We contribute independently to the excellence of EU international cultural relations with the opening of creative trust-building spaces, the production of commons and the brokerage of know-how.
Culture Solutions Europe was created as a French association on 23 October 2018 in a context of uncertainty and questioning of the European integration project, while technological change is affecting the ways Humanity deals with an ecologically threatened planet.
We follow a specific Theory of Change.
In this blog entry, Gabrielle Bernoville explores the potential of the EUNIC-led project “European Spaces of Culture” for EU International Cultural Relations. Taking stock of the second EUNIC call for ideas, it focuses on the six selected pilot spaces and sketches ways to scale up these models into a Cultural Team Europe approach.
In November 2020, culture Solutions facilitated the EEAS conference on The role of the European Union on the Protection and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage in conflict and crisis. This blog summarises the main take-aways of the conference and recommends the launch of specific European communities of practice in this field.
In this blog post Celia Zayas and Alexandra Gil question the link between colonialism and the EU integration process, as well as how EU external cultural action can be the perfect tool for mutual learning, collaboration and co-creation in a decolonizing process.
The first free and open sectoral mapping on classical music in China to enhance cultural cooperation between Europeans and Chinese cultural professionals
If you wish to partner with us to produce and share more mappings on a given sector, country or region, contact us!
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.
The main findings of our cS Composing Trust 2019/2020 report identifying future research, policy and engagement agendas.
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cS is a non-profit organisation and our collaborators work pro bono. Help us continue creating commons in the sphere of EU international cultural relations.
culture Solutions collaborates with both EU institutions and independent organisations.
We welcome skilled professionals and motivated graduates or young professionals to join our dynamic and innovative team.
Cultural Policy Coordinator
Email address: diego.marani@eeas.europa.eu
Phone: +32 2 5849910
Something special about him:
Diego Marani is an interpreter by training and graduated at the University of Trieste in 1983. He is an EU official since 1985. First working at the Council of Ministers, in 2006 he joined the Directorate General for Culture of the European Commission where he was in charge of the policy of multilingualism. In this position he dealt with issues such as literary translation, early language learning and the New Narrative for Europe initiative with President Barroso. In 2014 he was appointed advisor to the Italian Culture Minister and dealt with European affairs under the Italian Presidency of the E.U.
In 2015 Diego Marani joined the European External Action Service where he is Cultural policy coordinator. In this position Diego Marani co-drafted the Communication "Towards an EU strategy in international cultural relations" and conceived the EU-Western Balkans Cultural Heritage Route, implemented by EU Delegations in the region.
Diego Marani is also a columnist and a writer, author of many novels, among which the prize-winning "New Finnish Grammar", translated in 15 languages. He is the inventor of the mock-language Europanto in which he has published the collection of short stories "Las adventuras des Inspector Cabillot" and articles in several European newspapers. He writes columns on cultural matters for several Italian newspapers and keeps a blog in the European website eunews.it
Pietro de MatteisAdvisor on public diplomacy
Email address: Pietro.DE-MATTEIS@eeas.europa.eu
Phone: +32 2 584 3296
Something special about him:
Pietro is responsible for developing a more joined-up approach to European Public Diplomacy and has been involved since early stage in the drafting of the Joint Communication "Towards an EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations"
He is also at the origin of flagship Public and Cultural Diplomacy initiatives under the Partnership Instrument, such as the Cultural Diplomacy Platform, the EU Film Repository for Film Festivals, the EU Alumni Engagement Initiative and EU Policy and Outreach Partnership (EUPOP) contracts worldwide. Currently he is working to frame Public Diplomacy under the upcoming EU Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027).
Merete BildeSpecial advisor on Religion and Foreign Policy
Email address: Merete.Bilde@EEAS.europa.eu
Phone number: +32 474439195
Something special about her:
She works on issues at the cross section of religion and foreign policy. This includes (geo)political aspects of religion as well as cross cultural/religious relations. She has been involved in a number of networks of diplomats and faith-based political actors meeting regularly in an effort to bridge the gap in understanding between religious and secular worldviews.
She is the driving force behind the EEAS Task Force on religion and culture as well as EEAS training course on Religion and Foreign Policy with the aim to develop collective awareness and skill-set to appreciate the role of religion (whether helpful or problematic) and its implication for diplomatic work. Ms. Bilde is one of the two co-founders of the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Foreign Policy in 2015. This policy network builds on a former EU-led Likeminded Group of diplomats working on religion/diplomacy nexus, which she set up in the mid 2000’s.
She has been engaged in various initiatives relating to issues such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief as well as the defamation debate. In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, her work has focused heavily on the new political actors and the new regional dynamics at play, including between the new Middle East and the US and Europe. Prior to her current appointment, Merete Bilde worked in the Policy Unit of EU High Representative, Javier Solana (2005-09) and before that she served as a Danish diplomat (1994-).
Ms. Bilde was a Bosch Public Policy Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy during its 2014-15 fellowship year which focused on religion and its role in the liberal order. She wrote a short piece on the Brussels perspective on Religion and Diplomacy in the resulting publication ‘Faith Freedom and Foreign Policy – Challenges for the Transatlantic Community’.
More recently in 2020, Ms. Bilde was asked by British Council and their Bridging Voices project to offer her ‘Reflections on Dynamics and Trends in Transatlantic Approaches’. Just as she was asked to give an interview to Religions For Peace on Why Faith Matters – also in diplomacy.
We are working to add contacts in the Committee of the Regions dealing with cultural relations.
