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02 jun 2000 RESEARCH PAPER The European Union and its cultural diversity Make Berns Int 305 City-University The European Union and its cultural diversity I would like to discuss that a sense of community which is necessary in business and in daily life is not achieved yet. Even with opening the borders between the member states and establishing a common currency the work is not done yet. The question often asked is how to achieve a sense of community in the different member states with their different cultures. Is it even possible?
How can the goal of feeling as an European be achieved? Should people give up their national pride? To make Europe one unit is it necessary to have one language? Europe is more than just a home market and Euro. Culture plays a big role in getting a communal spirit and self-confidence for the Europeans. Cultural and educational policy is the member states responsibility, but not only: Also the community has the mission to support culture (article 151 Treaty on European Union).
This paper will explore the efforts made by the member states to meet the challenges arising within our societies: safeguarding European culture, affirming our common identity whilst recognizing our differences, promoting the study of our languages, history, civilization: the best antidote to backsliding into nationalism and intolerance. Culture is defined as behaviour peculiar to Homo sapiens, together with material objects used as an integral part of this behaviour. Thus, culture includes languages, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institution, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, and ceremonies, among other elements (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2000). The European Union consists of 15 Member States at the moment and negotiates with 13 new accession candidates.
Europe's population therefore will increase to 550 million people. The high number of Member States shows the varieties and differences as well as cultural problems that go along with this process. Although Europe shares a common history each country has developed its own cultural identity over centuries. The ongoing integration will show if Europe converges on the cultural as well as on the economic and political level. The European Union tries to improve the better understanding and acceptance of cultural diversities by several programs and initiatives towards a cultural convergence. The paper will focus on 1) the European Cultural Convention and 2) the Culture 2000 program which are part of this process.
And will also show some 3) public opinions concerning the cultural diversity in Europe. 1) The European Cultural Convention was signed in 1954 and is the framework for the Council of Europe's activity in a) education, b) culture, c) cultural heritage. Programs developed within the framework of the Convention are directed not only towards the Member States, but also towards all those actively involved, in partnership with the Council of Europe, in the development of education and culture. a) Education lays a foundation stone for the formation of opinions. Therefore it is very important to teach young people how to establish greater mutual understanding and confidence.
An urgent need is to strengthen programs to eliminate prejudice in the teaching of history by emphasizing positive mutual influences by countries, religions and ideas in the historical development of Europe. Young people should learn how to form their own opinion by looking at every site of an subject. The Council has set up projects that show how to prepare them for study, training, work, mobility, leisure and everyday living in a multicultural Europe. A network of national agencies to promote school links and exchanges was established.
It is based on the concept of cultural exchange, and linguistic considerations play a minor role. Participants can study in another country for three up to nine month and stay with a host family. To keep a vital role that individual citizens have to play in combating extremism and assuring democratic stability and social cohesion a project called Education for Democratic Citizenship came to life. It seeks to find ways of inspiring individuals to take up this challenge in the context of rapidly evolving political structures. The Convention brings also the legal framework for the fair recognition of qualifications, degrees or diplomas in the European Union up to date. The target groups are students, parents, employers universities, and other higher education institutions.
The application procedure in another Member States university for example is often very time-consuming, and not transparent enough. On those problems the Council of Europe is focusing on. b) To promote awareness of Europe's multi-faceted cultural identity and to develop it several cultural policies and activities has been set up. The European program of national cultural policy reviews encourages the pooling of experience, in order to draw practical lessons from the success or failure of national and regional measures and to identify comparable problems. The goal is to achieve a sense of team work and community. -Interregional artistic co-operation initiatives are supported by the Council of Europe and a co-operation between European artistic and cultural networks as a forum for discussing Europe's major cultural policy issues are promoted. -A fund called Eu mirages with a total of almost 150 million French francs to support co-production, distribution and exhibition of European films and documentaries was set up in 1988. -A project was set up to promote and spread European values and culture through the written word, both in electronic and printed form. Because the European Ministers recognised the important role of the Media to protect and to disseminate cultural values. -Through high-quality tourism Europeans should be reminded by Cultural Routes of their common cultural identity.
Cultural Routes cover the following themes: Silk and Textiles, the Baroque era, rural habitats, the monastic influence, the Vikings, the Hanseatic League, etc. c) The extraordinary diversity of the cultural roots is what distinguishes the European culture from other cultures. The Greek philosophy, the Roman establishments, the Jewish-Christian traditions- the Law, the Gospel- are contradictory, with creative tension or unresolvable conflicts. And there are Germanic roots and the influence of the Arabic world, the Slav. One could define the European culture as a culture were many definitions are possible and every single one would be correct. Sonett, sonata, oil painting and whatever more were European and not national creations.
The European culture has never been a only in exchange meeting juxtaposition of national cultures. Fact is that Europe has a common cultural heritage that works as a cultural roof for all developed differences in each Member State over the centuries. In this respect heritage is an irreplaceable means of increasing European conscious and of spreading knowledge about European culture. A campaign called Europe, a common heritage is being carried out in cooperation with the Council of Europe in 1999. To encourage cultural exchange amongst Europeans and to allow them to discover their cultural diversity and cultural wealth is the purpose of this campaign.
It includes international photography competitions about the heritage, and the European heritage days etc. 2) The Culture 2000 Program is so to speak the European Cultural Conventions successor. The Culture 2000 Program is a financial instrument with a total budget of 167 million Euro and is established for five years. It grants support for cultural co-operation projects in all artistic and cultural sectors like literature, heritage, arts etc. The aim is the same, to bring Europeans on a cultural level closer together. Europeans should learn to combine the cultural diversity with a common cultural heritage. Creativity and mobility, inter-cultural dialogue and knowledge of the history of the peoples of Europe are very important points.
For social integration and socio-economic development culture has a tremendous influence. 3) Overview over some public opinions Among the Member States opinions vary about the efforts made by the European Union. Some argue that it is not possible to bring so many different cultures together. Like the French. They are scared of the growing uniformity and standardisation of the world in order to preserve the diversity of cultural output.
Others argue that it is necessary for becoming one unit to get in touch with the Member States cultural values. Like Lord Yehudi Menuhin (violinist, conductor, and humanitarian), who sent a letter to Heads of State of the European Union in 1997. He claims that one element is missing in the general concept of the European Union: the representation of the rich diversity of European Cultures. His accusation is that there is no constant touch between the different cultures, that would lead to a renunciation on the part of any given culture, of sovereign national and territorial ambitions.
He is engaged in establishing a representation of cultures at the level of a greater Europe. The representatives (... ) would have to enjoy the confidence an...
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Research essay sample on The Cultural Diversity In Union
