Institute for International Relations

IMO has been commissioned by the European parliament to conduct a study 'Encouraging Private Investment in the Cultural Sector'. The research for the study has been done in the first half of 2011. The study 'Encouraging Private Investment in the Cultural Sector'. seeks to analyse the various forms of private investment from the point of view of cultural policies and existing stimulatory measures. It aims to provide the European Parliament with a better understanding of the importance of public incentives for the private funding of culture. The main focus of this research is on the importance of the economic, political and cultural aspects of the funding modes and mechanisms developed by governments to encourage private investment in the culture sector and the spread of the use of such modes and mechanisms. The study tries to identify general trends in the EU regarding private financing of the cultural sector, along with providing examples of new practices and policies in EU Member States. It elaborates on empirical data gathered through questionnaires, case studies of five countries and desk research.

The policy brief forms part of MEDIADEM's policy brief series. It contains key observations on how to understand 'media freedom and independence' and discusses the factors that subject contemporary media to relations of 'dependence'. Three distinct lines of policy action are put forward for the promotion of free and independent media: a) introducing and maintaining a legally enabling environment, b) promoting professional standards and journalistic ethics, and c) enhancing media literacy. The policy brief advocates an integrated approach for meaningful policy results, and calls on international and regional organisations to 'mainstream' media independence in their action.
The policy brief is available at: http://www.mediadem.eliamep.gr/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/D5.4.pdf

The Institute for International Relations (IMO) in cooperation with the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) is organising a round table entitled "Media Policies: Country Practices within the EU Media Regulatory Framework". Speakers will discuss national regulatory practices in the media field and the influence the EU has exerted on state media policies.
The round will take place on 10 December 2010, from 14:00 to 18:00 at the ‘Academia’ Hall of the Palace Hotel in Zagreb (Trg Josipa Jurja Strossmayera 10). The working language of the workshop will be English.
The agenda of the round table is available here: www.mediadem.eliamep.gr/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMO_ELIAMEP-workshop-10Dec.pdf
Book of abstracts: www.imo.hr/files/book of abstracts_round table.pdf

IMO research team (Helena Popović, Paško Bilić, Tomislav Jelić and Nada Švob-Đokić) prepared the report on Croatia that has just been published on the MEDIADEM project website as a part of the collective report on media policy and regulation.
The report, Media policies and regulatory practices in a selected set of European countries, the EU and the Council of Europe, discusses the principal characteristics of the media policies of the 14 MEDIADEM countries, taking due account of the socio-political context in which they have emerged and developed. Attention is also afforded to the action of the European Union and the Council of Europe, assessing its relevance and importance for the protection and promotion of media freedom and independence.

The report is available at: http://www.mediadem.eliamep.gr/findings/

book presentation information in Croatian only

The IMO research team is included as a partner in MEDIADEM (European Media Policies Revisited: Valuing and Reclaiming Free and Independent Media in Contemporary Democratic Systems) collaborative research project involving 14 European universities and research institutes. MEDIADEM is coordinated by the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and is financed within the 7th European Commission Framework Programme.

Project profile

The Final Report from the Third World Culturelink Conference, held in Zagreb, Croatia on 13-15 November 2009 has been made available under http://www.culturelink.org/conf/clinkconf03/clinkconf03rpt.html, along with some photos from the event (at http://www.culturelink.org/conf/clinkconf03/photo/index.html). The conference presentations and discussions have stressed the important role networks play in this new century. The planned conference Proceedings, due to appear in 2010, will fully reflect the rich diversity of ideas, approaches and practices presented at the conference.