European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (2008)

The 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue was established by Decision N° 1983/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (18 December 2006). The aim of the Year was to put across a clear message that Europeʼs great cultural diversity represents a unique advantage. The initiative encouraged all those living in Europe to explore the benefits of our rich cultural heritage and opportunities to learn from different cultural traditions. It enabled the EU to make its voice better heard in the world and to forge effective partnerships with countries in its neighbourhood, thus extending a zone of stability, democracy and common prosperity beyond the EU, and thereby increasing the well-being and security of European citizens and all those living in the EU. The European Year was linked to a variety of national initiatives, including some from the healthcare system, such as the Irish Minister for Health, which launched a National Intercultural Health Strategy to promote greater access and inclusion of ethnic minority communities, migrants and asylum seekers to the health service.