The EU Member States are going through challenging times. Financial crises, as history shows, are fertile opportunities for the rise of extremism and xenophobia. The diversity of Europe, while enriching, brings about challenges as well. In the current context of increased migration towards several Member States, increased mobility of people across the EU, and the fact that various groups need to live side by side (including those from migrant and non-migrant backgrounds or national and ethnic minorities), the resulting tensions may put social cohesion and at the same time the European project at risk.

Providing an answer to this is a task for all public institutions, whose main mission is to promote social cohesion. The task also belongs, and in an important way, to arts and cultural institutions. This is because the issues at stake are not only social and economic, but also, and often above all, symbolic and cultural. Growing diversity in Europe is a cultural reality, which should be taken into account and addressed at the individual and collective level.

A strong belief that cultural diversity is an asset, an added value and an opportunity for European societies has permeated the work of our expert group, convened in the framework of the Agenda for culture to focus on the role of public arts and cultural institutions in the promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. This positive understanding of cultural diversity is the foundation and perspective of this report.