Darko Brlek | Artistic and General Director | Ljubljana Festival
Marko Maršićević | Founder | Marsh Creative Production
Aleksandar Peković | Founder | Coda Artists
Sabine Verheyen | MEP | Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture and Education
Mitko Chatalbashev | Regional Director for Europe | CISAC
New measures for cultural, creative and educational recovery must be the top priority for European institutions as well as national governments. What approach will they use and what expectations are there among cultural and creative players in general?
Introductory
Barbara Gessler | Head of Unit | European Commission | Directorate-General for Education and Culture | Creative Europe
Doris Pack | Ex MEP | Secretary General of German French High Council for Culture | President of Foundation of German French cultural relations
Mateja Demšič | Head of Department for Culture | City of Ljubljana
Robert Alagjozovski | National Coordinator for Culture of North Macedonia
Moderators:
Darko Brlek | Artistic and General Director | Ljubljana Festival
Aleksandar Peković | Arteria Creative Network | Coda Artists
We live in volatile times: a single explosion can damage our cultural identity, and demolishing cultural heritage in the city center to clear space for a hotel or shopping mall is a common part of our unusual narrative.
Amar A. Zahr | Founder and Co-Director | Beirut Art Residency
Philipp Dietachmair | Head of Programmes | European Cultural Foundation
Albert Heta | Artist | Co-founder | Stacion CCA
Moderator: Milena Dragićević Šešić | Head of the UNESCO Chair on Interculturalism | Professor Emerita | University of Arts Belgrade
The sector that was once described as having “soft” infrastructure is underfunded. But it is increasingly clear that it is those industries that have their origin in individual creativity, skills and talent that have the potential to create wealth and jobs by generating and exploiting intellectual property.
Kathrin Deventer | Secretary General of the European Festivals Association
Hedvig Morvai | Director | Strategy and Europe | Erste Foundation
Slavimir Stojanović Futro | Owner | Futro Design Studio
Moderator: Vuk Ćosić | Artist
The global strategic picture has changed dramatically and threats are becoming more complex. The Western Balkans has frequently been marked as a troubled region. This is a call to act immediately, since we need more innovative ideas and sustainable solutions for the long term. Creative knowledge and policies are increasingly important components of modern, post-industrial knowledge-based economies with cultural and creative industries at the heart of the creative economy. Can the Western Balkans learn to embrace and enhance the flow of information, good practice, cooperation and mutual understanding?
Dijana Vučinić | Founder | DVARP | APPS
Milan Antonijević | Executive Director | Open Society Foundation Serbia
Daniela Urem | President CC Alliance
Moderator: Blaž Peršin | Director | City Museum of Ljubljana
Horacio Romo from Buenos Aires
Nika Gorič from Maribor
Dissonance String Quartet from Ljubljana
Marija Jelić from Belgrade
Aisha Syed from Santo Domingo
Mak Grgič from Los Angeles
Christina Sandsengen from Oslo
Aleksandar Grujić from Belgrade
Asja Dupanović | Editor | Creative Portfolio | Media Marketing
The Western Balkans is a very volatile zone because of its fragmentation, while at the same time it has richness of culture through diversity. Creating a grammar of cohesion, digital literacy, and creative Innovation out of necessity are extremely important to lift this zone from its fragile state, which still risks destabilizing Europe.
Anette Novak | Director | Swedish Media Council
Pier Luigi Sacco | Head of Venice Office | OECD / Professor | Harvard University | IULM University
Bernd Fesel | Director | European Creative Business Network
Moderator: Michela Magas | Industry Commons Foundation | Music Tech Fest
35 years on, the ECoC is faced with some of the biggest challenges in the history of the project: planning in advance, ensuring stability at all levels including financial security, attracting visitors and cultural tourists, avoiding the immense number of threats and obstacles along the way, and achieving the outstanding goals that create the dreamed-of legacy. But what is missing?
Simona Neumann | CEO | Executive Director | Timisoara 2021
Steve Green | Former Chair of Selection Panel for ECoC
Eberhard Schrempf | Managing Director | Creative Industries Styria | Graz 2003
Moderator: Suzana Žilić Fišer | Professor | University of Maribor | Maribor 2012 | Former Member of Selection Panel for ECoC
The EC Agenda for culture has recognised the CCI’s potential as a major economic growth factor in the EU, but also it clearly confirmed its political relevance. It assumes that the CCI could be used as a strategic tool for EU accession, since the CCI promote smart and inclusive social values, centered around youth, employment, entrepreneurship, exchange and networking, as a platform for cooperation and interaction among neighbouring countries. Depending on the political impetus to enhance cooperation and a regional approach to creativity, and to strengthen local capacity, new partnerships and new jobs… we have one question: does this new ‘viable economic future’ remain solid?
Flora Krasniqi | Head of International Unit and Projects | Polis University
Kees van Weijen | President | IMPALA
Simon Kardum | General Manager | Kino Šiška
Moderator: Ivan Šarar | Head of Department of Culture | City of Rijeka
Guitar & Composer
Skopje
Mandolin
Berlin
Piano
Milan
Conductor
Buenos Aires
Bandoneon
Buenos Aires
Sopran
Maribor
Ljubljana
Sopran
Belgrade
Violin
Santo Domingo
Classical guitar
Los Angeles
Classical guitar
Oslo
Piano
Jazz School Stanković
Belgrade
Violin
London
Percussionist
Salzburg
Piano & Composer
Paris