Culture and development 20 years after the fall of communism in Europe
04.06.2009 - 06.06.2009
The year 2009 celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe. 4 June 1989 was the date of the first free election in Poland and the outset of political and social change in this part of Europe. What implications did this change have on the system of culture management, cultural policy and, last but not least, the activity within the sector itself? What have been the trends, challenges and solutions in cultural policies in European countries over the past twenty years? How has culture changed since the fall of communism? This questions were debated by more than fifty experts from across Europe, invited to Krakow by the ICC and the Council of Europe to the first conference in the CultureWatchEurope series.
The conference ended with adopting draft final conclusions on matters such as the position of culture in development policies and strategies at national, regional and local levels. It was emphasised that cultural policies must rest on fundamental values such as human rights, and on research results.
Conference photos
Culture Watch Europe
The Council of Europe’s CultureWatchEurope Platform (CWE) promotes culture as "the soul of democracy" by offering an innovative and evidence-based overview of culture, heritage and media developments in Europe. CultureWatchEurope adds value to the Organisation’s existing information tools, programmes and methods by linking them and by inviting civil society to contribute. CultureWatchEurope is value based, responsive, and aware: devised to pinpoint developments, difficulties, and good practices so that cultural governance and policy making can be enhanced Europe-wide, from a human rights perspective. Key words in this mission are: transparency, access and participation, respect for identity and diversity, intercultural dialogue and cultural rights.