Intercultural Dialogue — support through EU programmes

The enlarged European Union is more than ever home for people of diverse cultures, traditions and beliefs. The impact of globalisation, the increased free movement of workers in the Single Market, old and new migration flows — all of these phenomena mean that a shift is needed from “multicultural” to “intercultural” societies if we are to make the most of the cultural diversity which characterises
our Member States. With this goal in mind, the European Commission proposed to declare 2008 the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

The European Year has been a great opportunity to put intercultural dialogue in the spotlight and to deepen
a European debate on this challenge. But cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue have, in a sense, always been at the heart of European integration, and are a strategic priority in a wide range of Community initiatives and programmes. This is true in the framework of the policies such as education, culture, youth, citizenship and sport, but also in many other policy fields from employment to integration policy and from external relations to
audiovisual policy.

This brochure features more than twenty of these programmes and highlights inspiring project examples supported by EU funds. It should serve both as inspiration and as a
practical guide to sources of EU support for the many committed organisations and individuals throughout
Europe — and beyond — who are active in the field of intercultural dialogue.