Austria Begins ‘Temptress Europe’ Campaign
Maybe it’s because Austrians just topped a global ranking of people most satisfied with their sex lives. Maybe it’s just because it’s spring. Whatever the inspiration, Austria in its role as current president of the European Union unveiled a campaign this week called “Temptress Europe” designed to reawaken Europeans to the continent’s “sensuous” side.
The move raised a few eyebrows, as the EU’s stodgy bureaucracy in Brussels, Belgium, isn’t known for passion or poetry.
The campaign theme borders on the bawdy: It evokes the mythical seduction of Europa by Zeus, the Greek god of gods. As the story goes, Zeus fell in love with Europa when he saw her gathering flowers by the Mediterranean, turned himself into a great white bull, carried her away to Crete, reassumed his manlike form and made love to her beneath a cypress tree.
Winkler hopes the campaign will help restore a sense of identity and joie de vivre across the 25-nation bloc.
Leaders have been trying to revive debate over the EU’s future since French and Dutch voters overwhelmingly rejected Europe’s first constitution in referendums last year. EU foreign ministers will meet May 27-28 at a Roman Catholic abbey just outside Vienna to reassess the bloc’s future course.
“The best way to nurture a feeling for and interest in Europe is to discover its sensuous and cultural diversity for yourself,” Hans Winkler, a state secretary in Austria’s Foreign Ministry said.
On May 9, when the continent marks Europe Day, Austria and the Institute of the Regions of Europe will promote “Cafe d’Europe,” an EU-wide culture project aimed at fostering casual, coffeehouse-style conversations about where Europe is headed.
At 27 cafes in European capitals, authors and luminaries including former Czech playwright-turned-president Vaclav Havel, British historian Timothy Garton Ash and German novelist Eva Demski will read from specially composed works about their own visions for Europe’s future.
For those whose idea of sensuality involves dessert, organizers will lay out a selection of European treats and their recipes to promote what they’re calling “Sweet Europe.”
“A cafe is a place where people meet to talk and exchange literary ideas,” Winkler said. “It is also a symbol of a common European heritage. We want to benefit from the cafe atmosphere and hold open discussions with people, particularly young people, artists and writers, and talk about Europe.”
On Thursday, posters promoting the campaign went up around Vienna with the slogan, “Europe: Be Inspired. Europe: Be Seduced.”
Read full article at: ABC News, 27 April 2006
Source: Associated Press
and i went...
