2009-december 1/4
Brief report on Network workshop and expert seminar, arranged by the Centre for Finnish Studies
partner at Mälardalen University (MDU), for the Mercator Network, in 1‐4 December 2009
2010‐05‐28/Jarmo Lainio
First arrivals were on Monday 1 dec. and meetings started Tuesday. The main content concerned the
upcoming media conference in Aberystwyth, for which the Swedish partners had arranged a threefold
preparatory content this week:
‐Network meeting/workshop
‐Expert seminar open for the public
‐A two‐day international conference on similar and overlapping topics as in the one to be arranged
by the Welsh partners in May, 2010.
The workshop also dealt with network internal business, and the coordinator informed about
practical issues at stake.
The expert seminar was free and open for the public, and it was attended by about 40 persons, some
of whom were the invited experts from Wales, Belgium, Austria, Scotland, Finland, Galicia, Catalonia,
Ireland and Sweden. The seminar was video‐recorded but for ethical reasons it has not been
disseminated for public use. It is stored at the MDU.
The conference was arranged as a pre‐conference for specifically the Nordic participants, introducing
the main ideas of the conference to be arranged in May 2010 by the Welsh partner, but integrated
the international experts and the network’s partners as well. It was attended by about 90 persons.
Also media from Finland, Sweden and Scotland were actively participating in the program. The
content/scientific and media program was complemented by cultural programs in the evenings.
The conference week and its various parts were in addition to the Mercator Network sponsored by
the Council of Europe and its Secretariat for the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages, the municipality of Eskilstuna, Mälardalen University, the foundation Sparbanksstiftelsen
Rekarne, the County Council of Sörmland and Sörmlands Musik och Teater.
partner at Mälardalen University (MDU), for the Mercator Network, in 1‐4 December 2009
2010‐05‐28/Jarmo Lainio
First arrivals were on Monday 1 dec. and meetings started Tuesday. The main content concerned the
upcoming media conference in Aberystwyth, for which the Swedish partners had arranged a threefold
preparatory content this week:
‐Network meeting/workshop
‐Expert seminar open for the public
‐A two‐day international conference on similar and overlapping topics as in the one to be arranged
by the Welsh partners in May, 2010.
The workshop also dealt with network internal business, and the coordinator informed about
practical issues at stake.
The expert seminar was free and open for the public, and it was attended by about 40 persons, some
of whom were the invited experts from Wales, Belgium, Austria, Scotland, Finland, Galicia, Catalonia,
Ireland and Sweden. The seminar was video‐recorded but for ethical reasons it has not been
disseminated for public use. It is stored at the MDU.
The conference was arranged as a pre‐conference for specifically the Nordic participants, introducing
the main ideas of the conference to be arranged in May 2010 by the Welsh partner, but integrated
the international experts and the network’s partners as well. It was attended by about 90 persons.
Also media from Finland, Sweden and Scotland were actively participating in the program. The
content/scientific and media program was complemented by cultural programs in the evenings.
The conference week and its various parts were in addition to the Mercator Network sponsored by
the Council of Europe and its Secretariat for the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages, the municipality of Eskilstuna, Mälardalen University, the foundation Sparbanksstiftelsen
Rekarne, the County Council of Sörmland and Sörmlands Musik och Teater.