Pioneering Report on Cross-cultural Relations reveals increased interaction and the existence of compatible values between people across Europe and the Mediterranean but a significant gap in mutual perceptions

Brussels, 15 September 2010- People living in societies in Europe and in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region are suffering from a distorted and stereotyped perception of each other, according to a ground-breaking report on the challenges of human and cultural relations in the Region.

The Report, which is entitled ‘EuroMed Intercultural Trends 2010’, is based on the very First Gallup Public Opinion Survey on Intercultural Trends and Values involving 13,000 people across the Region, and has been two-years in the making by the Anna Lindh Foundation Euro-Mediterranean Foundation and involving experts from 22 countries.

Speaking at its international launch today in Brussels, under the Belgian Presidency of the European Union,Štefan Füle, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, described the publication of the Report as a ''The report we are launching today is good food for thought”, adding that: “It takes the  debate on the Mediterranean identity out of intellectual meetings and  places it in the streets. The result is a loud and clear message of hope and an important tool for further strengthening Euro-Mediterranean relations.''.

André Azoulay, president of the Anna Lindh Foundation said: “With the findings of the Report, we will be able to speak with more clarity to the people at large about the political, human and cultural realities we are facing when it comes to make true the Mare Nostrum.”

Among its main findings, the Report’s Survey reveals that one in every three/four persons from the two shores of the Mediterranean had the opportunity last year to meet people from other countries of the Region, but that misperceptions and a lack of knowledge exist between people, especially in terms of the perception of each other’s sets of values.

According to the Survey, nearly six in ten respondents from the southern and eastern Mediterranean thought that it was most important to European parents that their children learnt how to be independent (57%), and 44% thought their kids to be curious. Only one in five Europeans, however, had mentioned independence in first or second place (19%) as a key value of their education, and only 13% had done so for curiosity. On the other hand, only a quarter of respondents (25%) from the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries thought that Europeans wanted their kids to be respectful for other cultures, 17% thought that family solidarity was important to Europeans, and 14% thought that they wanted their kids to be obedient. 58%, 56% and 24% if European respondents, however, had mentioned those values as being the most of second most important value that they taught their kids.

Europeans misjudged the values of parents in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries, in particular underestimating the importance of religious belief for people of the southern and eastern shore of the Mediterranean; respondents from southern and eastern Mediterranean countries had rather put religious beliefs as a top priority (62%). Europeans also underrated the importance of curiosity (7% versus 19%), of independence (14% versus 20%), and of obedience (28% versus 35%) in the upbringing of children in the southern and eastern Mediterranean.

The main identified bridging value was family solidarity that was at the top of European priorities and received a significant percentage from south and eastern Mediterranean respondents.

Proposals for Action

The Anna Lindh Report 2010 aims to act as a tool of action in the hands of institutions, civil society, governments, media and individuals committed to improving cross-cultural relations. Building on the Survey findings and Report analysis, a number of guidelines and proposals have been set out including:

• Investing in Education for Intercultural Learning.Supporting the design of innovative intercultural approaches within the school curriculum and through non-formal educational programmes, with the purpose of developing and stimulating critical thinking, empathy and curiosity, and taking into full consideration the results of the family value approach provided in the Report. Specific measures are also proposed to raise children’s awareness of the contemporary ‘Euro-Mediterranean value map’ and the importance of religions within the Region as revealed through the Survey

• Supporting the Potential of Media for Improving Knowledge and Respect.  As emphasised in the Report qualitative analyses, promoting the production of new media formats and entertainment media, whether film, real-life narratives or talent contest, can also be a useful tool to reach a broad audience and demonstrate the diversity and richness of Euro-Mediterranean societies by providing examples of intercultural co-existence. At the same time, it is important to invest in more effective media management with the appointment of intercultural ombudspersons, investing in scholarships for young journalists from and through the recruitment of editorial staff from among different segments of society.

• Supporting the Intercultural Dimension within the Urban Space. Due to the fact that the Report results set out the comparatively increased opportunities for encounter, as well as higher interest and awareness among urban populations, the importance of supporting intercultural exchange and trans-national approaches is considered essential for the development of cultural openness within the urban setting. Facilitating exchanges between local and regional bodies of different countries of the Region focussed on the development of guidelines for a culture of pluralism, respect and exchange between individuals and communities present in the city.

• Developing Tools for an Improved Quality of Interaction.  Ensuring the quality, more than the quantity of intercultural exchanges and investing more in innovative tools to improve the intercultural skills of people. The Report sets out a number of existing programmes and tool-kits which can be maximised for the purposes of dialogue work. The importance of these intercultural skills should be conveyed to the large majority of inhabitants of the Region, and the organisation of a yearly main intercultural dialogue event across the Euro-Mediterranean region could help raise awareness