The State Institute for Culture Took Part in the General Assembly of EUNIC Global in Brussels
New members of the Board of Directors
Approval of the 140th cluster of the network
Strategic discussion on the EUNIC Cluster Roadmap
In the period 7-8 December 2023, representatives of the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs took part in the regular General Assembly of EUNIC Global (EU National Institutes for Culture), which was held in Brussels, Belgium. At the meeting, the network elected Liviu Jicman, President of Romanian Cultural Institute, as new EUNIC Vice-President and welcomed Kirsten van den Hul, Director of DutchCulture, to the Board of Directors. The network also approved a new EUNIC Cluster in Uganda.
The EUNIC General Assembly is open to representatives of all members of the Association and is the governing body of EUNIC, which determines the strategy of the network of European governmental and non-governmental organizations dealing with international cultural relations.
Together with its partners, the Association aims to intensify European cultural cooperation around the world with a network of clusters, drawing on the rich experience of its members from all EU Member States and Associated Countries. After the approval of the assembly of an application for the establishment of a cluster in Uganda, the number of clusters increased to 140 in over 100 countries, making EUNIC a truly significant player on the cultural scene at the global level and forcing the need to improve the network of clusters and their activities.
The General Assembly examined a draft Roadmap for the development of EUNIC clusters, which aims to optimize their structure and activity. The roadmap focuses on three main directions: sense of purpose of the cluster - a clear vision of the meaning of its existence, governance and management of the cluster, as well as engagement and communication - both at a cluster level and between different clusters. In a full-fledged discussion, members contributed to building the strategic document.
The agenda of the General Assembly also included an election procedure to fill the vacant positions in the Board of Directors of the Association - for vice president and one regular member of the Board. After considering four submitted applications, the final composition of the Board is as follows: Andrew Manning (Director EUNIC Global), President Camilla Mordhorst (Danish Cultural Institute), Vice-President Liviu Jicman (Romanian Cultural Institute), Carmen Noguero Galilea (Instituto Cervantes), Johannes Ebert (Goethe-Institut), Kirsten van den Hul (DutchCulture), Matthieu Peyraud (French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs).
In a discussion led by external guests Annica Floren from DG INTPA and Christophe Masson from DG NEAR of the European Commission, the network exchanged on EU programs for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Eastern Partnership, and explored pathways towards inclusive societies and cultural relations partnerships in these crucial regions. Joined by guest speaker Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External Action Service, members shared viewpoints on strengthening the Team Europe approach in culture and the global dimension of the EU's evolving commitment to international cultural relations.