DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR ROMANIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTES ABROAD

Romanian Cultural Institutes promote cultural dialogue and relations between Romania and Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, by disseminating cultural information and integrating Romanian cultural values within the European and international circuit. At the same time, the Institutes encourage and support the teaching of Romanian as a foreign language and intercultural and linguistic studies, and organise, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, individual events and ongoing campaigns of public diplomacy to promote bilateral relations and a better understanding of Romanian culture internationally.

In 2009, the network of Romanian Cultural Institutes intends to consolidate its position as mediator between Romanian artists and European and international cultural markets by continuing partnership relations with foreign cultural operators, identifying new project partners, initiating and participating in events organised within the framework of EUNIC – the European network of national cultural institutes. The majority of Romanian Cultural Institutes are part of this network, while a significant number of the directors are members of management boards or hold the presidency of local clusters. At the heads level, the Romanian Cultural Institute has been a member of EUNIC since 2007. Currently Vice-President of the network, Horia-Roman Patapievici will assume the position of President of EUNIC in 2010.

The number of Romanian Cultural Institutes abroad has doubled in just four years. Whereas in 2004 there were seven institutes, at present there are a total of sixteen Romanian Cultural Institutes, in Berlin, Brussels, Budapest (with a branch in Szeged), Istanbul, Lisbon, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Venice, Vienna and Warsaw.

In the first half of 2009, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Kiev will be officially inaugurated, together with a branch in Cernåu¡i (Chernivtsi). Following an accord with the Department of Cultural, Educational and Scientific Relations within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2006
the Romanian Cultural Institute took over the financing and organisation of cultural projects unfolded by the Romanian Information Centre in Brussels. The Romanian Cultural Institute’s decision was based on an evaluation of the cultural and political importance to Romania of
the Belgian capital.

Romanian Cultural Institutes abroad are now undergoing a period of consolidation of their organisational capacity. A coherent policy has been put in place to monitor and evaluate the impact of activities aimed at connecting the Romanian cultural market to European and international cultural markets, at sustaining the presence of Romanian artists at major events specific to all the fields of artistic expression, and at promoting the creative industries.

In 2008, the sixteen Romanian Cultural Institutes abroad organised more than 700 cultural activities. The selection presented in the pages that follow highlights both the diversity of the subject matter (from academic/scholarly to forms of folk culture and the creative industries), of the forms of organisation (from the classic/traditional to the interactive and composite), and also of the types of audience at which they were aimed.

General Department for Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad
Irina IONESCU, Director general
Tel.: 0317 100 680; or.rci@ucsenoi.aniri

Department for Performance Assessment of the Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad
Ovidiu DAJBOG-MIRON, Director
Tel.: 0317 100 687; Fax: 0317 100 674; or.rci@norim.uidivo
Anamaria ANTOCI, RCI Paris
Tel.: 0317 100 677; or.rci@icotna.airamana
Teodora CAŞCARADE
Tel.: 0317 100 629; or.rci@edaracsac.arodoet
Ana TEODORESCU, RCI Berlin / Beirut
Tel.: 0317 100 688, or.rci@ucserodoet.ana

The Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad Programmes Service
Agripina ANGHEL, Chief of Office
Tel.: 0317 100 600; Fax: 0317 100 610; or.rci@lehgna.anipirga
Cătălina GIUGARIU, RCI New York
Tel.: 0317 100 690; or.rci@uiraguig.anilatac
Ortansa ISPAS, Accademia di Romania / ICR Bruxelles
Tel.: 0317 100 628; or.rci@sapsi.asnatro
Graţiela DUMITRICĂ, IRCCU Veneţia
Tel.: 0317 100 614; or.rci@acirtimud.aleitarg
Denisse IONESCU,  RCI Viena
Tel.: 0317 100 683; or.rci@ucsenoi.essined
Georgiana OPRESCU, RCI Prague
Tel.: 0317 100 696; or.rci@ucserpo.anaigroeg
Anca HRAB, RCI Lisbon, RCI Istanbul
Tel.: 0317 100 609: or.rci@barh.acna
Monica GRIGORE, RCI Warsaw
Tel.: 0371 393 136; or.rci@erogirg.acinom
Gabriela DAMIAN, RCI Tel Aviv
Tel.: 0317 100 673, or.rci@naimad.aleirbag
Silvia LEU, RCI Madrid
Tel.: 0317 100 676; or.rci@uel.aivlis
Iulia SCUTARU, RCI Kishinev
Tel.: 0371 393 137; or.rci@uratucs.ailui
Irina CONSTANTIN, RCI London
Tel.: 0317 100 689; or.rci@nitnatsnoc.aniri
Irena ISBĂȘESCU, RCI London
Tel.: 0317 100 689, or.rci@ucsesabsi.aneri
Camelia PĂDURARU, RCI Stockholm
Tel.: 0317 445 024; or.rci@urarudap.ailemac
Andreea NIŢĂ, RCI Budapest
Tel.: 0371 445 027; or.rci@atin.anel