Enhancing Cultural Exchange Between Serbia and the European Union
Dr. Christoph Veldhues, Goethe-Institut Belgrad, Director
The Goethe-Institut holds the presidency of the EUNIC Serbia network since 2023. What is EUNIC Serbia, and how does it contribute to strengthening the relationship between Serbia and the European Union?
EUNIC Serbia, within the framework of EUNIC Global, was established in 2007 with the aim of promoting cultural relations between Serbia and the EU member countries. At this point, 21 Belgrade based EU cultural institutes and embassies join forces to harness the potential of cultural exchange, to initiate new or support current cultural projects that promote our common European values, to serve as a contact point for the Serbian cultural scene and civil society, and not the least to offer them support and funding opportunities.
Could you provide a brief overview of the initiatives and plans that have already been realized this year, as well as those planned from September onward?
In addition to the regular cultural events offered by the EUNIC Serbia member organizations, there are in particular three projects in 2024 that represent our common efforts to make a difference in Belgrade’s cultural life: Urban Oases refreshes three neglected urban spaces in Belgrade, using the power of art and community engagement. During this initiative, selected locations will receive a redesigned look with a focus on new green spaces and urban elements. In June, at five signature city locations, Art Weekend Belgrade presented contemporary local artists’ works to a wider audience and fostered meeting and collaboration with foreign curators. During the European Day of Languages, celebrated worldwide on September 26 since 2021, EUNIC Serbia organises activities to promote linguistic diversity and the ability to speak other languages. Urban Oases will be continued in 2025, to be completed by a further project in line with the European Spaces of Culture concept.
What level of interaction does the Serbian cultural scene have with the programs of EUNIC Serbia members?
As a matter of principle, all EUNIC programs are designed, implemented, and evaluated in close cooperation with local partners: and the name of the principle is cultural dialogue. Our goal is to connect with Serbian partners based on the shared cultural values of Europe. For EUNIC Serbia, these values manifest themselves in four program lines that mark relevant areas of intervention: Empowerment of Youth, Towards a Sustainable World, Promoting Diversity, Envisioning a Future Beyond the Past. You can find out more about these approaches on our website www.eunicsrbija.rs.
How does EUNIC operate in other countries? Is there a difference between member countries in terms of their cultural activities in Serbia compared to other countries?
EUNIC – short for European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organisations engaging in cultural relations. EUNIC Global operates 139 local clusters in more than 100 countries. All EUNIC clusters advocate a prominent role of culture in international relations, but have to establish their specific profile according to the respective host country’s situation – as stated in the EUNIC Serbia program lines mentioned above. Within the cluster, all (full) members are equal and contribute to achieving the common goals. EUNIC Serbia is a comparatively large cluster, which might reflect the degree of our dedication to accompany this country on its path into the European Union.
What do you consider to be the most important cultural aspects for presenting Serbian culture to the EU? To what extent have the European national cultural institutes supported this effort so far?
Serbia, as a country at the very heart of Europe, has an impressive cultural heritage – starting in medieval times and ranging deeply into modernist and contemporary art – that would be a very welcome contribution to the EU’s cultural “treasury”. This Serbian culture is always at its best when transcending the narrow national limitations and understanding itself as part of the greater unity of European and world culture – be it a simply beautiful monastery or a Nobel prize winning novel. This includes the huge part of current Serbian art and artists that chose, for different reasons, to work and live outside Serbia. EUNIC Serbia tries to acknowledge in particular those parts of Serbian culture that are open to dialogue and exchange.
Photo Copyright: mmorgan
