“Culture is the heart of Europe and you are its driving force”. On Thursday 20 March, the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, led a high-level meeting of stakeholders on the future ‘Culture Compass’, a strategic framework for integrating culture into all EU policies and maximising its economic potential (see EUROPE 13517/4).
Taking into account geopolitical upheavals, growing social tensions and rapid technological change, the Commissioner called for a paradigm shift: “It must be a radical change, giving culture and creativity the means to adapt, innovate and build resilience for the future”.
The transformations linked to artificial intelligence, territorial inequalities, climate change and disinformation all call for a strong cultural response. “We must counter any risk or threat to art and culture”, he insisted.
Culture, he said, “shapes our visions of the world in all their diversity and richness” and is a pillar of the European project.
Representing the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), Nella Riehl (Greens/EFA, German) then reiterated the urgent need to react to the increasing attacks on freedom of cultural expression.
“Culture has become a better terrain. (...) Populist nationalists use culture wars to divide people and create social fragmentation”, she insisted.
She called for artistic freedom to become a standard-bearer for the Rule of law in the EU: “A strong democracy needs a free and pluralist cultural and creative sector. The ‘Compass’ should be seen as a tool for democracy in Europe”.
With regard to budgets, there was consensus on the need for greater support. The representative of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council, Marta Cienkowska, said: “The most important thing now is to fight for the money. (...) 2%, more than 2%, is a fantastic target”.
As a former key player in the voluntary sector, she denounced the chronic precariousness of the cultural sector: “A lot of people in the cultural world are just volunteers. I know because I was a volunteer for so many years”.
The three speakers agreed that the launch of this consultation phase was a seminal moment.
And for Glenn Micallef, the success of the future ‘Cultural Compass’ will depend on the collective commitment of all stakeholders: “The real strength of a strategy lies not just in the vision and objectives it sets, but in the momentum we have built together”.
The European Commissioner has also stated that “by the end of the year”, he will present “an ambitious new political initiative, which will lay the foundations for the coming years”.
In the meantime, the appeal is clear: “Let’s embark on this adventure together, with clarity, ambition and unity”. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)