Preparatory action "Culture in EU External Relations" : engaging the world: towards global cultural citizenship

This report is the outcome of a sixteen-month inquiry that has been the centrepiece of the Preparatory Action 'Culture in EU External Relations'. The inquiry covered 54 countries - the 28 EU Member States, the 16 countries included under the European Neighbourhood Policy and the 10 Strategic Partnership countries. It has uncovered a very considerable potential for culture in Europe's international relations and has also explored the ways in which culture and cultural expression have been deployed already by European actors in multiple relationships with their counterparts elsewhere. These European actors have included Member States, artists and other professionals in the arts and culture sector (often termed 'cultural operators' in EU circles), civil society entities devoted to cultural production and/or delivery, the business sector, and, to some extent, European institutions. At the same time, the inquiry has analysed how third country stakeholders have partnered with these European cultural actors and how they view their relationships with Europe. It has uncovered their aspirations and expectations for the future. It has confirmed that many people across the world have a strong interest in engaging culturally with Europe. It has shown the various ways in which they are attracted by the European 'narrative', to use a currently fashionable term, in particular by Europe's cultural diversity, as well as by fundamental values, such as freedom of expression, and by the vigour of Europe's cultural and creative industries.