<b>Bijsluiter</b>. De hyperlink naar het originele document werkt niet meer. Daarom laat Woogle de tekst zien die in dat document stond. Deze tekst kan vreemde foutieve woorden of zinnen bevatten en de opmaak kan verdwenen of veranderd zijn. Dit komt door het zwartlakken van vertrouwelijke informatie of doordat de tekst niet digitaal beschikbaar was en dus ingescand en vervolgens via OCR weer ingelezen is. Voor het originele document, neem contact op met de Woo-contactpersoon van het bestuursorgaan.<br><br>====================================================================== Pagina 1 ======================================================================

<pre>                                                                                            R.J. Schimmelpennincklaan 3
                                                                                            2517 JN Den Haag
                                                                                            Postbus 61243
                                                                                            2506 AE Den Haag
                                                                                            t 070 3106686 f 070 3614727
                                                                                            info@cultuur.nl
                                                                                            www.cultuur.nl
The Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr F.C.G.M. Timmermans
Postbus 20061
2500 EB The Hague
The Netherlands
16 May 2013
Ref int-2013.06663/2
Subject: Advice on cultural representation in France
Dear Mr Timmermans,
You have requested the Counsel for Culture to advise on the future structure
of the bilateral cultural relationship with France. The reason for your
request for advice is the termination of the subsidy for the Fondation
Institut Néerlandais1. From that moment on, the bilateral cultural relations
will be managed by the cultural department of the Dutch embassy, as is the
case in, for instance, New York or Berlin.
In your request for advice (see appendix 2) you have indicated that you
would appreciate it if the council would discuss issues such as where the
priorities in the cultural relationship with France should lie, how limited
means could be deployed as effectively as possible and the ways innovation
and experiment could be included. You have indicated that France is, and
will continue to be, a priority in the bilateral cultural relations.
After a short explanation of its working methods, the council will discuss the
point of departure for the bilateral cultural relationship with France in
section 3 below. In section 4 the council will indicate which principles were
chosen to base its advice on.
1 1 Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Fondation Custodia. News report: new structure for cultural
activities in France. The Hague: 8 February 2013.
In the concluding section the council will elaborate on some of the wider implications of this advice on
the cultural relationship between the Netherlands and France.
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<pre>These principles were used to conclude its recommendations for the
development of the Dutch-French cultural relationship in sections 5, 6
and 7.
2.          Working method and accountability
The council has asked a committee, chaired by Han Bakker, to prepare this
advice. The composition of the committee has been included in appendix 1.
The accountability for the contents of the advice lies with the council itself.
During the course of its duties, the committee has spoken with many people
in the cultural field. At the request of the committee, the Dutch Centre for
International Cultural Cooperation (DCICC) has carried out a ―quick scan”
of the Dutch cultural activities in France2.
The council is grateful to the committee for its duties and would like to
thank the discussion partners for their input and time.
3.          Point of departure
International culture policy
On 24 April 2012, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Secretary
for Education, Culture and Science, elaborated on their vision of the
international culture policy in a letter to the House of Representatives as a
result of Parliamentary questions about the subject3. In this letter, the
Minister and State Secretary indicated to opt for ―a clearer focus and
structural collaboration with local partners, with the foreign demand as the
point of departure‖. In the letter, the following objectives for the
international culture policy are defined:
      1. ―an international level of Dutch upper end organisations by means of
            concrete choices within the cultural basic infrastructure;
      2. contribute to a leading international market position for Dutch
            artists and organisations;
      3. contribute to strengthening the Dutch economic policy by
            emphasising connections between culture, trade and economy;
      4. cultural diplomacy: utilising art and culture for foreign relations.‖
2Dutch  Centre for International Cultural Cooperation (carried out by Y. Gieles with cooperation of R.
Heijmen). Quick scan France: an overview of Dutch cultural activity based on ‗Abroad‘. Amsterdam: 7
February 2013.
3 Letter to the House of Representatives of the States General ‗Vision on the international culture policy‘,
24 April 2012, ICE-052/2012.
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<pre>The cabinet also states that the diplomatic representations and cultural
organisations abroad ―play an important role in uniting the Dutch cultural
supply and foreign demand. They also actively establish relations with the
business sector and the foreign policy‖. The diplomatic representations in
so-called ‗focus countries‘ are instructed to focus on the upper end and
promising sectors.
Dutch cultural policy focused on France
France is an important European partner for the Netherlands: it is a
prominent member of the European Community, a major trade partner and
a connecting link with Southern Europe, Africa and the Arab world. Art and
culture play a prominent role in France. In the opinion of the French, the
image of a country is strongly associated with the quality and prestige of its
culture. Collaboration with France, also on a political and economic level,
therefore benefits from good cultural relations. France is a high-quality
country with international prestige in the fields of art, heritage and media. If
Dutch artists and cultural organisations want to relate to the international
top, the presence on French platforms is vital. Moreover, France potentially
has a large market for Dutch art and culture.
From a historical perspective there have always been long and intense
cultural ties between both countries, these were illustrated in a memorable
exhibition in De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam in 1985. From the seventeenth
century onwards, French Protestants, the Huguenots, found refuge in the
Netherlands; the French philosopher René Descartes resided in the
Netherlands for a long time; Verlaine visited Amsterdam and inspired his
Dutch colleagues; French and Dutch liberal thinkers found each other
around 1900 — to name but a few aspects of the historic ties between the
two countries. In the opposite situation, many Dutch artists still live in
Paris. For instance, painters such as Karel Appel and Corneille; Pat Andrea,
who, until a few years ago, was the first Dutch professor at the Académie des
Beaux Arts. But also writers such as Adriaan van Dis and photographers like
Ed van der Elsken and Johan van der Keuken.
There is, therefore, an intensive cultural exchange between the Netherlands
and France. The quick scan by the DCICC shows that in the past years,
France has continuously been in the top ten of countries with Dutch cultural
activities, although the number of registrations increases more quickly in
countries other than France.
The quick scan also shows that the cultural disciplines during these activities
are represented in a ratio that matches the overall picture of the Dutch
cultural export to the larger countries. The greatest contributor in this is
music followed by theatre, fine arts and film.
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<pre>To date, the Dutch cultural policy – focused on France – has been carried
out by the Dutch embassy and the Fondation Institut Néerlandais.
Fondation Institut Néerlandais
At the moment, 46 foreign cultural organisations are based in Paris. In part,
they are cultural departments of the embassies and in part they are
independent organisations. The Fondation Institut Néerlandais (IN) is
located at the Rue de Lille and enjoys a good reputation as one of these
foreign cultural organisations. Since the 1950s, the IN has established an
extensive network, with large art institutions, among others. In Paris, the IN
is a familiar player among professionals, media and specific types of
audiences.
Until now, the building on the Rue de Lille was used for presentations in the
field of fine art, photography, fashion and design, for music, literature and
debate. Fashion designers Viktor & Rolf took their first steps on the
international stage here, as did couturier Iris van Herpen, who is popular in
France at the moment. Partly due to a presentation on the Rue de Lille,
design agency Thonik was included in the collection of the Centre
Pompidou. During the annual Paris Photo event, links were sought with
exhibits of work by Dutch photographers and the programme Le Vent du
Nord showed graduation pieces of Dutch art academies. The location also
played a part in introducing Dutch writers to French publishers, which is
important seeing that the choice for Dutch fiction in France is not self-
evident. Ever since its foundation, IN has organised exhibitions at the Rue
de Lille in collaboration with the Fondation Custodia, which manages the
internationally acclaimed collection by Frits Lugt, and with Dutch museums.
The collaboration with Custodia has attracted French interest to this
location and it responds to the association that the Netherlands evoke with
French culture enthusiasts: the rich Dutch painting tradition.
4.       Principles for advice
The council has based its advice for the structure of the bilateral cultural
relationship between the Netherlands and France on the general objectives
for the international cultural policy.
The council would like to point out, however, that these objectives are not all
equally relevant and practicable for the development of international
cultural representation. Therefore, the council has taken a number of
guiding principles for the recommendations that have been included in the
sections below:
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<pre>    1. Create a recognisable cultural profile to give content to a cultural
        relation in a country, make clear choices while doing so and link in
        with the key objectives of the Dutch cultural policy. Targeted
        investing is preferred to fragmented efforts with little impact.
    2. Collaborate with local partners, for these partners have knowledge
        about the national and local institutions, customs and contacts. A
        successful diplomatic representation is all about building and
        maintaining a network in a country.
    3. Make communication and marketing a primary task for diplomatic
        cultural representations, in addition to mediation and presentation.
    4. Strive for flexibility when structuring the cultural representation in
        order to provide customised intermediary services and to be able to
        respond to local situations in a country.
The last principle implies that in its recommendations the council takes the
French context of the international cultural policy into consideration. In
doing so, the following aspects are important:
    1. Paris is the centre of French cultural life and a global centre for art
        and culture. Success in Paris might pave the way for success in other
        places of the country (and sometimes even far beyond).
    2. France boasts a lively festival culture. Apart from Paris, other cities
        also make their marks with a festival or event centred around a
        discipline and can therefore provide an important platform to
        present Dutch artists.
    3. In France, the intellectual debate is essential. Artists, policy makers
        – in France you count for something when you participate in the
        public debate.
5.      What should the cultural relationship with France focus
        on?
Although the council believes that there should be room to respond to
current themes, it advises to focus the long-term cultural relationship with
France on a limited number of subjects and large projects.
This way, fragmentation of capacity and means is prevented. To determine
the priorities for France, the council would like to stress the importance to
further map out the French cultural field in the near future. Work that has
already been done to this effect by the embassy, the Dutch Theatre Institute
and Muziekcentrum Nederland (Dutch Music Centre) can be utilised.
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<pre>Mapping should provide information on the fields with the best
opportunities for collaboration and presentation – against a backdrop of the
objectives for the international culture policy.
The council advises to have this mapping carried out by the cultural
department of the embassy in collaboration with partners: the funds, the
Dutch Centre for International Cooperation, such supporting organisations
as Bureau Promotie Podiumkunsten (Agency for the Promotion of the Stage
Arts) and their French partners such as the Institut Français in Amsterdam
and Paris. Involve the French network in this mapping and also request
input from artists themselves. The council recommends to enter into
collaboration with Flanders in this matter and to mutually utilise each
other‘s network and channels. Flanders has a strong representation in
France in the field of performing arts, fine arts and a number of large
festivals.
In anticipation of the outcome of this mapping, the council would like to put
forward several recommendations:
     In addition to the more traditional cultural elite, a younger
        generation of culture enthusiasts is also emerging, who are
        outwardly focussed and well-travelled, speak their languages, are
        active on the social media and are receptive to other cultures.
        Various platforms in France tap into this new audience, like, for
        instance, the new and innovative art centre ‗Centquatre‘ in the
        North-Eastern part of Paris. It is this audience that can be appealed
        to when it comes to contemporary art and culture, especially where
        the more multidisciplinary expressions are concerned that are
        currently being produced in the Netherlands. Therefore, the council
        suggests to focus more attention and means on innovative artists and
        talents – and not just on the established upper end organisations.
     In light of the importance of public debate in France, the council
        advises to put forward Dutch cultural en scientific thinkers, more
        than is the case now, in order to generate relevant media attention.
        To French intellectuals the Netherlands is a guiding country and a
        laboratory in many fields, such as the law on same-sex marriage, the
        regulation of voluntary termination of life, the tolerance policy
        regarding the sale and use of soft drugs, but also in the field of
        cultural disciplines (design and architecture in particular). The
        Erasmus debates in the Maison Descartes in Amsterdam between
        Dutch and French representatives are a successful example.
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<pre>        In the field of the creative industry a solid infrastructure has been
         established between the two countries. The council recommends
         intensifying the collaboration in this field between the Economy and
         Culture departments of the embassy, for instance, by drawing up a
         mutual working programme for the next few years.
        France hosts festivals with a great international significance. For
         instance, the Festival d‘Automne, the theatre festival in Avignon, het
         Cannes film festival, the Festival de la Musique Sacrée, the
         international festival of short films in Clermond-Ferrand or Jazz à
         Vienne – but also smaller festivals, such as dance in Montpellier,
         photography in Arles, Perpignan and Hière, literature in Lyon en
         Cognac, documentaries in La Rochelle, the Rennes theatre festival or
         the opera festival in Aix-en-Provence. These are platforms for
         experimentation and breeding grounds for young talent. The council
         advises to strongly stimulate the participation of Dutch artists and
         cultural organisations in such festivals, it goes without saying that
         this needs to be done in collaboration with French organisations.
         Where cultural activities are concerned that centre around the Dutch
         language (literature, theatre), the council advises collaboration with
         Flanders.
6.       What is the best way to structure the cultural
         representation in France?
The cultural department of the embassy plays a key role in structuring the
cultural relationship with France. This department is instructed to
contribute to the objectives of the international cultural policy through its
activities. The council advises to attach the following duties to it:
     serve as an active intermediary between Dutch and French parties in
         the cultural fields in both Paris and the regions;
     financial and logistic support for the realisation of Dutch
         contributions to French cultural events;
     active mediation in the participation in festivals, debates and fairs in
         the field of the arts, heritage and the media;
     communication about and marketing of Dutch artists and cultural
         organisations in France.
In keeping with its prior advice on the international cultural policy to the
House of Representatives, the council advises to flexibly employ the means
for de cultural representation in France, if possible. In other words, not an
extensive permanent staff, but sufficient scope for action. Knowledge and
maintenance of local networks is essential, as well as a presence on the
Internet and on social media.
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<pre>This can be carried out by a small number of qualified staff composed of
staff members who have been assigned abroad and local employees, to
guarantee the continuity of the networks. A communications specialist is
also required for the press, public relations
The IN should be phased out carefully to retain its network and expertise for
the cultural department of the embassy. Continuing and developing high-
level networks after the IN has ended its activities, requires many qualities
of the cultural department manager: an autonomous person with vision,
who should be granted sufficient freedom of movement and freedom to act.
In addition to the current embassy budget and the IN programme budget of
an average of € 400,000 per year, the council advises to make a budget of
approximately € 200,000 available to assign intendants and experts.
Recourses also need to be made available for their activities. By ending the
subsidy for the IN, 2 million will become available. The council advises to
employ this amount for the international cultural policy, including France.
7.       Where in France?
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs intends to use the location on the Rue de
Lille in Paris as the place of business for the embassy‘s cultural department.
This location is associated with the Netherlands and enjoys a good
reputation with some target groups. It is therefore suited as a meeting place
for professionals from the cultural world and the media. However, activities
in Paris should by all means not be limited to the rooms of the building on
the Rue de Lille.
The council advises that the cultural department will particularly endeavour
to grant artists and cultural organisations access to those French platforms
that matter in the various disciplines. Especially where debates and
presentations for upcoming talent are concerned, to which the council
attaches great value, are other platforms and cultural meeting places better
suited to reach new target groups.
To be able to fully appreciate the use of the location on the Rue de Lille in
this new situation, the council suggests carrying out an evaluation in two
years‘ time.
The Dutch residence in Paris is, incidentally, one of the most beautiful
backdrops for cultural diplomacy conceivable. Recently, the location was
used in the film Les intouchables and has been viewed by a large audience.
The council emphasises the importance of the residence and the
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<pre>opportunities it offers for private receptions and meetings for the business
sector, governments and civil society organisations. Dutch artists can be
involved in those activities, as is currently the case.
In the DCICC quick scan it was established that in recent years Paris has
been the main location for many cultural activities from the Netherlands.
Only a small part of these activities take place outside of the capital.
However, in an extremely competitive environment such as Paris, success is
not self-evident for Dutch artists. Introduction and support on building a
reputation can also lead to success outside the capital. The council would
especially like to point out cities such as Lyon, Marseille, Nantes or Lille.
The latter has developed into an important cultural centre in the North of
the country5. Its location, halfway between the Netherlands and Paris, offers
possibilities for exchange programmes between both countries and with
Flanders.
8.      Concluding remarks
In brief, this advice deals with the future cultural representation in France.
The council concludes that the international cultural policy in general is
under pressure. In practice it is the sum of everything happening on the
posts, it is a mixed business in which everyone tries to make do. Manpower,
financial resources, expertise and the attention for the international cultural
policy in the departments concerned have been reduced over the past years.
Many supporting instruments, such as the Dutch Theatre Institute and
Muziekcentrum Nederland (Dutch Music Centre - OCW), were lost due to
budget cuts. New initiatives have not yet been able to fill that gap.
The council encourages the cabinet to reflect on the question how to
culturally position the Netherlands in the world and what means could be
used best to do so. Quality often will find its own way to international fairs,
events and festivals – but mediation and promotion through funds and
cultural representation give it just that extra push. For new talent this
support is particularly crucial.
From a diplomatic and social perspective there is also reason to (re)evaluate
this positioning. In addition to ‗hard‘ economic and geopolitical factors, a
country‘s image is also determined by soft powers that include the arts and
culture of a country and the way these are highlighted. ‗Nation branding‘ is a
strategy that is being employed both by established and up-and-coming
economies. A proper presentation of its art and cultural organisations is
essential to the position of the Netherlands as discussion partner, trade
partner and as an attractive country to live and work in.
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<pre>The title of the book by Richard Arndt about American cultural diplomacy
aptly summarises this role as: ‗Culture is the first resort of kings‘.
The council will continue to consider the question of what the exact role of
art and culture is in the international position of the Netherlands and how
the government and cultural organisations can strengthen this position.
This issue falls outside the scope of this advice. Therefore, the council will
come back to this issue in a following advice.
Kind regards
Joop Daalmeijer                                         Jeroen Bartelse
Chairman                                                General Secretary
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<pre>Appendix 1: Composition of the committee for cultural
            representation in France
    Han Bakker (chairman)
    Jeroen Bartelse (for the secretariat of the Council for Culture)
    Inez Boogaarts
    Dorian van der Brempt
    Margot Dijkgraaf
    Yolanda Ezendam (for the secretariat of the Council for Culture)
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