The updated version of the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe will be online soon. The Compendium Authors meeting 2010 will take place on 9 and 10 April 2010 in Zurich, in the framework of the Swiss Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.

The Compendium is a web-based and permanently updated information and monitoring system of national cultural policies in Europe. It is a long term project which aims to include all 49 member states co-operating within the context of the European Cultural Convention.

Compendium cultural policy country profiles are mainly drawn up and updated by independent cultural policy experts, in consultation with respective ministries. The information presented in the updated country profiles is derived from a variety of sources including research studies, governmental documents and reports by ministers and other key representatives, reports or manifestos of lobby/pressure groups, important statements from artists and cultural producers, from political campaigns, the media etc.

The Compendium addresses issues of priority and current challenges to policy concerning:

• cultural diversity
• intercultural dialogue
• the role of different partners in a changing system of governance
• support to creativity
• participation in cultural life
• economic, legal and educational dimensions of cultural policies.

The Compendium is targeted to a broad audience of policy makers and administrators, arts institutions and networks, researchers and documentation professionals, journalists and students. The information and data presented online helps to inform decision-making processes, to conduct comparative policy research and analyses, to maintain data collections and to disseminate good practice examples (e.g. in the area of intercultural dialogue).

Read the blog post also on LabforCulture (the networking platform for information on European arts and culture).