On Tuesday 4 November in Copenhagen, on the second day of their informal meeting on culture and media, European ministers gave their overwhelming support to a declaration affirming that European culture and a strong, independent European media are an “essential component” of the European Union’s democratic defence.
Twenty-six Member States as well as the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland approved the text presented by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Only Hungary did not support the declaration, which states “it is more important than ever that we actively safeguard our European democracies and ensure their resilience”.
In doing so, it is important to recognise the “intrinsic value and power” of culture, heritage and free media, as well as the key role of culture and the media in protecting European values, democratic cohesion and the fight against disinformation and foreign interference.
Also, Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity, its written and audiovisual heritage, and artistic freedom all play their part in Europe’s security policies.
The text also supports citizens’ access to reliable information, the protection of the democratic public sphere and the strengthening of media literacy, particularly in view of the emergence of content modified by artificial intelligence (AI).
The declaration notes that “it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between authentic and AI-generated or manipulated material online” and therefore states that “protecting the integrity of cultural expression and the personal characteristics of our citizens is paramount”.
In addition, the text sets out principles such as the protection of cultural freedom, the safeguarding of heritage for future generations, access to free and independent media and the assurance of information issued without the risk of foreign interference.
“Faced with the attacks on Europe, it is absolutely vital that we remain united”, said Danish minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt, host of the meeting, in a press release.
And he added: “Culture plays a vital role as a bulwark against those who seek to divide us (...). With this declaration, we are sending out a clear signal: culture, reliable media and European values are absolutely essential at this difficult time for Europe”.
See the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/jab (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)