Reflection Group on the Spiritual and Cultural Dimension of Europe
High Level Advisory Group  |  Strauss-Kahn Group

Background:
The Group was convened by Romano Prodi to discuss the values of Europe. Professor Krzysztof Michalski from the Institut für die Wissenschaften Vom Menschen (IWM) from Vienna has been invited to coordinate the work of this Group. 

The Group focuses in particular on spiritual, religious and cultural values, and the ways in which these may be considered important building blocks for the future unity of Europe. The discussions are based on the premise that the European Union should be more than an alliance of states with limited shared interests, but rather a significant political entity. Romano Prodi believes that the cultural dimension of Europe, and the ways in which it interacts with social, economic and political developments, requires high level discussions and the development of new, innovative research agendas.

The Group aims primarily to favour public debate on these themes. It will organise public events : Warsaw, Berlin, Vienna and possibly Paris. The results of these discussions will be collected in a report which will be delivered around spring 2004. In addition to that the Group's work includes individual contributions such as articles, reflections and opinions. 

Aims:
Issues discussed by the Group include:

The extent to which it is possible to promote by political measures a community of shared values. Whether or not such a community can be brought about by the creation of a constitution. The key challenges for social cohesion and solidarity in the EU. Reconciling the promotion of shared values and the preservation of European diversities. How culture, religion, and traditions may promote social cohesion. The factors that may promote social cohesion in an enlarged Europe.

Members:

Biedenkopf Kurt 
Prime Minister of Saxony (until April 2002), professor of Law, Germany. Ferrari Silvio 
Professor of Constitutional Law at the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. Geremek Bronislaw 
Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Professor of European History, College of Europe, Poland. Goncz Arpad 
Former President of Hungary. Gray John 
Professor of European thought at the London School of Economics, United Kingdom. Hutton Will 
Chief Executive of the Work Foundation, United Kingdom. Limbach Jutta 
Former President of the Constitutional Court, President of the Goethe Institute, Germany. Michalski Krzysztof 
Professor of philosophy at the University of Warsaw and at Boston University, Rector at the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna, Austria. Petrou Ioannis 
Professor of sociology and social ethics at Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece. Quadrio Curzio Alberto 
Professor of Political Economy at the Università Cattolica di Milano, Italy. Rocard Michel 
Former Prime Minister of France, Chairman of the Committee on Culture of the European Parliament. Veil Simone 
Former President of the European Parliament, Member of the French Constitutional Court, France.

Biographies (PDF 126 kb)

Amaducci Giulia (organiser)
DG Research, European Commission. Eeckhout Jean-Claude 
Member of Romano Prodi's cabinet. Gozi Sandro (organiser)
Member of Romano Prodi's cabinet.

Meetings, Reports:

10-11/10/2003 - Public debate in Vienna - "After the enlargement: the conditions of European solidarity"
Annexed : Minutes - Speech Jean-Claude Eeckhout (PDF 127 kb) - List of participants (PDF 183 kb) -  Programme (PDF 77 kb) - Experts' contributions : Abstracts (PDF 125 kb), A. Smolar (PDF 94 kb), E. Sandschneider (PDF 66 kb), H. Grabbe (PDF 191 kb), JM Kovacs (PDF 122 kb)

29/05/2003 - Public debate in Warsaw - "The borders of Europe"
Annexed : Minutes (PDF 118 kb) - Speech Sandro Gozi (PDF 210 kb) - List of participants (PDF 163 kb) - Experts' biographies (PDF 207 kb) - Experts' contributions (PDF 223 kb)

21/05/2003 - Brussels - "The role of religion in European integration"
Annexed : Minutes (PDF 80 kb) - Speech President Prodi (PDF 112 kb) - Press Release - List of participants (PDF 110 kb) - Experts' biographies (PDF 76 kb) - Experts' contributions : by Danièle Hervieu-Léger (PDF 212 kb) and David Martin (PDF 149 kb)

05/05/2003 - Brussels - "The conditions of European solidarity"
Annexed : Minutes (PDF 80 kb) - Speech President Prodi (PDF 100 kb) - List of participants (PDF 120 kb) - Experts' biographies (PDF 86 kb) - Experts' contributions : by Paul Scheffer (PDF 76 kb) and Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde (PDF 133 kb)

29/01/2003 - Brussels - First meeting
Annexed : Minutes meeting (PDF 67 kb) - Speech President Prodi (PDF 103 kb) - List of participants (PDF 86 kb)

Columns by members and experts:

Biedenkopf Kurt : Making Culture Count (PDF 77 kb)
Ferrari Silvio : The Secular and Sacred in Europe's Constitution (PDF 73 kb)
Gemerek Bronislav : The Two Communities of Europe (PDF 122 kb)
Göle Nilüfer : "The Islamist Identity" (PDF 72 kb)
Hutton Will : The future is still European (PDF 74 kb)
Parekh Lord Bhikhu : "Does Islam Threaten Democracy?" (PDF 90 kb)
Rocard Michel : Europe's Secular Mission (PDF 74 kb)

Simone Veil, Romano Prodi and Bronislaw Geremek