ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes and explains the evolution of EU external engagement on culture. It assesses the Union's actorness in the cultural domain and discusses the contemporary forms of its external cultural engagement. The chapter evaluates the EU's actorness in the cultural domain by discussing its opportunity, presence and capability regarding culture, before coming to an assessment combining the three components. EU presence denotes its capacity 'by virtue of its existence, to exert influence beyond its borders'. The chapter scrutinizes the EU's external objectives, decision-making and representation arrangements so as to assess the extent to which the Union is institutionally prepared to act externally in the cultural domain. It assesses the EU's main external activities in the cultural domain, asking who (agency) does what (objectives) and how (mechanisms) vis-à-vis whom/in which fora (targets/arenas). The chapter concludes by reflecting on the prospects of the quest for a genuine EU cultural diplomacy.
