Bigger, Better, Beautiful

Under the patronage of Viviane REDING Member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Culture and The conference is sponsored by the Dr. MÁDL Ferenc Ministry of Cultural Heritage of Hungary. president of Hungary

bigger… better… beautiful ?

the impact of EU enlargement on cultural opportunities across Europe

14-17 February 2002 Budapest, Hungary Aims and Objectives

The conference aims to develop further links, both theoretical and practical, between the cultural sectors of the European Union and the Accession Countries – and to discuss the impact of enlargement on the wider Europe.

The conference will address:

 the prospects of expanding the cultural links and interaction amongst the proposed 27 (or even more) members  the need to support and sustain cultural diversity, through - among others - fostering identity at national, regional and local level  the impact of the enlargement on all- European cultural integrity, as well as on global issues

The conference will include specific sessions which explore the development of partnerships, exchanges and other links, using examples of good practice and case studies.

The conference will not ignore the challenges that enlargement is likely to highlight and which will need to be addressed and overcome: ranging from national and European bureaucracy to the differences in traditions, cultures, languages – both within the enlarged European Union and in respect of those European countries which are not currently applying for EU membership.

For the existing members of the EU, there will also be specific sessions which address the changes likely as a result of the eventual reduction of the current levels of Structural Funds, which have provided considerable support for the cultural sector over the past decade.

For the accession countries, on the other hand, there will be opportunities to learn from the experiences of the Member States in benefiting from the support available from these Funds.

The conference aims to encompass a broad definition of the cultural sector: the performing & visual arts, literature, museums & heritage, the film & audiovisual sector, and the creative industries. Programme Delegates

The conference will begin with an Opening Dinner The conference is aimed at: on Thursday 14 February 2002.  Policy and decision makers from government The next two days will include 4 plenary sessions at national, regional and municipal or local level and 8-12 working group sessions, running in 2 or 3  Cultural organisations and practitioners parallel tracks. interested in the development of pan-European activity The second and third day will conclude with a reception hosted by a key Hungarian or Budapest  Networks and associations with an interest in cultural agency, and the final day will conclude with the development of culture in the wider Europe a formal closing luncheon. The conference expects to attract approximately The plenaries and working sessions will cover 150 delegates, half from the accession countries topics such as the following: and half from the existing Member States and the EFTA countries.  the homogeneity and diversity of culture in the new Europe  breaking down the barriers between countries Registration Fee  facing the challenges external to an enlarged EU The conference registration fee will be:  the Structural Funds  350 euros for delegates from EU Member States and EFTA countries  the Trans-National Funds  150 euros for delegates from European  new models for working together countries not in the EU or EFTA  the case for cultural businesses There will be a 50 euro reduction for early registrations.

Advisory Committee Preliminary Registration An Advisory Committee is being established to and Further Information assist in the development of the conference.

You can find more information on the conference on the following web-site: Languages www.bbb.kulturpont.hu The official language of the conference will be English. Plenary sessions will also be conducted in Hungarian. To make a preliminary registration, please send an e-mail with your full contact details to: [email protected] Management KultúrPont Iroda The conference will be jointly managed by EUCLID Cultural Contact Point Hungary (UK), and the Budapest Cultural Observatory, working in co-operation with the official Cultural H-1072 Budapest, Nagydiófa u. 10-12. Contact Point Hungary (KultúrPont). T: +36 1 322-0088 F: +36 1 462-0613 Draft Programme of Bigger... better... beautiful? - the conference on the impact of EU enlargement on culture

Working title Moderator Opening Plenary How have culture and cultural collaboration been affected by the changes in the post-cold war Europe? Plenary 1 The cultural landscape in today's Europe; issues of variety and homogenisation, diversity and globalisation, identity Miklos Marschall cultures and world culture Working Group 1A: performing arts Working Group 1B: visual arts, literature Working Group 1C: audio-visual and media Working Group 1D: heritage Plenary 2 Reforming European governance: how will it affect the promotion of culture? Dragan Klaic Working Group 2A: Culture 2000… Working Group 2B: other EU initiatives… Plenary 3 Focusing on EU regional policy: the place of culture in the solidarity funds Ritva Mitchell Working Group 3A: big cities Working Group 3B: regions and rural areas Working Group 3C: cultural tourism Plenary 4 Cultural collaboration and mobility in an enlarged Europe (with regard also to the other international agencies on the Dorota Ilczuk continent) Working Group 4A: state administrations and inter-governmental organisations Working Group 4B: professionals, institutions and cultural industries Working Group 4C: third sector organisations and civil society Closing Plenary Brave New Europe?

 opening plenary: 60 minutes - VIP greetings followed by 1 or 2 keynote speeches, with limited discussion  plenaries: 60 minutes - 2 or 3 invited speakers, with discussion following  working groups: 120 minutes, with 1-2 short introductory speeches, and plenty of time for debate and discussion

Other speakers and moderators include Erhard Busek (Austrian Commissioner for EU Enlargement), Vesna Copic (Deputy State Secretary for Culture, Slovenia), Eduard Delgado (Director, Interarts Foundation, Barcelona), Kirill Razlogov (Director, Russian Institute for Cultural Research), Colin Mercer (Professor of Cultural Policy, UK), Lidia Varbanova (Open Society Institute, Budapest), Delia Mucica (Media Division, Ministry of Culture, Romania), Gottfried Wagner (Director, European Cultural Foundation), Wolfgang Closs (Audiovisual Observatory, Strasbourg), Corina Suteu (Director, ECUMEST, France / Romania), Jordi Pascual Ruiz (Senior Researcher, Barcelona Council, Spain) etc.