Formal opening of the international Europe Readr cultural platform in Izola

2. 7. 2021

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Permanent Representation to the European Union Brussels

The launch of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency is accompanied by the opening of the Europe Readr digital platform, its leading cultural and promotional project. The selection of books in the virtual library that will be available free of charge will bring readers closer to the current social issues and encourage them to reflect on, and discuss, the world we want to live in. A number of accompanying events will be organised around the world, along with the creation of public spaces for reading and exchanging ideas, all the way from Paris and Helsinki to Washington and Bangkok. The formal opening of the platform will take place on 7 July in the Lighthouse Park in Izola.

women standing with stairs behind, looking at a book — Europe Readr | Author Manca Juvan

A central theme, the “Future of Living”, runs through the selection of 27 books, all of which will be available free of charge between 1 July and 31 December 2021 on the europereadr.eu website. Each book representing one member state is available both in the original language and in English. Novels, short stories, poetry, essays and comic books made the selection, presenting different views on current topics and addressing various readers – even those who rarely feel inclined to read. By selecting wordless picture books or books of just a few words that are understandable regardless of language barriers as well as providing teaching material containing reading tips, particular attention is devoted to young readers and their parents and teachers.

The Europe Readr platform will come to life through public reading spaces and exchange of ideas on the future as well as events that will be organised in 24 countries around the world by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in cooperation with local partners. Such engagement of local communities is highly effective in promoting reading culture and critical thinking as well as the European identity and a uniform image of the Union in the world.

As a pilot project aimed at connecting all Member States and different EU institutions, the Europe Readr platform was established on the initiative of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency and under its coordination. Culture is the driving force that develops and encourages integration, following the European principles of co-creation and interdisciplinarity. The project also aims to promote sustainable development and social inclusion through culture and dialogue.

The Europe Readr project will be formally launched at the opening ceremony of the “My Reading Room” art installation in the Lighthouse Park in Izola and presented to the public on 7 July at 6 p.m. Created by the students of spatial, artistic and technical studies at the University of Ljubljana, the artistic structure was inspired by the popular Library under the Treetops concept. The work of art will be unveiled by Mayor of Izola Danilo Markočič, Member of the National Assembly Felice Žiža, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gašper Dovžan, President of the Slovene Cluster of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Andreas Pawlitschek, and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture Alenka Fikfak. Several interesting events for all generations will take place in “My Reading Room”, organised by local actors and European Union National Institutes for Culture by the end of September.