A Soul for Europe meets in Berlin
A Soul for Europe, a cultural coalition for a citizens’ Europe, is looking for the deeper meaning behind the continent’s political and economic concerns.
When he talked about “giving Europe a soul” at the beginning of the 1990s, European Commission President Jacques Delors was already demonstrating that Europe is more than a technocratic structure, more than just a market, competition and Brussels institutions. The European identity is based on a common culture and common values. The civil society initiative A Soul for Europe was founded over ten years ago to put life into these words and make them a reality. Working from bases in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Porto and Tiflis, it forms an international network of European towns and regions. Also involved are representatives of business and culture as well as European policymakers, such as the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz.
Year of European elections
The heart of the initiative is a strategy group with representatives from the fields of culture, politics, business, research and the media. Over 50 young people from more than 20 different countries are involved in the development and dissemination of the ideas of A Soul for Europe. Culture is at the centre of this process as a means of finding identity. Rounds of discussion, such as most recently in the Bulgarian capital Sofia in autumn 2013, examine, for example, the role of artists during phases of political upheaval. The Berlin Conference aims to reflect on and spread the goals of A Soul for Europe and take stock of the initiative’s development. In 2014 the European elections at the end of May will also play a role.
Berlin Conference of A Soul for Europe on 3 March 2014
