 2000, both one year and multi-annual projects, and across all the cultural areas.
This conference will look at the impact and the future of this programme.
The conference will feature over 20 successful projects with UK partners as case studies, and each has been invited to present a summary of their aims and activities, as well as what went well (and not so well) during the implementation of the project.
The conference will look to the future as well. Culture 2000 concludes in 2006 (with the last call for projects in 2005). Discussions have already started about the future of this programme, and what may replace it - or indeed, if it will be replaced - some Member States feel that the EU should have no role whatsoever in the area of culture, but that this area should be the sole responsibility of the Member States themselves.
There are other practical issues as well. Unfortunately, a variety of factors have meant that the Culture 2000 programme has suffered from delays in announcing the calls, meaning that, for example, most 2003 projects will start towards the end of 2003 and run well into 2004. There have been complaints that the criteria are confusing, the application form complex (and the budget section irrelevant to most cultural projects), the selection process opaque, and that the results favour larger cultural organisations and the more traditional cultural areas.
While the EC is justifiably proud of the achievements of Culture 2000, it is keen to learn from the successes and failures of the programme to date, and to hear views as to how any future programme can address any shortcomings and become an even more effective mechanism for cultivating cultural co-operation in Europe.
This conference will address all these issues.
Speakers, Presenters, Chairs & Rapporteurs
Rt Hon Estelle Morris, MP, Minister for the Arts
Antonios Kosmopoulos, Head of Culture 2000 Unit, European Commission
Sarah Lambert and Nicoletta Flessati, European Commission Office in London
Jonathan Orr, Permanent Representation of the UK in Brussels
Melissa D'Mello, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Henrietta Hopkins, Resource
Anita Pollack, English Heritage
Nick Livingston, Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Timothy Mason, Consultant (and Culture 2000 jury member)
Christopher Gordon, Consultant (and author of report on the future of Culture 2000)
Representatives from the Cultural Contact Points in: Hungary / Latvia / Lithuania / Slovakia / Bulgaria
Representatives from the following successful UK projects:
Performing Arts
Euroline, CP-ECA (European Community Association) Europe Jazz Odyssey, London Jazz Festival European Association for Jewish Culture International Youth Festival of Music Stage for Development, Brouhaha International The Gypsy Festival, Northern Stage The Lost Forest, Collusion Theatre Transformation of Movements, Lusty Juventus
Visual Arts
Contemporary Folk Art in Europe
Culturebase.Net, Visiting Arts
MIR: The Arts Catalyst
New European Contemporary Art Network
Heritage
100 Houses for 100 European Architects
Ceramics - Culture - Innovation
Conservation through Aerial Photography
European Project in Curriculum Development (EPCD-Net)
Leisure Spaces, Co-existence and Culture in the Atlantic Arc
Pathways to Cultural Landscapes
Peep Behind the Scenes
Literature, Books and Reading
Literature Across Frontiers, Mercator Centre
European Heritage Laboratories
Safeguarding Waterfront Sites