The European Ministers of Culture met on Tuesday 18 May to discuss the issue of diversifying the sources of funding for the protection of European cultural heritage.
The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU took the opportunity to sound out the assembly on the creation of a European agency or observatory with the remit of developing a long-term vision for the promotion, safeguarding and protection of European cultural heritage. The question was in fact about launching a feasibility study, a pilot project or an impact assessment for such a project.
But the proposal was declined by a majority of Member States. The Netherlands and Denmark, in particular, have categorically refused, the latter fearing that such an initiative would increase the administrative burden.
Other countries also expressed scepticism: Slovenia, Hungary, Luxembourg and Belgium instead advocated taking stock of “how to leverage existing networks”, before considering the creation of new structures. Several states have also raised doubts about the “added value” of such an agency.
The French minister was one of the few to show enthusiasm.
German Secretary of State Monika Grütters remained vague on this point, but called for increased European cooperation on cultural issues. This cooperation, she stressed, should be strengthened in particular with regard to the management of works with a “colonial past”.
Grütters announced at the end of April that from 2022 Germany would return works of art to Nigeria which had been obtained by colonial looting. “I think we really need to attach great importance to cultural heritage”, she insisted, saying that the issue went beyond Germany’s borders.
Additional means of financing
On the other hand, many states welcomed the Commission’s decision to create a website that will detail the possibilities of European funding for the cultural and creative sectors.
“The site will be available by September this year”, and “will also include funding opportunities for cultural heritage”, EU Culture Commissioner Mariya Gabriel confirmed to the press after the meeting.
Ms Gabriel also stressed the need to find ways to complement public funding for the protection and promotion of cultural heritage.
Ministers were invited to address the issue of diversification of funding and put forward some ideas in this respect.
Several Member States hoped to rely on voluntary sources. Italy argued for the tax exemption of cultural investments, saying that “this would help attract private funding”. In its view, public-private partnerships could prove essential for the promotion of cultural heritage.
Slovenia suggested organising a “European lottery” on heritage days and Luxembourg suggested setting up regular workshops to share experiences.
Recovery and resilience of the cultural sector
The need to improve access to finance available to the sector, in particular by simplifying application procedures, was also included in conclusions adopted by the ministers on Tuesday.
This document details the EU Council’s priorities for the recovery and sustainability of the cultural and creative sectors, which are among those most affected by the pandemic.
Among other things, it calls for making it easier for professionals in the sector to move freely throughout the EU. And it encourages the sharing of good practices and knowledge “in order to be able to deal optimally with unforeseen phenomena that may disrupt these sectors in the future”.
Finally, the conclusions call on states to take into account cultural scenes, local communities and their views when setting policy priorities. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)