European Cultural Networks

ARCHITECTURE

Architects’ Council of Europe: European organisation representing the architectural profession at European level. Its headquarters and Secretariat are located in Brussels. Monitors developments at EU level, seeking to influence those areas of EU Policy and legislation that have an impact on architectural practice and on the overall quality and sustainability of the built environment.

European Association for Architectural Education: an international non-profit association committed to the exchange of ideas and people within the field of architectural education and research. The EAAE aims at improving the knowledge base and the quality of architectural and urban design education. It is a bi-lingual English/French association.

CULTURAL POLICY AND RESEARCH

Culture Action Europe*: an advocacy and lobby organisation promoting arts and culture as a building block of the European project. Their aim is to influence European policies for more and better access to culture across the continent and beyond.

Cultural Information and Research Centres Liaison in Europe: CIRCLE was a European network which operated as an independent think-tank dedicated to developing cultural policy models for Europe. The regular activities of CIRCLE ceased in 2007, although its individual and institutional members continue to collaborate in other frameworks. The website holds detailed archives.

Culturelink: the Network of Networks for Research and Cooperation in Cultural Development, was established by UNESCO and the Council of Europe. Serves as a platform for research in the field of cultural development, cultural policies and international cultural cooperation.

EUNIC: the network of the international cultural relations institutes from the member states of the European Union. Seeks to facilitate cultural co-operation; to create lasting partnerships between professionals, to encourage greater understanding and awareness of the diverse European cultures and to encourage greater language learning. EUNIC has clusters in different countries and cities.

European Institute for Progressive Cultural Policies: concerned with intensifying networking among actors in the cultural field. Activities include creating new public spheres against the conservative hegemonial discourse of cultural identity and representation, effectively introducing issues of cultural politics into discussions on democratic politics and reflecting and developing exemplary artistic practices.

Compendium: The Council of Europe/ERICarts “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, 13th edition”, 2012 is a web-based and regularly updated information and monitoring system of national cultural policies in Europe. It is a long term project which aims to include all 50 member states co-operating within the context of the European Cultural Convention.

European Cultural Foundation: Through activities, grants, advocacy, publications and digital presence, links policies and practice to initiate and support cultural exchange and creative expression across wider Europe. Shares knowledge across the European cultural sector, and campaigns for the arts on all levels of political decision-making.

Association Marcel Hichter: Promotes public awareness of cultural democracy in Belgium, Europe and at the international level, by networking, analysis spreading and innovative actions. Offers cultural training programmess and tools stressing interdiciplinary approach and co-operation at European level.

ARTfactories: ARTfactories/Autre(s)pARTs is a common platform for reflection, research and action, transmission and solidarity for the development of art centres that organize their practices and experiments around the relationship between arts, territories and populations.

European Council of Artists: The ECA is a forum for dialogue between professional artists, their representatives and the political decision-makers on a European level. Organises conferences, seminars and round-table discussions on issues crucial to the future cultural development in Europe, to the position of the artists and to other matters relating to creative work.

ERICarts: European Research Institute for Comparative Cultural Policy and the Arts is an independent organisation which carries out comparative cultural research and cultural policy monitoring in co-operation with experts from over 40 European countries.

European Networks of Cultural Centres*: The ENCC intends to represent the cultural centres of Europe. It aims at stimulating the socio-cultural and artistic life in Europe, especially via cultural centres and their functioning.

Budapest Observatory: a foundation for those interested in the administration (finances, legislation, governance, policies) of cultural life (cultural activities, products and organisations) in east-central European countries.

Trans Europe Halles*: TEH is a network of independent cultural centres offering a dynamic forum for ideas, collaborations, and mutual support in the pursuit 
of intercultural exchange, understanding and artistic freedom.

LabforCulture: works with and for artists, arts and culture organisations and networks, cultural professionals and audiences in the 50 countries of Europe, as well as providing a platform for cultural cooperation between Europe and the rest of the world.

DIGITAL ARTS

Network Interface for Cultural Exchange: network in the field of new media that facilitates information exchange and collaboration between the media centres and labs in the region of the Baltic Sea and North-East Europe, and integrates these activities into wider European media cultural contexts.

Trans European Research and Education Networking Association: offers a forum to collaborate, innovate and share knowledge in order to foster the development of Internet technology, infrastructure and services to be used by the research and education community.

EUROPEAN CITIES AND REGIONS

Banlieues d’Europe: brings together cultural actors from all background (artists, activists, social workers, local politicians, researchers etc.). Their main focus is to develop and promote cultural projects in deprived neighborhoods with excluded communities.

EUROCITIES: members are the elected local and municipal governments of major European cities. Objective is to reinforce the important role that local governments should play in a multilevel governance structure. Aims to shape the opinions of Brussels stakeholders and ultimately shift the focus of EU legislation in a way which allows city governments to tackle strategic challenges at local level.

European Walled Towns: the international association for sustainable development of walled towns, walled cities and fortified historic towns in Europe. EWT aims to promote the many mutual interests shared by walled towns; EWT wishes to maintain and strengthen the historic walled towns for future generations by applying for European funding and partaking in European projects.

Les Rencontres – Association of European Cities and Regions for Culture*: Les Rencontres is an open forum for debate and action, grouping together elected members from all levels of local government throughout Europe in order to actively take part in the setting up of European cultural policies.

FESTIVALS

European Festivals Association*: umbrella organisation for festivals across Europe and beyond. Supports festivals, promotes their significance and important role in international cultural cooperation.

Yourope – The European Festival Association:  Yourope members are dedicated to improving the European festival scene in terms of working conditions, health and safety issues, environmental awareness, exchange of knowledge and information and promoting the cross-border exchange of live music talent.

European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals: primary concerns of the EFWMF are artistic and artistically related issues. Membership is invited for all festival organizers with a worldwide, or at least a clear trans-national approach, presenting music in the area of world, ethnic, traditional, folk and roots music.

European Talent Exchange Program*: an initiative of the Noorderslag Foundation to stimulate the circulation of European acts in festivals, the media and on radio in Europe.

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FILM AND MEDIA

MEDIACULT: International Research Institute for Media, Communication and Cultural Development based in Austria.  Carries out research and advises national and international decision makers from the public realm, civil society and businesses.

Medialounge: online database, representing a network of cultural new media institutes, individuals and organisations.

European Film Commissions Network: a network of European Film Commissions promoting the exchange of information between members, sustaining the development of location searches and shooting opportunities and carries out professional and educational activities.

European Network for Cinema and Media Studies: NECS is a platform for exchange between scholars, archivists and programmers.

Federation of European Film Directors: FERA represents directors as the primary creators of audiovisual works and works to enhance the recognition of the cultural significance of audiovisual works.

INTERDISCIPLINARY

FOAM: network of cultural labs intersecting art, science, nature and everyday life.

LIBRARIES

The European Library: Designed to meet the needs of the research community worldwide, our online portal offers quick and easy access to the collections of the 48 National Libraries of Europe and leading European Research Libraries. To facilitate further research, links are also provided to other websites in the Europeana group.

European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations*: umbrella organisation dealing with European information society issues including copyright & licensing, culture & education.

Europeana Network (formerly the CCPA): an open forum for experts across Europe, for content providers and aggregators and for providers of technical, legal and strategic knowledge. The Network is united by a common cultural mission to work together to improve access to Europe’s Cultural Heritage in balanced and sustainable ways.

LITERATURE

Eurozine: a network of European cultural journals, linking up more than 80 partner journals and associated magazines and institutions from nearly all European countries. Eurozine is also a netmagazine which publishes outstanding articles from its partner journals with additional translations into one of the major European languages.

Federation of European Publishers: independent, non-commercial umbrella organisation representing 27 national associations of book publishers in the EU and EEA.

Pontes – European Cultural Network: works to improve communication among young writers, critics, theoreticians and publishers in Europe, and develop the literary life in Croatia.

European Booksellers Federation: a non-commercial European umbrella association representing national Booksellers’ Associations in the EU and EEA. Through its member associations, EBF speaks on behalf of more than 25 000 individual booksellers.

European Publishers Council: The EPC monitors and reacts to any proposals for EU legislation or regulation that might affect the media industry. Members are the most senior representatives of European newspaper and magazine publishers.Their companies are involved in multimedia markets spanning newspaper, magazine, book, journal, internet, online database publishers, radio and TV broadcasting.

European Writers’ Congress: Belgium-based organisation representing individual writers from across Europe, focused on harnessing the individual creativity and literary work of writers to shape how Europe is viewed by the rest of the world.

European Writers’ Council: supports the literature of Europe and its writers while contributing to the debate on the role of creators, culture and cultural policy in the ever growing European Union.

PEN International: connects an international community of writers. It is a forum where writers meet freely to discuss their work; it is also a voice speaking out for writers silenced in their own countries.

RECIT*: European network for literary translators offering residencies and organising events to bring writers and translators together.

MOBILITY

On the Move*: a cultural mobility information network with more than 30 members in over 20 countries across Europe and beyond. Encourages and facilitates cross-border mobility and cooperation, contributing to building up a vibrant and shared European cultural space that is strongly connected worldwide.

Pépinières européennes pour jeunes artistes*: promotes the mobility of artists; supports young artists and promotes their work through European cultural events.

MUSEUMS AND HERITAGE

Association des Centres Culturels de Rencontre: Monuments awarded the label Centres Culturels de Rencontre (Centres for Cultural Encounters) are historic buildings that have since lost their original function.The (ACCR) was founded to organize and coordinate their various actions, and acts as a commuication and information network.

Association of European Open Air Museums: aim of the AEOM is the exchange of scientific, technical, practical and organizational experience relative to open-air museums, and the promotion of the activities of open air museums in general.

Association of European Royal Residences: develop and manage the network of European royal residences, notably by organising experience-sharing and training activities, as well as partnership, promotional, co-production and co-editing projects.

Europa Nostra: Members are organisations and individuals who form a lobby for cultural heritage in Europe, celebrating excellence through the European Heritage Awards organised by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Union, and campaigning to save Europe’s endangered historic monuments, sites and cultural landscapes.

European Forum of Heritage Associations: heightens public awareness of cultural heritage of Europe by organising international exchange programmes for individual members, especially the young, that provide opportunities to actively participate in the research, protection and promotion of the cultural heritage of Europe.

The European Museum Forum (EMF) operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe and is involved in far-ranging activities throughout the cultural field. It is one of the leading organizations in Europe for developing the public quality of European museums and has established this primary position after 35 years of providing its service.

Network of European Museum Organisations*: NEMO ensures museums are an integral part of European life by promoting their work and value to policy makers and by providing museums with information, networking and opportunities for co-operation.

MUSIC

European Choral Association – Europa Cantat*: a network of organisations, choirs and individuals in the choral field in Europe. It is the result of a merger between Europa Cantat – European Federation of Young Choirs (EFYC) and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Europäischer Chorverbände (AGEC), and offers activities for choirs, young singers, conductors, composers and managers of all levels from Europe and beyond.

European Association of Youth Orchestras (EAYO): the networking organisation for youth orchestras throughout Europe. Promotes the development of youth orchestras and festivals and assists with cultural exchanges.

European Union Baroque Orchestra*: EUBO auditions and selects completely new personnel every year. UBO’s activities are supported with a grant from the European Commission’s programme “cultural ambassadors”. Flying the flag for Europe, “EUBO is a perfect symbol of the power of integration, a subtle and potent instrument of harmonisation between people and nations” (President José Manuel Barroso).

European Concert Halls Organisation*: (ECHO) is an active network bringing together many of the major concert halls in Europe in order to promote professional exchange, shared reflection and the initiation of joint initiatives.

Europe Jazz Network*:  a Europe-wide association of producers, presenters and supporting organisations who specialise in creative music, contemporary jazz and improvised music created from a distinctly European perspective.

European Music office (EMO): an international non-profit association promoting musical diversity and representing the interests of European music professionals at a European and worldwide level.

European Conference of Promoters of New Music: the European union of organizations concerned with the promotion of contemporary music, especially music composed after 1950. Its aim is to improve the international cooperation and the coordination of new music events in Europe.

European Music Council*: The European Music Council, a regional group of the International Music Council (IMC), is the umbrella organisation for musical life in Europe. It is a platform for National Music Councils and organisations involved in various fields of music from many European countries.

European Talent Exchange Program*: an initiative of the Noorderslag Foundation to stimulate the circulation of European acts in festivals, the media and on radio in Europe.

European Union of Music Competitions for Youth*: network of youth classical music competitions, promoting competitions and their educational value and bringing together young musicians from different cultures and backgrounds.

PERFORMING ARTS

European Network of Information Centres for the Performing Arts (ENICPA): Distributes and makes available a broad range of information about the professional performing arts to arts professionals world wide. On our web site you can find information about European festivals, venues, publications, training opportunities and information centres.

International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM): a membership organisation which exists to stimulate the quality, development and contexts of contemporary performing arts in a global environment. Via IETM’s website and various meetings each year, all members have opportunities to meet and engage with each other and with the diversity of existing activities of the network.

European Theatre Convention* (ETC): a network of European public theatres founded in 1988 to promote contemporary drama theatre, to support the mobility of artists and to develop artistic exchange throughout Europe and  beyond.

Union of European Theatres (UTE): Aims to contribute to the building of the European Union through culture and theatre, to encourage a collective cultural movement that breaks through language barriers in order to develop an art theatre which is seen as a vector of fraternity among people.

PEARLE: Pearle is the ‘Performing Arts Employers Associations League Europe’, the European trade federation of Performing Arts organisations. Pearle represents through its members associations more than 4,500 theatres, theatre production companies, orchestras and music ensembles, opera houses, ballet and dance companies, festivals, and other organisations within the performing arts sector across Europe.

Jardin d’Europe*:  a project dedicated to the establishment of a sustainable European infrastructure for the professionalisation of emerging dancers, choreographers, dance administrators and dance writers. Its main objective is  to organise individual artistic projects liable to become a driving force in an emerging dance market throughout Europe.

danceWEB*: danceWEB is a non-profit organization based in Vienna founded in 1996, devising and realising projects to enhance the professional possibilities for emerging choreographers together with partner organisations such as CCN Montpellier, Ultima Vez, Cullberg Ballet, Southbank Centre, Station or Workshop Foundation.

Circostrada: is a European platform for the street arts and circus, dedicated to information, observation and professional exchanges. It is working to develop the structuring and recognition of these sectors in Europe.

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

RESEO – European Network for Opera and Dance Education*:  the umbrella organisation for those working in opera and dance education. RESEO acts as a forum for exchange on the practice of opera education at a European level – members can share information, experience and ideas.

AEC – European Association of Music Conservatories, Academies and Schools*: AEC works for the advancement of European Higher Music Education and, more generally, of music, the arts and culture in contemporary society and for future generations.

ENCATC*: European network for Cultural Management and Cultural Policy education, gathering together higher educational institutions and training organizations dealing with cultural management training.

European League of Institutes of the Arts*: ELIA is the primary independent network organisation for higher arts education. Initiates conferences, symposia, publications and research projects, targeting all sectors of the higher arts education community – artists, teachers, leaders, managers and students – as well as the wider public.

ORACLE: is a network of European Cultural managers who believe that intercultural co-operations are significant in modern Europe, especially within the context of the European Union as a political construct. Oracle’s members are not associations but individuals.

European Association for the Education of Adults*: promotes adult learning and the widening of access and participation in formal, non-formal and informal adult education for all, particularly for groups currently under-represented.

VISUAL ARTS

European Union Migrant Artists Network: works to establish professional migrant artists who live and work in the EU region.

Réseau Art Nouveau Network*: aims to keep professionals informed and to make the general public aware of the cultural significance and European dimension of Art Nouveau.