Cultural diplomacy as a political tool of european integration

Abstract

Social, political changes, and especially those in communication, have given birth
to new dynamics in terms of political actors and their relations in Europe.
Culture is thus reinvented, in a new way, as a political content and cultural
exchange can be placed at the heart of the politics. Overcoming the national
borders, the phenomenon of cultural diplomacy marks the beginning of the
21st century. It consists essentially of communicational exchange, aims at gaining
infl uence or at cooperation, and its actors are more diverse than ever. Can
this type of political international relations be used as a model in European
integration and, especially, in the European Union enlargement?