In a world which is constantly shrinking due to globalisation, and a European Union which is growing through the process of enlargement, intercultural dialogue is a subject that is increasingly touching the lives of European citizens on a daily basis. Recognising this, the European Commission has decided to declare 2008 the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, underlining the important contribution of intercultural dialogue to the European Union’s strategic priorities. Through its policies and programmes, it has always supported this important subject, which lies at the heart of European Union policies. This catalogue showcases some results of the programmes and initiatives on this theme supported by European programmes up to the present day.

Disseminating and building upon the achievements of project results, whether they are products, processes or practices, to meet the requirements of new and existing users is now recognised as a priority. This means getting the most out of projects so that their results have a longer shelf life. There is a real demand for innovative materials and best practice and more and more stakeholders are recognising the need to build on the vast experience and material available. Investment in projects is investment in Europe’s future and the future of its citizens, and it is therefore important to invest wisely. My service, the Directorate-General of Education and Culture, is therefore actively promoting a strategy for the exploitation and transfer of results from its programmes in order to ensure that we draw the maximum benefit from the projects we finance.

The projects featured in this catalogue show examples of best practice in the workplace, in educational contexts and in daily life. They were selected by a panel of independent experts drawn from the various programmes of the European Commission. They highlight how intercultural dialogue - a subject which is sometimes viewed as intangible - can be translated into concrete actions that can inspire others and be adapted to different contexts. They show a variety of methods that have been used to get the message of intercultural dialogue across to people at all levels. These tangible results show how intercultural dialogue can be integrated throughout society.

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