The European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC Global) has been awarded EU funding from the European Commission Creative Europe Support to Networks Programme for the project EUNIC – Crossroads for Culture – Enhancing EU member states transnational and international cooperation.

The project is expected to last 3 years and will be launched in December 2014 in Brussels.

The Crossroads for Culture project aims to strengthen EUNIC’s capacity to become a partner of choice for the European Union in the field of European cultural relations. The overall purpose of strengthening the EUNIC network and building capacity of EUNIC members and external cultural players is to enhance European influence and attraction in Europe itself and in the rest of the world.

Within the framework of the project, EUNIC will engage in cultural policy research and analysis at both European and international levels and will actively participate in raising awareness of EU cultural policy developments and debates. The aim is to lay the foundations for a new approach to countries’ promotional activities, moving from traditional flag-waving to a more holistic approach that embraces interdependence. EUNIC will explore concrete ways in which countries can work more effectively for the global public interest, such as stimulating innovation, framing an agenda for multilateral cooperation, building a platform of practitioners and thinkers and improving efficiency through resource pooling.

EUNIC will also launch an internal EUNIC Academy with the purpose of improving skills and knowledge among network members through a series of training and EU Culture Management Fellowship directed towards external cultural operators both within Europe and outside. The Fellowship will provide participants with hands-on training and knowledge in European Cultural Relations Management and will help them to become agents of social change and development.

Thanks to the professionalisation of EUNIC Clusters based in over 90 locations on all continents EUNIC will contribute to the deepening of mutual dialogue and the cultural exchange with local civil society actors and cultural operators. EUNIC will facilitate EU external cultural relations and establish itself as an operational downstream body with wide expertise and access to local civil societies.

EUNIC Global is the international network of the European Union National Institutes for Culture. It creates effective partnerships between EU National Institutes for Culture and other cultural organisations aiming to improve dialogue and to strengthen cultural cooperation with civil societies in Europe and worldwide. More information on EUNIC

EUNIC members: Austria Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, Flemish department of Foreign Affairs, Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, Foundation Croatian House, Ministry of Education and Culture Cyprus, Czech Centres, The Danish Cultural Institute, Estonian Institute, The Finish Cultural and Academic Institutes, Foundation Alliance Française, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Institut Français, Goethe-Institut, ifa – Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Foundation for Culture, Balassi Institute, Culture Ireland, Società Dante Alighieri, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Italy, Latvian Institute, International Cultural Program Center, Lithuania, Dutch Culture, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Instituo Camões, Romanian Cultural Institute, Slovakian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovenian Ministry of Culture, Instituto Cervantes, Swedish Institute, British Council