Big events and important dates

1 January 2011, Across Europe, European Year of Volunteering 2011

Events organized in the framework of the European Year of Volunteering:

– 21 January 2011, Vienna, Austria, Media workshop

– 26 January 2011, Brussels, Belgium, Regional and local authorities in action during the EYV 2011

– 28 January 2011, Copenhagen, Denmark, Opening conference

– 1 February 2011, Czech Republic, Three conferences (focused on sharing good practice, professional networking and cross border volunteering)

 

2011, Tallinn (Estonia), European capital of culture

Tallinn, European capital of culture, is hosting the following events:

– July 2010 – April 2011, Today at the opera

– January-December 2011, ‘The cinema bus turns 10’ travelling film festival

– January-December 2011, ‘Colours of the earth’ competition

– 2 January – 17 April 2011, ‘For Love, Not Money’ – 15th Tallinn Print Triennial

– 13 January – 21 February 2011,1st Fire Sculpture World Championships

2011, Turku, Finland, European capital of culture

Turku, European capital of culture, is hosting the following events:

– 14-16 January 2011, Opening ceremonies of Turku 2011 Capital of Culture

– 14 February 2011, Pile Driver

– 15-16 January 2011,Headline for the LogoMotion Party: The Brand New Heavies

– 19 January 2011, Opening ceremonies for children’s Capital of Culture year

 

1 January 2011, Start of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union

 

24-27 May 2011, Brussels, Belgium, Green Week

 

1 July 2011, Start of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union

 

28 November – 9 December 2011, Durban, South Africa

17th United Nations Conference on Climate Change/COP 17

 

 

 

1 January 2011, Across Europe

European Year of Volunteering 2011

2011 will be the European Year of Volunteering (EYV). Many events, exhibitions, live demonstrations and other activities will be taking place throughout Europe during the year. The Year was launched in Brussels in December 2010 during a ceremony in which 27 ‘Relays’ from the EU member states were sent out to cover volunteering activities taking place across Europe. The EYV will go on Tour around different European cities to bring Europe closer to volunteers, and also to bring volunteers closer to society as a whole. There will also be conferences in the member states, which will highlight the reality of volunteering in each country, and will contribute to the policy work and reform initiatives also being undertaken by the EYV2011 Alliance. On the 1 January, opening events will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria and Tallinn, Estonia. On 8 January, the EYV Tour will move from Brussels to Budapest, Hungary, in the context of the start of the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union.

www.europa.eu/volunteering

www.eyv2011.eu

First events (in order of time) organized in the framework of the European Year of Volunteering:

 

– 21 January 2011, Vienna, Austria

Media workshop

www.europa.eu/volunteering/en/node/410

 

– 26 January 2011, Brussels, Belgium

Regional and local authorities in action during the EYV 2011

This forum, organised by the Committee of the Regions, focuses on exchange of best practice in support of the objectives set out for the European Year of Volunteering: – How to create an enabling and facilitating environment for volunteering in the EU? – How to empower volunteer organisations and improve the quality of volunteering? – What can the local and regional authorities do to raise awareness of the value and importance of volunteering?

To read more: www.europa.eu/volunteering/en/conference-events

 

– 28 January 2011, Copenhagen, Denmark

Opening conference

www.europa.eu/volunteering/en/node/429

 

– 1 February 2011, Czech Republic

Three conferences (focused on sharing good practice, professional networking and cross border volunteering)

www.europa.eu/volunteering/en/node/425

 

To find other events organized in the framework of the European Year of Volunteering, click on the following link: www.europa.eu/volunteering/en/conference-events/upcoming/all/all?page

 

2011, Tallinn (Estonia) 

European capital of culture

Each year, cities chosen as European Capitals of Culture provide living proof of the richness and diversity of European cultures. Started in 1985, the initiative has become one of the most prestigious and high-profile cultural events in Europe. More than 40 cities have been designated European Capitals of Culture so far, from Stockholm to Genoa, Athens to Glasgow, and Cracow to Porto. A city is not chosen as a European Capital of Culture solely for what it is, but mainly for what it plans to do for a year that has to be exceptional. The European Capitals of Culture initiative was set up to:

– highlight the richness and diversity of European cultures

– celebrate the cultural ties that link Europeans together

– bring people from different European countries into contact with each other’s culture and promote mutual understanding

– foster a feeling of European citizenship.

In 2011, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, takes on its role as European Capital of Culture, together with Turku, Finland, giving the city a chance to showcase the best of its creative spirit to the rest of the world. This will be the biggest cultural event in the history of Estonia. Under an EU initiative that started in 1985, Tallinn, along with Turku in Finland, will be the focus of the continent’s cultural scene this year, with a huge number of intriguing events and exhibitions scheduled. ??The theme the city has chosen for its Tallinn 2011 programme is ‘Stories of the Seashore’, highlighting the legends and inspiration that the sea has given to countless generations of Estonians. ?Something will be happening in Tallinn every day in 2011, since the capital of culture year will be bringing some of the world’s biggest names to Estonia. Have a look at the programme for 2011!

www.tallinn2011.ee/eng

 

Tallinn, European capital of culture, is hosting the following events:

 

– July 2010 – April 2011, Schools all over Estonia and National Opera Estonia

Today at the opera

Nearly 500 children aged 10–16 from all over the country are preparing a programme truly their own, to be performed in March on the prestigious stage of the Estonia Opera.

To read more: www.tallinn2011.ee/762/today-at-the-opera?event=309

 

– January-December 2011, Estonia

‘The cinema bus turns 10’ travelling film festival

This festival sees Estonians making a joint picture in a collaborative workshop on a grand scale! At the beginning of the year, a screenplay for a film called Estonian Sea will be penned interactively online.

To read more: www.tallinn2011.ee

 

– January-December 2011, Schools all over Estonia

‘Colours of the earth’ competition

‘Colours of the Earth’ is an international art competition held every year for artists aged 3–17 from different countries around the world. There will be two themes in 2011: ‘My hometown’ and ‘Maritime Tallinn’.

To read more: www.tallinn2011.ee

 

– 2 January – 17 April 2011, Tallinn, Estonia

‘For Love, Not Money’ – 15th Tallinn Print Triennial

The 15th Tallinn Print Triennial will be held at the Kumu Art Museum. The ‘For Love, Not Money’ exhibition will look at contemporary graphics in the broader context of the creation of and trends in modern art.

To read more: www.tallinn2011.ee

 

– 13 January – 21 February 2011, Around Tallinn and throughout Estonia

 1st Fire Sculpture World Championships

Burning fir trees takes us back to the roots of pre-Christian folk tradition in Estonia, when people believed that celebratory fires lit in the dark depths of the year would encourage the sun to return, so that the world would not remain in cold darkness forever.

www.tallinn2011.ee

 

10- 13 February 2011, Tallinn, Estonia

Perfect Silence festival

This festival, with its unique chamber-like atmosphere, presents works which are rarely heard in Estonia and which are largely connected with productions by the highly respected record company ECM.

To read more: www.tallinn2011.ee/762/perfect-silence-festival?event=244

 

To read about all the events organized in Tallinn please click on the following link: www.tallinn2011.ee

 

2011, Turku, Finland

European capital of culture

Turku in Finland is the European Capital of Culture 2011 concurrently with Tallinn in Estonia. The activities of this rather unique and open Capital of Culture year are highly motivated by our desire to further develop our city. The main goals for Turku 2011 are: well-being; internationalism; and the commercial export of creative enterprise and culture. The activities will be based on a wide definition of culture with the emphasis on the culinary arts, exercise and well-being, science and multicultural encounters and, of course, the creative arts.?By 2016, Turku will be a city with a strong foundation in art and science and will be the creative hub of the Baltic Cooperation.

www.turku2011.fi/en

 

Turku, European capital of culture, is hosting the following events:

 

– 14-16 January 2011, Turku, Finland

Opening ceremonies of Turku 2011 Capital of Culture

Numerous Finnish and foreign dignitaries will attend the opening ceremonies of Turku 2011 European Capital of Culture. The opening of Turku 2011 Capital of Culture is celebrated through the weekend 14-16 January 2011. On Saturday 15 January, a total of 30,000 people are expected to watch the opening show called This Side, That Side in front of Forum Marinum.

To read more: www.turku2011.fi

 

– 14 February 2011, Turku, Finland

Pile Driver

Lighting designer Ilkka Paloniemi’s light installation Pile Driver will be opened to the public at the Turku Market Square on Friday 14 January and will remain on display throughout the opening weekend. The artwork consists of a pile driver and an opal pile which glows with light.

To read more: www.turku2011.fi/en/event/pile-driver_en

 

– 15-16 January,Turku, Finland 

Headline for the LogoMotion Party: The Brand New Heavies

Turku makes a grand opening to its Capital of Culture year on 15–16 January with an all-weekend celebration. LogoMotion Turku 2011 Party will set Logomo, the city’s brand new cultural arena alive amidst a thousand strong crowd on a Saturday night.

To read more: www.turku2011.fi/en/logomotion_en

 

– 19 January 2011, Turku, Finland 

Opening ceremonies for children’s Capital of Culture year

Day-care children will have their own opening celebrations for the Capital of Culture year on Wednesday 19 January around the day-care centres in Turku.

To read more: www.turku2011.fi/en

 

1 January 2011

Start of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union

Every six months a different member state of the European Union holds the Presidency presiding over the work of the Council of the European Union. At the same time the state holding the Presidency becomes the host of most of the Union’s events and plays a key role in all the fields of activity of the European Union. It is responsible for the organization of EU meetings, sets the Union’s political direction and ensures its development, integration and security.The Hungarian Government is due to take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2011 for the six-month period that follows. Poland will assume the presidency over the last half of the year. The presidency will be the first time that Hungary will take on this role since joining the EU in May 2004. The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union wishes to build its political agenda around the human factor, focusing on four main topics: growth and employment for preserving the European social model; stronger Europe; citizen friendly Union; enlargement and neighbourhood policy.

www.eu2011.hu

 

To read about the events organized in the framework of the Hungarian presidency, please click on the following link: www.eu2011.hu/news-and-events

 

24-27 May 2011, Brussels, Belgium

Green Week

Green Week, organized by the European Commission, is the largest annual conference on European environment policy. 2011 turns the sportlight on Resource Efficiency. More information to follow.

www.europa.eu/eucalendar/mobile/event/183068

 

1 July 2011

Start of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union

On July 1 2011, Poland will take over a six-month presidency of the EU Council. The presidency will be the first time that Poland will take on this role since joining the EU in 2004. The presidency is a time of hard work and extraordinary responsibility for the direction, style and intensity in which things are moving forward in the EU. It is also a matter of enormous prestige and a big chance of multidimensional promotion for Poland in a cultural, economic as well as a political sense. In practice it means that Poland will be hosting or chairing most of European events that are envisaged to be organised in the second half of 2011, including meetings of the EU Council and its subsidiary bodies, ministerial conferences and expert meetings. It will be a real test of efficiency and effectiveness for the Polish public administration.

www.pl2011.eu  official website from July 2011

www.prezydencjaue.gov.pl/en website active from now until June 30 2011

 

28 November – 9 December 2011, Durban, South Africa

17th United Nations Conference on Climate Change/COP 17

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) is an international treaty arising from the UN’s conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The treaty aims to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions to minimise their impact on the earth’s climate. The conference of the Parties (COP) is the governing body of the Convention, and advances implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its annual meetings since 1995. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol introduced binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17) will be held in Durban, South Africa. With the development of a Municipal Climate Protection Programme, as well as the institutionalisation of climate change within the municipality, the city has provided an important framework for the implementation of a number of climate change projects. These projects focus on adaptation and mitigation measures for the city as well provide a platform from which to generate socio-economic benefits. The city’s pilot Green Roof Project and large-scale community reforestation projects show how Africa’s biodiversity can become a tool, not just for climate change adaptation and mitigation, but also to create economic development opportunities.  Within an African context, Durban’s renewable energy and climate change mitigation projects are regarded as revolutionary. The City’s continued commitment to broadening the climate change dialogue with other South African cities, as well as its respected reputation within the international climate change arena, has secured its position as a climate change leader.

www.cop17durban.com/Pages/default.aspx