Workshop held in Florence on 18 and 19 May 2017
Despite positive signs of economic recovery in the last few years, Europe is still in crisis: turmoil in the Middle East, international terrorism, both refugee and economic migration pressures in the Mediterranean, the Brexit negotiation as well as rising populism mark this second decade of the new millennium. Policy makers, stakeholders and civil society have been arguing for quite some time that answers to be found do not lie simply in more economic growth or lower unemployment rates. Culture has an important role to play both internally and externally, helping improve social cohesion and strengthening the EU’s role in the world.
This Policy Workshop tackled these issues over two days on 18 and 19 May at the European University Institute in Florence. It developed in three panels, ending with a roundtable on how to implement the nascent strategy. After the keynote speech, the first panel discussed the role of culture in promoting socio-economic development in third countries. Session II looked at the role of cultural and religious diversity in international cultural relations and in connecting intra EU diversity with EU foreign policy. Finally, Session III focused on the role of culture in EU diplomacy and critically analysed how we can envisage a multipolar world not only in economics or geopolitics but also in cultural relations.
Read more about this event on EUI Times, Working Paper and Policy Brief.
Photo Gallery
Speeches & Presentations
- Keynote lecture of Ilaria Borletti Buitoni – Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism in Italy
- The EU strategy for the international cultural dimension – Silvia Costa
- EU Foreign Policy and Cultural Relations in Times of Crisis – Mai’a K. Davis Cross
- Adapting to a multipolar world: better relations or better diplomacy? – Yudhishthir Raj Isar
- Identity, Diversity and Heritage Politics in Europe – Tuuli Lähdesmäk
- How creative industries contribute to the EU’s Development Policy – Aida Liha Matejicek
- Contractions of economy and culture – Philp Schlesinger
- The return of national in a mobile world – Anna Triandafyllidou
- Religion and Religious diversity – Anna Triandafyllidou and Tariq Modood