Why leave a promising job at the European Commission to set up a cultural movement aimed at bringing together Europe’s 13 Slavonic nations? We spoke to Slavonic Europe’s founder and president David Chmelik.
Chmelik left the European Commission’s directorate general for budget to set up a unique new concept, a Slavonic Europe association aimed at building a bridge between east and west whilst uniting 13 Slavonic cultures. Slavonic Europe aims to provide the basis for a new Slavonic network, first in Brussels then worldwide, bringing together the cultures of Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
“Slavonic Europe is a cultural movement aimed at the reunification and reinforcement of the 13 Slavonic nations,” Chmelik says. “We want greater visibility for Slavonic culture in Europe and beyond. We also aim at bridging the east and west.” He adds that the Slavs, Europe’s largest linguistic group, are natural intermediaries between east and west. “But at this point in time, we are not playing this essential role.”
Source: Brussels Express
