1950 – 2000

One of the Centre’s earliest initiatives took place in Geneva on December 12, 1950. During this event, representatives from six countries’ nuclear research institutes and UNESCO came together, responding to a proposal made by Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Louis de Broglie, during the Lausanne Conference. One of the resolutions adopted at the Lausanne Conference instructed the future Center to explore the establishment of an Institute of Nuclear Science with a focus on applications in everyday life.

Immediately after its establishment, the Commission for Scientific Cooperation of the European Cultural Centre, led by Raoul Dautry, the General Administrator of the French Atomic Energy Commission, began its work. The physicist Pierre Auger played a significant role in this endeavour. The task exemplified the concepts of subsidiarity and functional integration by “spillover,” a method also employed by Jean Monnet to create the European Coal and Steel Community. The idea was to recognise that individual countries lacked the resources to independently develop this new energy source, similar to what the United States and the USSR were doing. Therefore, it became essential to organise and institutionalise cooperation to catch up and prevent a brain drain. These challenges continue to be relevant today in the context of new information and knowledge technologies.

The meeting held on December 12, 1950, by the European Cultural Centre helped define the mission of the future CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) and the criteria for selecting its location. Additionally, the meeting proposed that UNESCO should take the lead in the initial stages of implementation, particularly by bringing together the concerned governments. The following year, in 1951, UNESCO presented a project for establishing a nuclear research laboratory in Geneva. Following an intergovernmental conference, the final decision was made on February 15, 1952, to create the “European Council for Nuclear Research” (CERN), initially consisting of eleven states.

Together with composer and conductor Igor Markevitch, the Centre organised a meeting in December 1951. Representatives from prominent music festivals in Bayreuth, Aix-en-Provence, Perugia, Vienna, Berlin, Lucerne, Florence, Besançon, and Strasbourg attended the gathering. During this meeting, they founded an Association based in Geneva at the Centre’s premises. The primary goal of this Association was to share common information among all these festivals and foster collaboration and synergy in programming to avoid redundancy and duplication. It marked the first time that these festivals, essential for promoting European culture (with economic benefits as well), united their voices to create a genuine ‘European concert,’ as stated by the Centre in 1952.

In addition to holding regular meetings and engaging in an information and promotion campaign through a joint brochure, the Centre facilitated reflective colloquiums. One such colloquium took place in 1956, focusing on “The role of festivals in the cultural life of Europe.” The Association, later renamed the “European Festivals Association” (also encompassing theatre and dance), benefited from the Centre’s support. In the early 2000s, it relocated to Belgium, initially in Brussels and later in Ghent. Today, the association includes 90 festivals in 31 European countries and indirectly disseminates information about approximately 300 festivals across Europe.

In the early 1960s, the European Cultural Centre embarked on the establishment of an Institute of European Studies within its premises at Villa Moynier (Parc Mon-Repos) in Geneva. Negotiations involving the University, the cantonal authorities responsible for public education, and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, led by historian Jacques Freymond at the time, culminated in 1963 with the launch of the new Institute. It was the first of its kind in Switzerland and began its academic year that year.

The Institute took an interdisciplinary approach, encompassing three branches, each offering distinct perspectives on Europe and European development: history and culture, led by Prof. Denis de Rougemont; political science and European institutions, under the guidance of Prof. Dusan Sidjanski; and economics, headed by Prof. Henri Schwamm. Denis de Rougemont served as the Director of both the Institute and the European Cultural Centre during that period, illustrating the close ties between the two institutions.

In 1992, the Institute underwent a transfer to the University and was renamed the ‘European Institute of the University of Geneva.’ This name remained until 2013, when it was restructured within the University of Geneva to become the ‘Institute of Global Studies,’ within which a dedicated ‘Denis de Rougemont Pole of European Studies’ was established.

In 1953, the construction of Europe reached a critical juncture as it aimed to establish a defense community (draft EDC treaty) and a political union. The Centre played an active role by assembling a group of approximately twenty influential personalities known as the “Group of Twenty.” Among its members were notable figures such as Salvador de Madariaga, Raymond Aron, Bertrand de Jouvenel (a French essayist and futurist), Henri Brugmans (the Rector of the College of Bruges), Georges Vedel (a French jurist), Fernand Dehousse (a Belgian jurist and politician), Henri Janne (a Belgian sociologist and politician), Eugen Kogon (a German publicist and historian of Nazism), Jozef Retinger (the organiser of the Hague Congress), and others. The group met regularly for over a year, publishing the outcomes of their discussions in a brochure called “Le Courrier fédéral,” edited by the Centre. Six issues of this publication were released between April 1953 and May 1954. Unfortunately, the group’s efforts came to an end when the French Parliament rejected the EDC Treaty in August 1954.

Shortly after this, the Centre initiated a similar endeavour, this time gathering around twenty economists from seven countries. Their mission was to contemplate ways of integrating European economies, particularly by establishing a borderless large market. The fruits of their work were published in a book titled “Demain l’Europe sans frontières?” (Tomorrow, Europe without borders?) in Paris by Plon. The Centre’s Bulletins also documented these activities, including issues like “L’Europe s’inscrit dans les faits” (Europe in the making) from 1956 and “Promesses du Marché commun” (Promises of the Common Market) from 1957. Additionally, a presentation of the two Treaties of Rome, EEC, and Euratom, was featured in 1958.

In 1976, the Centre established a think-tank named the “Cadmos Group,” comprising fourteen individuals from various academic backgrounds and disciplines. This group undertook a comprehensive review of European integration and proposed several guidelines for the future. The culmination of their reflections, with Denis de Rougemont responsible for the final draft, was published in 1979 under the title “Report on the state of the European Union” by Stock in Paris. In the same spirit, at the beginning of the Maastricht Treaty and in anticipation of future enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe, the Centre organised the first “Denis de Rougemont Meetings” in April 1994 on the theme “Where is Europe today.” The proceedings of this event were subsequently published by the Centre the following year.

Starting from the latter half of the 1960s, regions began to play an increasingly significant role in Denis de Rougemont’s thinking and the activities of the Centre. The objective was to redefine the approach of the European Federation to incorporate the regional aspect, which held great importance as it brought Europe closer to its citizens and fostered new forms of civic engagement. Additionally, the emergence of cross-border regions, especially in areas like Basel and Geneva, offered valuable opportunities for practical experiences that could teach valuable lessons about the evolving relationship between Europe and these regions.

Between 1967 and 1975, five of the Centre’s Bulletins were dedicated entirely to the theme of the Europe of the Regions, specifically focusing on the Regions conceived within the framework of the European Federation. Two of these Bulletins concentrated on cross-border regions, with one featuring a meeting organised in Strasbourg with the Council of Europe in 1972, and the other being a colloquium held in 1975 with the AIEE (Association of European Border Regions).

In 1982, the Centre hosted an international colloquium on “Regional Policies in Europe,” which took place under the direction of Dusan Sidjanski and Charles Ricq. Charles Ricq was responsible for regional studies at the Centre. The outcomes of this colloquium were subsequently published in 1985 by L.E.P. in Lausanne.

In 1958, the Centre took the initiative to establish a consortium of publishers known as EDITEUROPA. This consortium operated under a charter, with each publisher committing to release works on Europe, identified by the Centre, in their respective languages. Four years prior, in 1954, the Centre had published a European Bibliography, which received updates and expansions in 1959 and was then titled “Publishing and Europe.” Denis de Rougemont prefaced this bibliography with the following words: “It is clear that Europe will not be made with books, but will it be made without them? For it was largely through them that it was defeated.”

In the realm of studies concerning the construction of Europe, the Centre initiated another consortium specifically for law and economics publishers, down as EUROLIBRI. In 1964, a new European bibliography was published, listing 2,000 titles of works centered on Europe. Among these titles, 150 were considered fundamental works and were extensively reviewed to assist booksellers in curating their displays during the European Book Weeks, an initiative introduced by the Centre during major book fairs (originating at the Frankfurt Fair).

Furthermore, in 1966, the Centre published a comprehensive report titled “Bilan des activités culturelles au service de l’Europe,” listing all cultural initiatives aimed at Europe between 1949 and 1964.

In 1952, the Centre initiated the establishment of a consortium comprising six national news agencies (French, German, Italian, Belgian, Swiss, and Luxembourgish) to disseminate news and background papers related to Europe. In 1956, the Centre introduced “European News,” a press service focusing on European matters delivered in three languages. Dispatches from this service were distributed to over a thousand subscribing newspapers and periodicals.

In 1957, a Conference Service was established to provide lists of speakers and organise several hundred conferences on Europe over the following two decades.

During the 1990s, the Centre collaborated with the publisher Actes Sud to launch a series of “Que Sais-je?” books on European topics. These books were compact, about 80 pages each, and compiled into thematic boxes known as “L’Europe en bref.” Between 1994 and 2002, seven boxes containing a total of 27 small books were published.