Cultural relations & diplomacy

13 February 2024

EU Cultural Diplomacy as Defence 

Damien Helly, chair and co-founder of culture Solutions, took part in the European Parliament CULT Committee’s exchange of views with experts (cS member Mafalda Damaso), the EEAS, and the European Commission on recent developments and future perspectives in EU Cultural Diplomacy and International Cultural Relations. The discussion built on the 2022 EP resolution, for which the CULT Committee had also consulted us, and looked beyond the European elections in May 2024. Check the recording of the recording (he starts talking at 10:10) and the presentation.

June-July 2023

Policy directions in EU international cultural relations, towards 2024 

On 27 June 2023, culture Solutions organised a select roundtable in collaboration with MEP Mrs Salima Yenbou, gathering more than 50 key Brussels-based policy-makers, networks’ representatives and professionals from the cultural field, in a multi-stakeholder space for dialogue on the place of cultural action in the EU external policies agenda. The event report #5 presents the content of the debates, focusing on three themes: taking stock, Ukraine and geopolitics, and the 2024 agenda.

January 2023 – May 2024

Composing trust podcast series

In the introductory episode presenting culture Solutions’ new podcast programme entitled Composing trust, we frame the discussions of the podcast programme, introduce the organisation and its objectives, and share their sources of inspiration. The third podcast episode gives voice to experts in various geographical settings, seeking recognition of the myriad of understandings, reasonings, and realities that coexist within the realm of International Cultural Relations.

22 December 2022

Making the difference: culture Solutions’ recommendations reflected in the 14 December 2022 European Parliament’s Resolution

This blog post looks at the European Parliament’s December 2022 resolution on the implementation of the New Agenda for Culture (2023-2026) and the EU strategy for international cultural relations, and connects its main recommendations to culture Solutions’ past contributions.

6 September 2022

Five take-aways for EU institutions and Mondiacult: Voices of Culture Global Dialogue on International Cultural Relations 

Nicole McNeilly and Gabrielle Bernoville reflect in this article on the key themes discussed in the final report published by the invited high-level professionals. They set out their perspectives on possible next steps, emphasising the role of the EU entities in its close partnership with CSOs and the global cultural sector – a topic made even more important in the run-up to Mondiacult.

19 July 2022

1 billion for EU international cultural relations by 2027 

This blog post is the written version of the speech given by Damien Helly at the European Parliament’s public hearing on EU international cultural relations in Brussels on 13 July 2022. It summarises culture Solutions’ analyses on the implementation of the EU cultural relations policy framework and suggests a set of priorities for the EU Council Work Plan on Culture 2022-2025.

22 January 2022

#FrenchPresidency – Balancing Paris Cultural Geopolitics and EU international cultural relations 

This blog by Pablo Barrios and Gabrielle Bernoville, with Damien Helly, decodes the ins-and-outs of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU. The external cultural agenda of Paris’ presidency is a balancing act between its New Roadmap to influence and revisited EU International Cultural Relations.

16 October 2021

Practices of EU international cultural relations: A 3P contribution

Damien Helly took part in the CIRCEA Autumn School 2021, the annual gathering of young professionals in international cultural relations in Siena. His presentation focused on the topic of 3P: people, paradigms and platforms.

7 September 2021

What if we used culture to prevent conflicts? 

Damien Helly was invited as a guest speaker in the European Democracy Lab Podcast. The episode sought to answer the question: if the promotion of cultural diversity can foster mutual understanding, can the European Union promote culture as a tool to actually prevent conflicts?

1 July 2021

#TeamEurope: A community of practice on culture for EU Delegations

DG INTPA’s Culture Seminars, delivered by culture Solutions, have highlighted the need for a Community of Practice. Read more about how to embed culture across EU’s external actions in this blog post.

20 March 2021

European Spaces of Culture: A blueprint for a Cultural Team Europe 

The EUNIC-led “European Spaces of Culture” have the potential to scale up the six pilot project into a Cultural Team Europe approach. Find out how in this article.

14-16 December 2020

Team Europe Worldwide 

After the adoption of the new multiannual budget, EU Delegations are busy with the programming of external action and international cooperation funds for the next seven years. For 5 tips on country-based cultural programming to blow the EU Cultural Breeze see the blog by Damien Helly. Next, we offer you a list of 10 priorities for regional and global cultural programming in the article by Damien Helly.

30 April 2020

Composing Trust 2019/2020 research report

Our Composing Trust 2019/2020 research report aims to become a reference knowledge resource on EU international cultural relations for the new 2019 European Parliament and Commission as well as for all those who engage with institutions on this agenda. It is divided into 8 thematic chapters, from societal change to the relation between culture and climate, mapping the current framework of the EU’s international cultural relations and what contributed to it.