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France: Speaking on International Francophony day on March 20th, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, called for more frequent use of the French language in international institutions, including the EU. In terms of native speakers, French is the second most spoken language in the EU, after German but ahead of English.
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EU/Ireland: A new stamp celebrating the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue in Ireland was launched at an event in Dublin Castle on 7 March to celebrate a changing Europe.
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EU: Last year, there was a call for proposals for “third country” projects involving links with China or India within the Culture Programme – and the UK was very successful with their applications to this call – of the 12 selected projects, 5 were led by UK partners.
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EU: For the Culture Programme, the EC has just announced a new call for “third country” projects – this time with a focus on Brazil. The deadline for proposals is 1 June 2008.
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EU: Update on the Results of the 2008 call for proposals for the Culture Programme. Following a meeting on Monday 17 March, EC procedures state that recommendations cannot be confirmed for at least one month, as the European Parliament has the right to review these recommendations and, if they so choose, to make alternative recommendations. Therefore, there will be no official announcement until at least May about the successful projects.
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France: Many Arab countries have called for a boycott of the Paris Book Fair because this annual literary event has named Israel guest of honour for 2008.
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UK: Department of Culture, Media and Sport appoints a new Director of Culture - Mick Elliott, currently Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic will take up his post in June.
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EU: According to the findings of a recent Eurobarometer survey, European citizens consider the European Parliament to be the most powerful EU-Institution and would want the EP to target terrorism, climate change and consumer and health issues.
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EU: "Brussels Debates" are to inform the future EU strategy for intercultural dialogue. The first debate on the March 5th focussed on migration, the second Brussels Debate, organised by the Commission in cooperation with EFAH, ECF and the Rainbow Platform on April 2nd, will address the role of arts and culture in Intercultural dialogue.
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UK: Museums should dispose of 'burden' objects says Museums Association. The MA is urging museums to make their collections more dynamic and to include disposal as a routine part of collections development.
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EU: The Commission published a call for expressions of interest on "Culture sector Platforms" which intends to give organisations from the culture civil society the opportunity to express their interest in participating in the structured dialogue with the European Commission.
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Europe: Euractiv reports that journalists in Eastern and Western Europe are confronted with a rise of censorship and violent or intimidating pressures, according to a survey "Goodbye to Freedom?" by the Association of European Journalists (AEJ).
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UK: British Arts Festivals Association. Bookings are now being taken for the 2008 BAFA Spring Road Show – visit the BAFA Website for an on-line booking form at www.artsfestivals.co.uk. Whether you are in Scotland, Wales or England, BAFA is coming to a place (fairly) near you for one day this spring and we mean business – festival business.
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EU: Europeans to vote on their favourite new design for a commemorative 2-euro coin marking ten years of the single currency.
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Europe: Kosovo declaration of independence.
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UK/EU: Closure of the call for proposals the creation of thematic networks and working groups of the Urbact programme, and have counted more than 170 applications.
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Europe: Call for artists - A.I.R. International Artists Residencies-Summer 2008- Budapest, Hungary. The Hungarian Multicultural Center invites interested visual artists, musicians, film makers and writers to submit application for its residency/FilmFest -2008.
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EU: "The European Agenda for Culture: involving civil society" - DG EAC Info session. See the full video or read the report on EFAH's website about the first steps towards the application of new instruments in the European cultural policy and the new possibilities for involvement by civil opening up in European cultural policy-making.
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EU: The European Union is working on greater protection for performers’ rights and is pushing for a review of copyright levies on music recording devices. The Commission's DG Internal Market is therefore holding a stakeholder consultation on private copying levies.
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