A SOUL FOR EUROPE

Aims and mission

The work of “A Soul for Europe” is based on the conviction that it is necessary to create a Europe of the Europeans, rather than just a Europe of institutions and regulations. It is our opportunity and responsibility to participate in Europe’s political mechanisms. We need new lines of communication and innovative co-operation models between civil society and the European institutions as well as national, regional and local governments and other authorities.

• It is our aim to give Europe’s social, economic and political development a cultural core. A Soul for Europe” means permeating the non-cultural sectors of politics and society with culture – from foreign policy to economics to social and regional affairs.

That does not mean that we are lobbying for culture. Rather, we are lobbying for Europe and fully believe in the catalyst role that culture – in all its diverse forms – can play in the development of society.

Young and decentralized

A lot has changed in the setup of “A Soul for Europe” since the first Berlin Conference in 2004, which was the starting signal for our civil society initiative. From a relatively small group of people, located primarily in Berlin, “A Soul for Europe” has developed into a network that spreads across all of Europe, transcending the borders
of the European Union with offices in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Porto and Tbilisi, cooperating with cities and regions, the cultural and business sectors as well as European policymakers. Today, the “A Soul for Europe” - Strategy Group of over 50 professionals from more than 20 countries in Europe from the areas of culture, politics, business, research and media is responsible for the conceptual development and dissemination of the idea of “A Soul for Europe” through projects and initiatives.

The link between civil society and the European Parliament

The initiative is supported by a high-ranking Advisory Board chaired by Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament. The Advisory Board, consisting of personalities from different fields in society such as the economy, civil society, culture and politics, supports the initiative in an advisory capacity. Members include Dieter Berg (Chairman of the Robert Bosch Foundation’s Board of Management), Elmar Brok (MEP), Erhard Busek (Chairman of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe), Sandra Kalniete (MEP), Doris Pack (MEP, Chairwoman of the EP Committee on Culture and Education), Hans-Gert Pöttering (MEP, former EP President, Deputy Chairman of the Board), Hannes Swoboda (MEP), Helga Trüpel (MEP), and Emílio Rui Vilar (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation). The Advisory Board Parliamentarian Working Group is our link to political decision-makers.

The Felix Meritis Foundation.    European Centre for Arts, Culture and Science, Amsterdam

Felix Meritis : A European Public Space in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Tbilisi, Novosibirsk, Brussels and beyond...

Felix Meritis is an independent European centre for art, culture, science as well as an (inter)national meeting place.  It provides the European public with the space for reflection and connection, a home in which to network and be surprised. We believe in (the need for) cultural diversity in Europe as an engine of progress and social cohesion. Under the motto "Connecting Cultures" we foster the European dialogue and take part in national and international cultural networks.
Through deeper understanding and dialogue with different groups in Europe and the world, we strengthen the insight into and understanding of the European cultural integration process among citizens of Amsterdam, Europe and the world.

Felix Meritis has initiated many international projects, such as Gulliver Connect, Essay International, The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, Kuhnya, the Network of Centres for European Culture and Debate (NCECD) and many others.

In Felix Meritis art, culture, philosophy and politics are matters of everyday life. It continues the values of the Enlightenment  that led its founders (40 citizens) to erect one of the grandest buildings on the Keizersgracht with Holland's oldest purpose-built concert hall (opened in 1788).

Stiftung Zukunft Berlin

The Foundation

The Stiftung Zukunft Berlin sees itself as a forum for a new kind of civic work: the Stiftung activates public figures and partner institutions of Berlin with a view to developing and communicating common positions, thus assuming joint responsibility for the city. The objective is to avoid leaving Berlin’s public affairs to policy-makers alone and to strategically improve the quality of decisions affecting the city.

SUPPORT

	The “A Soul for Europe” Strategy Group was built up and its work is made possible with the financial support of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.