A memo sent to correspondents, friends and acquaintances of The Budapest Observatory (BO) in April 2002

Dear Colleagues,

April was so rich and intensive in matters relating to financing and planning culture in east central Europe that even a cursory survey fills this memo.

On sponsorship in Madrid
As part of the Spanish EU presidency, a seminar was held in Madrid on cultural sponsorship. Since this has been one of the focal themes of BO activity, we eagerly studied the findings and recommendations of the seminar at http://www.mecenas-eu.net/eng/info.html. We shall come back to them, commenting especially on their relevance to east and central Europe.

EU and culture
Now that the Convention has assumed work, the search for intellectual and institutional solutions has intensified. Highly interesting papers have reached us from EFAH, from the European Cultural Foundation as well as from Joost Smiers. Just to keep you, BO correspondents, friends and acquaintances aware of the main developments will keep us busy in the next few months.

Do Convention members take note of this sizzle? 

Gambling on culture
As far as I know the title is Carla's invention, who proposed that lottery funds for the art should be the theme of this year's Circle Round Table in November. The seat is as thrilling as the topic - Rome!

Next year's Round Table has also been announced. E-culture: The European Perspective - April in Zagreb, of course with Culturelink. I am sure most of you are wondering how this vast concept will be broken down into sessions of a seminar. 

For more, go to the CIRCLE web site.

Bigger, better, beautiful report
In February at the closing session we promised April. Sorry for the delay. Editing has reached its final stage; the material will be put on the web and sent to print at the same time.  

Bigger, better, beautiful - encore?
People keep asking, when and whether we continue. The organisers have felt compelled to reach out feelers to find out where and with whom a conference of a similar kind could be organised in next spring on the issues of culture and the EU enlargement.

When time is ripe for commencing to think of the programme (this may come within a few weeks), those friends and colleagues will be approached that provided the most precious help before February this year. By definition, they are about the busiest persons around. I beg their pardon well in advance.  

Compendium more complete
Moldova and Poland have been added to the list of countries participating in the European comparative programme of ERICArts. Also, earlier contributions will be updated later this year alongside the methodological principles that were elaborated at a seminar in January at the Council of Europe.

Dorota Ilczuk informed BO about actual substantial changes in Polish cultural policy and financing; these involve her as well, and will surely oblige her to update the Polish Compendium entry, which she had just completed.

Summer school in Germany
If you are interested in sustainable regional cultural development, and are free at the end of June, consult www.uni-kassel.de. Limited admittance!

Policies for culture for all
The April Journal of this programme has surpassed all previous achievements.  http://www.policiesforculture.org/periodicals.php contains such a rich collection of analysis and news, which makes Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania the most transparent countries of Europe with regard to cultural policy!