Sofia Conversations for Europe Agenda 

Sofia Conversations on Europe 13th of September 2013 Location: Hall #8 at the National Palace of Culture	European Initiative "A Soul for Europe" Foundation for Urban Projects and Research

09:00 - 09:30  Registration and coffee
09:30 – 10:00 Opening & Welcome	Petar Stoyanovich, Minister of Culture of Bulgaria Yordanka Fandukova, Mayor of Sofia Andrey Kovachev, MEP Ralitsa Kovacheva, Journalist, Member of the Bulgarian Initiative Group "A Soul for Europe"
10:00 – 10:20 Introductory Statements on Europe	Volker Hassemer, Chairman of the Board of Managers of E.E.I.G. "A Soul for Europe" (Germany) Margarita Mladenova, Theatre Director, Director and Co-founder of Theatre "Sfumato" (Bulgaria)
10:20 – 12:00 Panel 1: Europe as a Cultural and Civic Project. The Debate on the Future of Europe §  How do we define Europe and how do we speak about its future? §  How can art and culture contribute to and facilitate the debate about the future of Europe? §  What are the New Narratives for Europe? §  Where are the center and periphery of the European debate? §  Where is Bulgaria in the debate about the future of Europe?	Moderator: Kathrin Deventer, Secretary General, European Festivals Association (Belgium) Panellists: Doris Pack, MEP, Chairwoman of the Committee on Culture and Education (Germany) Hannes Swoboda, MEP, President S&D Group (Austria) Proshko Proshkov, Sofia City Councillor, Bulgaria of the Citizens Movement (Bulgaria) Fruzsina Szep, Program Director, Sziget Festival (Hungary) Kiril Kuzmanov, Visual Artist (Bulgaria) Gergana Dimitrova, Theater Director, Co-Founder, "36 Monkeys – Organization For Contemporary Alternative Art And Culture" (Bulgaria) Questions & answers, discussion including the conference participants
12:00 – 12:30 Coffee Break
12:30 – 14:00 Panel 2 Citizens’ Active Participation in the Policy Processes. The Role of Artists and Intellectuals §  Is it possible to develop a citizens' agenda for the development of Bulgaria and the European Union alongside the official political agendas? §  How can we overcome the raising mistrust into the policy world and to give voice to the different sectors and layers of the civic society? §  What is the role of the artists and intellectuals in this process? §  Are European and Bulgarian society interested in listening to their intellectuals?	Moderator: Lousa Slavkova, Consultant, Member of the Bulgarian Initiative Group "A Soul for Europe" (Bulgaria) Panellists: Vladimir Shopov, Policy Analyst, Founder of Sophia Analytica Ltd., Member of the Bulgarian Initiative Group "A Soul for Europe" Nicolas Bertrand, Theatre Manager, Theatre Company "Image Aiguë" (France) Volker Hassemer, Chairman of the Board of Managers of E.E.I.G. "A Soul for Europe" (Germany) Veselin Dimov, Theater Director, Theatre Company Momo, Member of the Bulgarian Initiative Group "A Soul for Europe" (Bulgaria) Hristo Hristev, Professor, Sofia University (Bulgaria) Emilia Lissichkova, Executive Director, AGORA Platform (Bulgaria) Questions & answers, discussion including the conference participants
14:00 – 15:00 Lunch Break
15:00 – 16:30 Panel 3 The “European Capital of Culture” as a Citizens' Project §  How do we define the success of an ECoC project? §  What is the role of citizens in the preparation, implementation and future development of the ECoC projects? §  How can we secure the sustainability of the ECoC project after the actual year? §  How can a successful ECoC project create a stable and favourable environment for flourishing of the arts in the city and the region?	Moderator: Kremena Hristova, Co-founder and Director, Cultural Foundation "A25" (Bulgaria) Panelists: Nele Hertling, Vice President of the Berlin Academy of Arts, Member of the Strategy Group of "A Soul for Europe" (Germany) Malina Edreva, Sofia City Councillor, Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Education, Culture, and Cultural Diversity (Bulgaria) Vania Rodrigues, Cultural Manager and Expert (Portugal) Aiva Rozenberga, Head of the Program, Riga 2014 (Latvia) Margreta Anastasova, Director, Association for Contemporary Arts "Our House Group" (Bulgaria) Tanya Hristova, Mayor, Municipality of Gabrovo (Bulgaria) Questions & answers, discussion including the conference participants
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee Break
17:00 – 18:00 Panel 4 EU Structural Funds as an Instrument for Development through Culture. Lessons Learned and New Challenges. §  Do we really consider the arts and culture as an important factor for the development of the regions? §  How can art and culture contribute to the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth of Europe? §  What are the lessons learned from the current program period (2007-2013)? §  What are the similarities and the specifics of the different EU countries in this respect? §  What do we have to change and improve for the next program period (2014-2020)?	Moderator: Denitsa Lozanova, Research and Development Director, Sofia Development Association (Bulgaria) Panelists: Renaldo Mandmets, Head of Unit "Bulgaria, Accession Negotiations" at DG Regional and Urban Policy (tbc) (Belgium) Representative, Operational Program "Regional Development" (Bulgaria) Dessislava Georgieva, Head of Department "Culture", Municipality of Varna (Bulgaria) Raluca Pop, Cultural Advocate, President of CubicMetre - resources for culture (Romania) Jiri Sulzhenko, Program director of Pilsen – European City of Culture 2015 (Czech Republic) Questions & answers, discussion including the conference participants
18:00 – 18:15 Conclusion and next steps	Nele Hertling, Vice President of the Berlin Academy of Arts, Member of the Strategy Group of "A Soul for Europe" (Germany) Yuriy Vulkovsky, Executive Director, Foundation for Urban Projects and Research, Member of the Strategy Group of "A Soul for Europe"