Europe Readr is a project initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia on the occasion of the upcoming Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July 2021 and realised in cooperation with EUNIC.
Europe Readr aims to foster reading culture and critical thinking across societies about the future of living, support the creation of public spaces for exchange and debate on shared European values, dialogue on the European Green Deal, sustainability and urbanism through a curated programme of activities.
The project pays tribute to Earth Speakr, an artwork created by Olafur Eliasson with his studio, children, creative partners, researchers, and experts, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office on the occasion of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2020 and realised in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and EUNIC. Earth Speakr promoted collaboration and reflection between people of all ages across Europe on climate change and the future of the planet. In the context of the Presidency Trio, Europe Readr is a play on words drawing inspiration from the German Presidency’s application Earth Speakr.
In a similar vein, Europe Readr aims to promote reflection on the future of living by using as a starting point a programme of curated activities related to the reading culture and literary practices. The project looks at the intersection of literature, sustainability, architecture, urbanism and digitilisation.
In the run-up to the Slovenian Presidency of the EU that will begin on 1 July 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EUNIC members are involved in the design of a number of joint initiatives:
- A special call for proposals will be launched at the end of February to co-finance projects by EUNIC clusters and local branches of EUNIC members in relation to Europe Readr and the future of living.
- A guidebook with ideas for local implementation, ranging from small to mid-scale events. It will provide participating local branches of EUNIC members and EU Delegations with examples and guidelines to produce a local literary activitity and create public spaces for reflection and dialogue, in cooperation with local designers, architects and town planners in any possible local context.
- A free digital platform, providing an edited selection of European literature on a globally relevant topic. It will include works from all EU Member States and in all 24 official languages. Each rotating future EU presidency will be invited to continue the project and chose its overarching topic in line with their priorities.
The digital Europe Readr platform brings current social issues to readers around the world. It encourages reflection on the world we want to live in, presenting us with an opportunity to consider the European Union as a community in all its diversity and interconnectedness and as a community with a common future. Numerous accompanying events around the world – from Paris to Helsinki, from Washington to Beijing – encourage the creation of public spaces dedicated to reading and the exchange of ideas on the world of the future. They are organised by the Network of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in cooperation with a number of local partners around the world. Europe Readr puts into practice the new paradigm of European collaboration in culture, based on dialogue and promoting culture as a driving force of sustainable development and social inclusion.
FutureLab: Read, listen, connect
In Great Britain, the Europe Readr platform will merge with a podcast series and live panel events taking place both online and on-site to explore questions related to the future of living on various levels in the post-pandemic era.
Stay tuned for more info!