About 20 ECP members, including our President, Pär Stenbäck, met 11-13 October 2023 for a Symposium at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, ICD, Berlin.

Here below are the main messages and conclusions from the symposium:

• Robert Pyrah presented his idea of an ECP podcast. We will investigate further, keep an eye on our website for announcements!
• Francois Carbon presented the preparations for a new Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD) meeting 29 – 31 May 2024.
• Savina Tarsitano presented her “Peace, Solidarity, Freedom of Expression” Arts project.
• Steve Austen talked on the role of individual cross border networks in Europe, ECP being an excellent example. He reminded us that EU-Maastricht 1992, when introducing the “subsidiarity formula” de facto almost killed the possibility of having functioning cultural networks across borders. But the EU Gothenburg Social Summit 2017 surprisingly opened the doors for cooperation across the border. And the now running EU budget for cultural cooperation projects is 75% higher than the previous one. Hence, a good chance for individual cultural cross border initiatives!
• Last but not least we have a message from Luise Kloos in Graz, that there is a chance that this Austrian city could invite ECP for a full scale session on 19 – 21 April 2024. We are crossing our fingers!

Our symposium was organized within the framework of an ICD Forum on Peace and Democracy. The following ECP Members made very appreciated contributions to the Forum:

• ECP Founder Karl-Erik Norrman opened the Forum with the following question/statement European Policies, Values and Culture – a Platform for Peace?
• Marina Koldobskaya (together with the Ukrainian artist Julia Katan) spoke about “Visual Arts For Dialogue and Understanding”, presenting images from a Berlin exhibition recently with participation of artists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
• Efva Lilja spoke on the role of artists as facilitators of change, under the headline Viewing a Crash Site of Jumping the Broom.
• Erna Hennicot-Schoepges gave an exposé of European peace under the headline Democracy and Peace – a vanished dream?
• Francois Carbon presented the university cultural network Transatlantic Dialogue, TAD, under the headline Soft Power in Uncertain Times.
• Massimo Dell Utri spoke on the world situation with the question Does the Idea of a Single Humanity Have Content?
• Judith McKimm addressed the following subject The Importance of Intercultural Intelligence in Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution 
• Nicolae Burcea asked the following critical question: Can Democracy Actually Work, given Different Value Systems in the World