오랜 역사 동안 유럽 국가들은 고유한 문화체계를 발전시켜왔다. 유럽통합이 이루어지면서 특히 단일유럽의정서에 의한 단일시장의 형성을 눈앞에 두면서 회원 각국의 문화들을 조화시킬 필요성이 대두되었다. 이문화 이해 증진 프로그램들이 이 필요성에 화답하는 것이었다. 이 프로그램들은 주로 학생들의 교환 교육 또는 공동의 다문화 훈련 과정으로 이루어졌다. 유럽차원의 공동의 직업 교육·훈련 프로그램 및 교환 프로그램들이 또한 이문화 이해 증진의 필요성을 높였으며 실제적으로 이문회 이해 증진의 중요한 과정이 되었다. 단일유럽의정서에 의거한 단일시장의 형성은 상품, 노동, 자본 그리고 서비스의 자유로운 이동을 의미하였는데 이는 유럽차원의 공동의 규정들을 필요로 했다. 이에 따라 문화수렴 현상이 목격되었는데 이 문화수렴이 어느 정도에 까지 이를 수 있을 것인지는 아직 미지수다. 그러나 이문화 이해 증진 프로그램들과 문화수렴 현상이 맞물리면서 유럽통합과정과 더불어 유럽 공동의 문화라고 불릴 수 있는 부분들이 많이 늘어날 것으로 보이고 이는 유럽시민권 제도의 확립에 크게 기여할 것으로 보여진다. 그런데 유럽내의 서로 다른 문화들은 각기 다른 종교적, 교육적 전통과 지리 및 기후 조건들에 의한 것으로 유럽통합과 더불어 충돌의 원인이 되기도 하지만 다원성의 보고이기도 한 것이다. 이러한 측면에서 ‘다양성 속의 통일’ 이라는 목표하에 이문화 이해 증진 프로그램들이 추진되고 있는 점 또한 주목해야 할 맥락이다.

European Countries have been developing native and individual cultures. Faced the formation of the Single Market according to the Single European Act, European Communities realized the necessity to harmonize the various cultures of the member states. In this sense, the programs for the inter-cultural understanding have been developed. These programs included the exchanges of the students between the member states and common vocational education and training in the dimension of Europe. The common vocational education and training programs raised the importance of the policies for the inter-cultural and cross-cultural understanding. At the same time they proved to be good instruments to promote the understandings between cultures. The emergence of the Single Market according to Single European Act implied the free movement of the goods, services, labours and capitals. For that the common rules and regulations in the dimension of Europe were established. In the results of these processes people could observe the convergence of the cultures among the member states. People began to expect that these developments could contribute to the establishment of the european citizenship, especially through the joint effects with the programs for the inter-cultural understanding. However, the different cultures of Europe are the sources of the cultural clashes and simultaneously the ones of cultural creativities and diversities. In this sense, the programs for the inter-cultural understanding have been being conducted under the motto “unity in diversity”.

European Countries have been developing native and individual cultures. Faced the formation of the Single Market according to the Single European Act, European Communities realized the necessity to harmonize the various cultures of the member states. In this sense, the programs for the inter-cultural understanding have been developed. These programs included the exchanges of the students between the member states and common vocational education and training in the dimension of Europe. The common vocational education and training programs raised the importance of the policies for the inter-cultural and cross-cultural understanding. At the same time they proved to be good instruments to promote the understandings between cultures. The emergence of the Single Market according to Single European Act implied the free movement of the goods, services, labours and capitals. For that the common rules and regulations in the dimension of Europe were established. In the results of these processes people could observe the convergence of the cultures among the member states. People began to expect that these developments could contribute to the establishment of the european citizenship, especially through the joint effects with the programs for the inter-cultural understanding. However, the different cultures of Europe are the sources of the cultural clashes and simultaneously the ones of cultural creativities and diversities. In this sense, the programs for the inter-cultural understanding have been being conducted under the motto “unity in diversity”.

European Union, Programs for the Inter-cultural Understanding, Cultural Clashes, Cultural Convergence, European Citizenship