EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Brussels, 19.7.2010 
SEC(2010) 904 
  
COMMISSION WORKING DOCUMENT 
The European Agenda for Culture – progress towards shared goals  
 
Accompanying document to the 
 
COMMISSION REPORT 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT , THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMI TTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE 
REGIONS ON 
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN AGENDA FOR CULTURE 
  
COM(2010)390 
EN 2   EN TABLE OF CONTENTS 
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... ..............3 
2. CULTURE IN INTERNAL POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES ...........................................................3 
2.1. CULTURE ............................................................................................................................... ...............3 
2.2. THE AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR ............................................................................................................8 
2.3. EDUCATION AND TRAINING ..........................................................................................................13 
2.4. MULTILINGUALISM .........................................................................................................................15 
2.5. ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP .......................................................................................................................16 
2.6. YOUTH ............................................................................................................................... ..................16 
2.7. COMMUNICATION ............................................................................................................................17 
2.8. COHESION POLICY ...........................................................................................................................18 
2.9. INFORMATION SOCIETY .................................................................................................................19 
2.10. RESEARCH ............................................................................................................................... ...........21 
2.11. ENTERPRISE AND INDUSTRY ........................................................................................................24 
2.12. EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES ..........................................26 
2.13. FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE ............................................................................................29 
2.14. COMPETITION POLICY ....................................................................................................................32 
2.15. TAXATION AND CUSTOMS .............................................................................................................35 
2.16. INTERNAL MARKET .........................................................................................................................37 
2.17. AGRICULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT ................................................39 
2.18. MARITIME POLICY ...........................................................................................................................39 
2.19. ENVIRONMENT POLICY ..................................................................................................................40 
2.20. CONSUMER POLICY .........................................................................................................................40 
3. CULTURE IN EXTERNAL RELATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND 
PROGRAMMES ............................................................................................................................... ....41 
3.1. CULTURE AND DEVE LOPMENT COOPERATION .......................................................................42 
3.2. CULTURE AND TRADE POLICY .................................................................................................. ...44 
3.3. CANDIDATE AND POTENTIAL CANDIDATE COUNTRIES ........................................................45 
3.4. EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD ......................................................................................................49 
3.5. AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AN D PACIFIC (ACP ) COUNTRIES ........................................................53 
3.6. LATIN AMERICA ............................................................................................................................... 56 
3.7. ASIAN COUNTRIES ...........................................................................................................................57 
3.8. INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES .......................................................................................................59 
EN 3   EN COMMISSION WORKING DOCUMENT 
The European Agenda for Culture – progress towards shared goals  
 
Accompanying document to the 
 
COMMISSION REPORT 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT , THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMI TTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE 
REGIONS ON 
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN AGENDA FOR CULTURE 
 
1. INTRODUCTION  
Culture is not only a fundamental element of soci ety and the lives of indi viduals, but is also a 
catalyst for European integration. Wherever it is able to do so, the European Union is playing 
an increasing role in cultural policy and European cultural cooperation. The European 
Agenda for Culture in a globalising world,  marking the beginning of a new era in this area, 
was proposed by the European Commission in May 2007 and endorsed by the Council of the European Union and by the European Council in November and December 2007 respectively. 
Three years on, the European Commission has p ublished a Report on the progress made with 
the Agenda and the path that lies ahead. Th is working document supplements the Report and 
aims to give an overview of the developments in EU policies in which culture is present in 
one way or another, focusing on the period fro m 2007 to the present. For reference, the 
Communication on the European Agenda for Cu lture was accompanied in 2007 by the staff 
working paper ‘Inventory of Co mmunity actions in the field of culture’, available at 
http://ec.europa.eu/ culture/our-policy-de velopment/doc399_en.htm
. 
The Treaty of Lisbon  dedicates an article to Union action in the field of culture (Article 167), 
which should ‘contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while 
respecting their national and regional diversity  and at the same time bringing the common 
cultural heritage to the fore.’  
This article stipulates also that  ‘the Union shall take cultural as pects into account in its action 
under other provisions of the Trea ties, in particular in order to respect and to promote the 
diversity of its culture s.’ In other words, culture should be ‘mainstreamed’ into the Union’s 
policies in the fields of external relations , cohesion policy, employment and many others.  
2. CULTURE  IN INTERNAL  POLICIES  AND  PROGRAMMES  
2.1. CULTURE  
Most EU actions which deal specifically with culture are part of the Culture Programme, but 
some other initiatives are being implemented. 
EN 4   EN 2.1.1.  The Culture Programme (2007-2013) 
Aiming to celebrate Europe’s cultural diversity and enhance its shared cultural heritage, the 
Programme promotes cross-border cooperati on through the mobility of artists, cultural 
professionals and artworks, as well as intercultural dialogue.  
With a budget of EUR 400 million alloca ted for the period 2007-2013, the Culture 
Programme supports projects, orga nisations, promotional activities and research in all fields 
of culture. It is open to all cultural organi sations except the audiovi sual industry, which is 
covered by the MEDIA programme. Support can be given to cultural or ganisations from all 
the EU Member States, candidate countries, EF TA countries which are members of the EEA, 
and other countries for which a memora ndum of understanding has been signed.  
Non-EU countries currently taking part in  the programme include Norway, Iceland, 
Liechtenstein, Turkey, Croatia, former Yugosla v Republic of Macedonia (fYROM), Serbia 
and Montenegro. Subject to the signing of a memorandum of understanding, Bosnia-
Herzegovina and Albania are likely to join in 2011. The Programme also caters for activities 
with third countries , the focus being on a diffe rent country or group of  countries each year: 
India and China  in 2007, Brazil  in 2008, Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, 
Moldova, occupied Palestinian Territory and Tunisia  in 2009, the same countries joined 
by Azerbaijan and Ukraine  in 2010, followed by Mexico  in 2011 and South Africa  in 2012.  
The 250 projects selected for co-funding every y ear involve many more  organisations through 
partnerships. For example,  the projects funded in 2009 involved more than 1  100 
organisations and a large number of individuals.  
Support is provided for cultural actions  to foster cross-border  cooperation, including with 
third countries, and to create and implement cultural and artist ic activities in line with the 
Programme’s objectives.  
The Programme also supports literary translations  from one European language into another 
(including from Latin and ancient Greek), with th e aim of circulating literature more widely, 
and thereby promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. In 2009 a total of 370 
books were translated.  
Cultural bodies  working at European level can receive  co-financing for their operating costs, 
provided they have a significant geographical outreach throughout Europe, varying according 
to the type of activity.  
Studies and dissemination  activities in the field of cu lture are also funded from the 
Programme. Studies are undertaken by external c ontractors at the requ est of the European 
Commission and have included in the last three years: 
• The contribution of culture to regional development - evidence from the 
Structural Funds , ongoing1, looking at the many ways in which culture has been 
incorporated into EU co hesion and regional policy, st ill little known; the study 
will be accompanied by an online practical information kit, addressed to cultural 
operators wishing to learn more about fi nancing opportunities under the Structural 
                                                 
1 final report due during the second quarter of 2010. 
EN 5   EN Funds and to regional policy experts wishing to invest in culture  as part of local 
and regional development strategies;  
• The entrepreneurial dimension of cultural and creative industries, ongoing2, 
aiming at a better understanding  of the operations and specific needs of companies 
in the cultural and creative industries , especially small and medium-sized 
enterprises (SMEs); 
• Mapping and evaluating of existing web platforms within the cultural sector 
aimed at stimulating debate and cross-border exchange of matters 
concerning European culture , ongoing3 
• The impact of culture on creativity  in 2009, exploring the still largely 
underestimated links between culture, cu ltural diversity, cr eativity and – more 
broadly – social, scientif ic and economic innovation; 
• Mobility Matters: Programmes and Sche mes to Support the Mobility of 
Artists and Cultural Pr ofessionals in Europe in 2008, with the purpose of 
providing an overview of the mobility sc hemes that already exist in Europe, 
identifying any existing gaps and proposi ng recommendations for possible future 
action at EU or national level; 
• Sharing Diversity: National approaches to Intercultural Dialogue in Europe 
in 2007, investigating definitions of intercultural dialogue, its challenges to 
different sectors such as culture, educati on, sports and youth, and the main actors 
involved in its promotion.  
– European Capitals of Culture 
The EU's European Capitals of Culture flagship initiative is one of the most ambitious 
European cultural events. The objective is to bring European citizens closer together by promoting a better understanding of our common  cultural heritage, as well as showing the 
richness of our cultural diversity. The Cap itals encourage cooperati on and mobility between 
all kinds of cultural operators. This event is uni que in scale and scope, lasting a full year and 
involving tens of millions of euros in investme nt, the bulk of it from national public sources. 
Over the years its capacity for contributing to the long-term regeneration of cities and their 
regions has been recognised and is being increasingly tapped into. 
The Capital of Culture title is  awarded to the city with the most creative and innovative 
cultural programme proposal. Essential criteria are the European dimension of the cultural programme and the involvement of citizens, including the long-term impact on the cultural 
and social development of the city. More than  40 European Capitals of Culture have been 
designated since the event be gan in 1985. 2010 marks the 25
th anniversary of this highly 
visible EU initiative. 
                                                 
2 final report due during the third quarter of 2010. 
3 final report due during the second quarter of 2010 . 
EN 6   EN 2.1.2.  - Prizes in the field of culture 
With the general objective of highlighting artis ts, works and cultural or artistic achievements 
and making them known beyond national borders,  the EU grants three annual prizes 
(Contemporary Literature, European Bord er Breakers Awards - EBBA, Cultural 
Heritage ) and one biennial prize ( Contemporary Architecture ). 
The awards are presented at large-scale events . The aim is to promote transnational mobility 
of cultural players, stimulate dialogue in the various cultural fields, spotlight excellence and 
cultural diversity, and co ntribute to branding Europe as a creative hub and European culture 
as a driver of crea tivity and innovation. 
2.1.3.  - European Heritage Days 
European Heritage Days is a joint action be tween the European Union and the Council of 
Europe aimed at opening up monuments and site s all over Europe (w hich are not usually 
freely accessible to the genera l public) during a weekend in September. The event attracts 
around 20 million people to remarkable spots spr ead out over the 49 participating countries 
and helps to give greater visibil ity to our shared European heritage. This event is linked to the 
European Heritage Forum , an annual internati onal event bringing toge ther stakeholders 
working on the interpretation, communication and accessibility of cultural heritage. The 
Forum offers an opportunity to raise strategic questions concer ning access to cultural heritage 
and to discuss best practices. 
2.1.4.  European Heritage Label 
A Commission proposal to establish the ‘European Heritage Label’  as an EU-wide initiative 
was approved in March 2010. The purpose of the Labe l is to highlight site s that celebrate and 
symbolise European integration, ideals and hi story. The proposed Decision to establish the 
Label has been submitted to the EU’s Council of Ministers and the Eu ropean Parliament for 
adoption and could potentially come into effect in 2011 or 2012. 
Under the proposed new scheme, each Member State would be able to nominate up to two 
sites per year to receive the Label. Origina lly a 2006 intergovernmental project involving 17 
Member States, the Label as an EU-wide initiative would confer greater credibility, visibility 
and prestige. It would help bot h to increase public awareness of  Europe’s common yet diverse 
cultural heritage and to stimulate cultu ral tourism and intercultural dialogue. 
2.1.5.  Pilot project for artist mobility 
Alongside existing initiatives  under the Culture Programme, the Open Method of 
Coordination (OMC) and structured di alogue with the cultural sector, a pilot project for 
artist mobility  was launched in 2008 outside the Culture Programme. The project had an 
initial budget of EUR 1.5 million voted by the Eur opean Parliament. The results of this pilot 
project are feeding into the work of the Member States in the context of the OMC, as well as 
helping to test new ideas with a view to the pr eparation of a programme in the field of culture 
for the next programming period beyond 2013. 
One element of the pilot project entailed a study  examining the feasibility of a 
comprehensive Europe-wide information sy stem for artists and cultural workers  on the 
legal, regulatory, procedural and financial aspect s related to mobility in the cultural sector. 
The study, carried out by an external consul tant, was published in 2009. The model proposed 
EN 7   EN consists of the creation of a network of information centres in all Member States. This is 
currently being discussed by national experts in the framework of the OMC. Possibilities for leveraging existing assistance services (such as EURES, Citizens Signpost Service and 
SOLVIT) to contribute to the information and help required by mobile artists are also being 
examined.  
A second element of the pilot project was a call for proposals  to encourage networking 
among existing structures supporting mobility in diffe rent cultural sectors: four projects were 
selected. They started their activities in 2008 and have a ma ximum duration of 36 months.  
At the end of 2008, the Parliament voted anothe r EUR 1.5 million line fo r the continuation of 
the pilot project. A new call for proposals  was launched and nine pr ojects were selected. 
They began their activities at the end of 2009 and have a maximum duration of 24 months.  
2.1.6.  Green Paper on "Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries" 
Europe's cultural and creative industries are not only essential for cultural diversity in our 
continent; they are also one of our most dyna mic economic sectors, employing more than 5 
million people across EU-27, contributing 2.6 % to EU GDP and growing faster than the rest of the economy. Cultural and creative industries  are also a lever for social and territorial 
cohesion, as well as driving creativity and i nnovation with positive spill over effects on the 
rest of the economy and on society as a whole. 
But businesses in this sector, and especially SM Es, too often face obstacl es to fulfilling their 
full potential. Cultural and creative industries need the right business environment which 
meets the specific needs of creative entrepreneurship. 
For cultural and crea tive industries to be able to make th e most of the oppor tunities offered by 
cultural diversity, globalization and digitization, the key drivers for these industries' further 
development, the challenge is: 
• To put the right enablers in place through an increased capacity for experimenting 
and innovating, easier access to funding a nd access to the right mix of skills; 
• To help cultural and creative industries  develop in their local and regional 
environment as a launch pad for a str onger global presence, including through 
increased exchange and mobility; and 
• To move towards a creative economy by catalyzing the spill-over effects of 
cultural and creative industries on a wide range of economic and social contexts.  
The European Commission – as part of its European Agenda for Culture - has 
published a Green Paper on "Unlocking th e potential of cu ltural and creative 
industries"
4. This document launches a public cons ultation open until 30 July 2010 to 
gather views on various issues impacting th ese industries, from business environment 
to the need to open up a common European space for culture, from capacity building 
to skills development and promotion of Eu ropean creators on the world stage. The 
contributions received will help the Co mmission ensure that EU programmes and 
policies involving cultura l and creative industrie s are "fit for purpose". 
                                                 
4 COM (2010) 183 final. http://ec.europa.eu/cu lture/our-policy-development/doc2577_en.htm 
EN 8   EN http://ec.europa.eu/culture  
2.1.7.  Cultural Statistics 
Support for evidence-based policymaking is one  of the new working methods advocated by 
the European Agenda for Culture. The Commi ssion coordinates the work of improving the 
comparability of statistics on culture through Eurostat , aiming to make better use of the 
harmonised statistics available at EU level, to widely disseminate these data and to develop a 
specific methodology in the field of cultural statistics. 
In October 2007, the first statistical pocketbook on culture  in the EU was published by 
Eurostat and was very well received. The second edition will be published in early 2011. Additionally, a us er-friendly ‘ Cultural statistics’  section has been created on the Eurostat 
website.  In June 2008, the ‘Cultural sta tistics’ Working Group recommende d to establish a network of 
countries that could work together  on various issues of statisti cs on culture. Consequently, the 
ESSnet-culture  was set up in September 2009 and launched in December 2009 at a 
conference during which the work  programme of this ESSnet was presented. ESSnet-culture 
is composed of four thematic Task Forces  and the main coordina tion is assured by the 
Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg. These Task Forces cover the following domains: 
methodological framework of cultural statisti cs; cultural/creative in dustries; public and 
private expenditure on culture; cultural participation and social impact of culture. The majority of the ESSnet’s tasks are relate d to methodology (for better harmonisation of 
existing and potential future data) but some ne w pilot data collections are also envisaged.  
Closer collaboration with intern ational organisations working in the field of cultural statistics 
(UNESCO, Council of Europe, OECD, UNCTAD a nd WIPO) has been initiated by Eurostat 
and the first international meeting of March 2010 was a good step towards the development of 
cultural statistics worldwide.  
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
 
2.2. THE AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR  
In the conclusions of the Lisbon summit, it wa s stressed that ‘content industries create added 
value by exploiting and networking European cultural diversity’. The audiovisual sector has a 
great economic potential and an important cultural and social impact. Moreover, it plays a key role in the emergence of European citizenship  and identities. Community support is designed 
to enable the European audiovisual sector to promote intercultural dialogue, increase mutual 
awareness amongst Europe’s cultures and de velop its political a nd cultural potential. 
2.2.1.  Regulatory framework 
European audiovisual policy seeks both to pr ovide a framework conducive to development of 
the audiovisual sector and to s upport the transnationa l dimension of this essentially cultural 
industry. To this end, one of the main instruments is the Audiovisual Media Services 
Directive (AVMSD)
5, designed to facilitate ‘business wit hout frontiers’ in the audiovisual 
sector. This Directive, which replaces the ‘Television without Frontiers Directive’, has 
modernised the rules governing audiovisual content in order to adapt them to the new 
                                                 
5 Directive 2010/13/EU of the Parliament and the Council of the 10 March 2010 on the coordination of 
the provisions laid down by law, regulation or admi nistrative action in Member States concerning the 
provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisu al Media Services Directive) (codified version). 
EN 9   EN audiovisual environment. It provides harmonised rules for a ll audiovisual media services 
(including on-demand services), se tting in particular the conditi ons for the transmission across 
borders of audiovisual media services, thus crea ting a legal framework for the free circulation 
of European audiovisual conten t within the EU single market. 
The ‘ country of origin’  principle (which allows media se rvice providers to offer in other 
Member States audiovisual content complying with the laws of their own State) is an efficient 
tool for increasing the number  of cross-border services, th ereby contributing to media 
pluralism and cultural diversity in the EU. 
The Commission will report on th e implementation of the AVMSD in a general application 
report due in December 2011. This report w ill mainly cover the development of the 
audiovisual sector and le vels of media literacy in the Member States. 
In addition, cultural divers ity is fostered through promotion measures of European6 and 
independent audiovisual productions  (Articles 13, 16 and 17 of the AVMSD). Under 
Article 13 Member States must ensure that on-demand audiovisual media services promote, 
where practicable and by appropriate means, production of and access to European works. 
Articles 16 and 17 require Member States to ensure, where practicab le and by appropriate 
means, that broadcasters allocate a majority  of time on TV channels to European-made 
programmes and that a minimum proportion of vi ewing time is reserved for European works 
created by independent produ cers (or alternatively that a minimum programme budget is 
allocated by broadcasters to  independent productions). 
The Commission will, on the basis of an indepe ndent study, report to the European Parliament 
and the Council on the implementation of these pr ovisions, taking into account the objective 
of cultural diversity. 
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/ avpolicy/reg/index_en.htm  
The development of the EU audiovisual and information services industry  also requires a 
minimum level of protection of the general inte rests of the European citizen. On 20 December 
2006 the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Recommendation on the 
Protection of Minors and Human Di gnity and on the Right of Reply  (2006/952/EC) 
dealing with matters such as media literac y, cooperation and shari ng of experience and good 
practices between self-, co- a nd regulatory bodies, action agains t discrimination in all media, 
and the right of reply concerning online media. An implementation report will be published in 
the course of 2010. 
The European Parliament and the Council adopted a Recommendation on Film Heritage 
and the competitiveness of related industrial activities on 16 November  2005. Member States 
must inform the Commission every two years of action taken in response to this 
Recommendation. The first implementation report was published on 4 August 20087 and the 
second report is expected in mid-2010. One issu e that is currently be ing addressed is the 
access of cultural institutions in  the area of film heritage to the Culture Programme, in 
                                                 
6 The AVMSD has extended the definition of European works to works co-produced in the framework of 
agreements related to the audiovisual sector conc luded between the EU and third countries, thus 
increasing the potential for openness to internationa l cooperation, with the aim of fostering cultural 
diversity also through enhanced opportunities for the circulation of audiovisual works. 
7 http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/reg/cinema/report/index_en.htm 
EN 10   EN accordance with the principle of non-discrimina tion. Only projects eligible for the MEDIA 
Programme can be excluded. Bla nket exclusion of audiovisual in stitutions is di sproportionate. 
2.2.2.  Support measures in favour of th e European audiovisual industry 
– MEDIA Programme 
The MEDIA programme was created in 1991 w ith the aim of supporting the European 
audiovisual industry. Since then, there have been four multiannual programmes, the latest 
being MEDIA 2007 (2007-2013, budget: EUR 754.9 million). A  total of 2 billion euros in 
co-funding for the European audiovisual industry has been provided through MEDIA 
between 1991 and 2013. 
The MEDIA programme is intended to make the European audiovisual sector more 
competitive. This means in particular taking measures to foster: 
• the adaptation of the European audiovisu al industry to st ructural upheaval;  
• the development of a propitious envir onment for the small and medium-sized 
businesses which underpin the industrial fabric of the cine ma and audiovisual 
sectors;  
• the creation of an environment which stimulates cooperation between businesses. 
Ultimately, this enhanced competitiveness shou ld become evident in the European Union 
through an increased market share fo r non-national Eur opean productions.  
Productions supported by the MEDIA programme ar e generally of qualitative interest and 
show internationally recogni sed cultural potential, as re flected by the high number of 
MEDIA-supported films competing in the most fa mous film festivals (Cannes Film Festival, 
Venice Festival, Berlinale). Furthermore, a significant number of MEDIA-supported films 
have won prestigious awards8.  
As a consequence of the digi tal revolution and the enlargem ent of the EU, measures under 
MEDIA 2007 are constantly being adapted and st ructured in a growing number of different 
action lines: Training (Initial and Continuous) Development and produce rs’ support, Access 
to finance for SMEs, Distribu tion (Selective and Automatic), Promotion (Access to the 
market / Festivals), Exhibition and New Technol ogies (Video on Demand and linear services / 
Pilot Projects). 
Each year, around 50 specialised training events  for professionals are organised with the 
support of MEDIA. Also, about 15 ‘Initial Tr aining’ initiatives receive MEDIA 2007 support 
                                                 
8 ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’ by Ken Loach won the Palme d’Or  at the Cannes Film Festival in 
2006, ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days’ directed by Romanian film-maker Cristian Mungiu won the 
same prestigious prize in 2007. At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, four films funded by MEDIA 
received honours at the awards ceremony: ‘Entre Les Murs’ by French director Laurent Cantet won the 
Palme d’or, ‘Gomorra’ by Italian director Matteo Garrone received the Grand Prix of the festival, ‘Le 
Silence De Lorna by Belgians Luc and Jean-Pierre  Dardenne got the prize for best scenario and 
‘Tulpan’ directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy from Kazah stan the prize of ‘Un cer tain Regard’. In 2009, 
Austrian film director Michael Hanneke’s ‘Das  Weisse Band ‘ received the Palme in Cannes. 
EN 11   EN aiming to increase exchanges of good practi ces and networking between film schools 
students, trainees and trainers.  
The MEDIA programme provides European indepe ndent production companies with financial 
support for developing their cine ma and audiovisual projects: every year, 350 new European 
film productions are supported by MEDIA.  
Through the distribution schemes , more than half of the Eur opean films shown on European 
cinema screens benefit from MEDIA support. Ni ne out of ten European films which cross 
borders within Europe receive support from the programme. Distribution and promotion of 
European films outside their originating count ry both across Europe and worldwide (almost 
60 % to 65  % of the total budget) are a clear priori ty The MEDIA programme also supports 
cinema networks  and more than 100 film festivals  every year (on conditi on that they show at 
least 70  % of European films). This helps improve the diversity and quality of films produced 
and distributed in Europe wh ile creating greater choice.  
The need to face the challenges of a rapidly changing sector — new te chnologies, new players 
and new participating countries, market frag mentation and difficulties in getting access to 
financing — has meant readaptin g the existing schemes as well as creating two new action 
lines for supporting Video on Demand (VoD)  and Digital Cinema Distribution and Access 
to Finance .  
The main objective of the ‘ VoD’  action — which started in 2007 — is to support the creation 
and exploitation of catalogues of  European works and their digi tal distribution across borders. 
The competitiveness of the audiovisual content industry in Europe will  largely depend on the 
use of these technologies. 
The ‘ access to finance’  action will be implemented in  2010. The audiovisual sector has 
always suffered from structural fragility and undercapitalisation –because financiers see it as a high-risk business carried out mostly by micro- SMEs with few tangible assets. Today, access 
to financing for producers of audiovisual conten t has become even more difficult due to the 
financial crisis. For these reasons, the Co mmission took the initiative to set up a MEDIA 
Production Guarantee Fund  for the audiovisual sector
9.  
http://ec.europa.eu/information_s ociety/media/overview/index_en.htm  
– MEDIA International Preparatory Ac tion (2008-2010, budget: EUR 8 million) 
The MEDIA International preparatory action aims  to explore ways of reinforcing cooperation 
between European and third-country professionals  from the audiovisual industry on a basis of 
mutual benefit. With a budget of EUR 2 millio n voted by the European Parliament for the 
year 2008, and EUR 5 million for 2009, subsequently reduced to EUR 1  million for the 2010 
call, MEDIA International is planned to be the forerunner of a broader EU support 
programme for global cooperation in the audi ovisual industry sector (MEDIA Mundus). 
MEDIA International runs in parallel w ith the existing MEDIA 2007 programme, which 
supports the EU film industry. 
                                                 
9 The fund will share the financial risk related to the loans granted by banks to European independent 
audiovisual producers, by guaranteeing to cover a certain percentage of the loss in case of failure by the 
producer to reimburse the loan, thus encouraging local banks to grant credits to film producers. 
EN 12   EN In February 2009 the second Call for Propos als was published (budget: EUR 5 million), 
aiming at (i) reinforcing the exchange of information a nd knowledge about audiovisual 
markets; (ii) improving the competitiveness an d distribution of works from third countries 
within European markets and vice versa; and (i ii) increasing the circulation and audience of 
these works.  
Out of a total of 95 applications, 40 projects were finally selected. 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/m edia/overview/international/index_en.htm  
– MEDIA Mundus (2011-2013, budget: EUR 15 million) 
Adopted in October 2009, the new MEDIA Mundus programme will follow the MEDIA 
International preparatory action as of 2011. It aims at strengthening cultural and commercial 
relations between Europe’s film industry and professionals from all over the world. Building 
on the experience gained from MEDIA Internat ional, and planned to  run from 2011 to 2013, 
the programme will increase consumer choice by bringing more culturally diverse products to European and international markets and will cr eate new business opportunities for audiovisual 
professionals from Europe and around the globe. 
The budget of EUR 5 million per year w ill fund projects submitted by audiovisual 
professionals from the EU and third countries on the basis of the principle of mutual benefit 
for both sides.  
MEDIA Mundus will: 
• Support training, including trainees and trainers from European and third 
countries.  
• Support the organisation of forums fo r international co -productions.  
• Encourage international sales and promotion of audiovisual works (e.g. cinema, 
TV, IPTV, Web TV and VOD platforms).  
• Encourage cinema operators in Europ ean and third countries to increase, 
reciprocally, the programming and exhibiti on conditions of audiovisual works.  
• Increase the supply of audiovisual content and improve conditions for 
broadcasting works from Europe and from  third countries on TV, IPTV, Web TV, 
VOD platforms etc.  
• Facilitate the organisation of events and media literacy initiatives, aimed in 
particular at young audiences.  
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society /media/overview/media_mundus/index_fr.htm
 
2.2.3.  Other initiatives 
Media literacy  is the ability to access the media, to  understand and to critically evaluate 
different aspects of the media a nd media content and to create communications in a variety of 
contexts. Media literacy relates to all medi a and plays an important role in enhancing 
awareness of European audiovisual heritage and cultural identities and increasing knowledge 
EN 13   EN of and interest in audiovisual heritage and recen t European cultural works. Media literacy is a 
matter of inclusion and citi zenship in today’s society. 
The Commission’s initiative on media litera cy responds to requests by the European 
Parliament and industry together with a numbe r of Member States. At the end of 2007, the 
Commission adopted a Communication on media literacy  and in 2009 came forward with a 
recommendation. The Commission actively promot es the development and exchange of good 
practice on media literacy in the digital envi ronment through existing programmes and invites 
Member States and the media industry to incr ease people’s awareness of the many forms of 
media messages they encounter, be  they advertisements, films or  online content. In 2011, the 
Commission will report on ‘media literacy levels’  in all Member States based on an 
independent study. 
http://ec.europa.eu/avpolic y/media_literacy/index_en.htm  
Other actions in relation to the distribution of  audiovisual content ov er electronic networks 
include ‘ Content online’ , for which the Commission launched a first public consultation in 
2006. The Communication on ‘Content Online in Eu rope’s Single Market’  of 3 January 
2008 triggered another public consul tation on further relevant issues.10. This Communication 
also established the ‘ Content Online Platform’ , which gathered togeth er 77 experts from all 
relevant sectors (rights holders, collectin g societies, creators , content providers, 
telecommunication companies / ISPs, consumers) who discussed at five subsequent meetings 
new business models, legal offerings and the fi ght against piracy, management of copyright 
online, cultural diversity and protection of  minors. In May 2009, the Final Report of the 
Content Online Platform was published11.  
On the basis of this report and the ongoing disc ussions on the issues relevant to creative 
content online – particularly th e ones related to intellectual property rights – the Commission 
published on 22 October 2009 a comprehensive Reflection Paper on Creative Content 
Online . It summarised the state of play and prop osed possible solutions, having regard to the 
existing legal framework and modifications that  would be necessary, and launched the latest 
public consultation, to which the Commissi on received more than 200 contributions.12  
Furthermore the European Union is committed to protecting media pluralism  as well as the 
right to information and freedom of expression  enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter of 
Fundamental Rights. A phased approach to Media Pluralism  was launched in January 
2007. The first step was the publication of a Staff Working Paper  which identified the 
relevant aspects of media pluralism such as inte rnal and external pluralism, relations between 
politics, economic interests and media or access to media content.13. The second step was a 
comprehensive study  presenting a system of indicators fo r measuring media pluralism in the 
Member States of the European Union, completed in 2009.14  
2.3. EDUCATION AND TRAINING  
The Commission Communication ‘Key competences for a changing world’15 takes stock of 
                                                 
10 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Le xUriServ.do?uri=C ELEX:52007DC0836:EN:NOT  
11 http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/docs/other_actions/col_platform_report.pdf  
12 http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/other_actions/content_online/index_en.htm  
13 Media pluralism in the Member States of the European Union SEC(2007) 32. 
14 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/media_taskforce/pluralism/study/index_en.htm  
15 COM(2009) 640 final. 
EN 14   EN the implementation of the 2006 Recommendation on key competences for lifelong 
learning . As regards cultural awareness and expr ession, the Communication makes the point 
that while culture and the arts often form part  of the school curriculu m (except in vocational 
training, where the provision is  generally very limited), in most Member States cultural 
awareness does not appear to be a significant st rategic priority. The potential of the arts to 
provide a methodology for work in  other areas of the curriculum,  and in personal and social 
development, should be better exploited. This  has implications for initial and continuing 
teacher education, which could incorporate methods borrowed from the arts into the 
methodology of all subjects.  
Enhancing creativity at all levels  of education and training and fostering cultural awareness as 
a key competence is also one of the four objectives of the new strategic  framework for 
European cooperation in educ ation and training (‘ET 2020’)16, which highlights the 
priority themes for future intergovernment al cooperation on education and training.  
The Eurydice  network launched a survey on ‘ Arts and Cultural Educ ation at Schools in 
Europe’  in the second half of 2007. The result s published in December 2009 underlined the 
fact that arts education has the potential to develop in pupils not only skills related to creativity, but also different personal and social skills and attitudes. However, to bear fruit, arts education has to overcome certain challenges, such as  a proportionally low level of taught 
time, particularly in lower s econdary education, and specific di fficulties related to assessment. 
Creating partnerships between the worlds of  art and schools seems to be a good way of 
tackling these challenges and more generally  promoting arts education in schools.  
Work on the development of indicators for creativity  is currently u nderway. Measuring 
creativity could be useful to monitor progress over time, e.g. in  students’ achievements, as 
well as country comparison, peer review and po licy learning on issues such as how education 
systems can enhance creativity. To discuss pos sible measurement methods, DG Education and 
Culture organised in 2009 a conference togeth er with the Joint Research Centre (JRC)
17. 
During the conference a wide-ranging debate to ok place between those studying creativity for 
the purpose of increasing individual efficienc y, those linking it to competitiveness at the 
country level, and those trying to understand the role that e ducation systems can play in 
fostering it.  
– Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 
The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 has supported a wide range of actions 
connecting educati on and culture.  
Enhancing creativity and supporting intercultu ral dialogue are among the specific objectives 
of the programme, and those themes of th e European Years 2008 and 2009 account for a 
significant proportion of pr ogramme resources.  
Since 2007, Comenius  has supported far more projects de aling with the in teraction between 
education and culture than in previous years. A trend toward s a broader approach to the 
theme, involving more stakeholders, can be observed. 
                                                 
16 2009/C 119/02. 
17 ‘Can creativity be measured?’ 28-29 May 2009, Brussels. Conference contributions available at 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc1427_en.htm .  
Publication available at http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning policy/doc2082_en.htm  
EN 15   EN Some curriculum development projects supported by the Erasmus  programme are of direct 
relevance to the cultural sector, such as the European Master on Arts, Culture and 
International Management (http://www.emacim.eu ) or the curriculum de velopment project in 
the area of ‘Ideation, Preservation and Presen tation of Contemporary Visual Arts’. The 
‘EDICC’ project aims at developing an acad emic curriculum for Continuing Education on 
Intercultural Competence. Other examples of pr ojects in the field of culture are the creative 
partnership network ‘Artesnet Eu rope’, which sees itself as a Europe-wide ‘community of 
practice’ connecting practitioners from the creati ve/cultural sector, and the Polyfonia network 
that aims at introducing a European dimensi on into the Higher Music Education sector. 
The Leonardo da Vinci  programme has supported mobility projects and pilot projects in 
areas such as graphic design an d fashion, cultural heritage, pe rforming arts, media, cinema 
and audiovisual, music, arch aeology, and architecture.  
Within the Grundtvig  programme in the field of adult education, transnational cooperation 
has often focused on culture and intercultu ral education. The cult ure-related Grundtvig  
projects primarily aim to improve the capacity of  cultural institutions to be active players in 
the adult education field. Several projects are promoted by libraries, museums and art 
associations.  In 2008, 118 Learning Partnerships on cultural subjects were approved; 79 
projects were concerned with artistic educa tion (theatre, music, dance, plastic arts and 
artisanal creativity); another 209 Adult Learning Partnerships dealt with intercultural education including identity and folklore; and 15
 % of the new workshops tackle cultural 
issues. 
http://ec.europa.eu/education  
2.4. MULTILINGUALISM  
Language is the most direct expression of a pe rson’s culture, as well as a tool to understand 
other people’s culture. Together  with respect for the indivi dual, openness towards other 
cultures, dialogue and acceptance of others, respect  for linguistic diversity is a core value of 
the European Union. Our many moth er tongues are a source of wea lth and a bridge to greater 
solidarity and mutual understanding. EU polic ies focus on preserving and fostering this 
linguistic diversity and pr omoting language learning. 
Multilingualism has a significant co ntribution to make in the cu ltural field. Language courses 
are a great way to develop sensitivity towards cultural differences and to understand the ways 
in which culture and language interlock.  Many language-oriented activiti es and projects in the 
Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 have been linked to various forms of cultural 
expression and intercultural dialogue . In 2007 the Comm ission published a study (Languages 
and Cultures in Europe - LACE)  identifying and assessing the nature, scope and extent of 
intercultural skills currently ta ught in compulsory foreign langua ge education in the European 
Union.  
Multilingualism contributes to intercultural dialogue and integration. In 2008 the Commission 
published a report  from a High Level Group on Multilingualism composed of artists, 
intellectuals and cultura l personalities explaining what need s to be done to turn linguistic 
diversity into an asset enablin g citizens to enter into dialogue  with people from different 
cultural backgrounds. 
In the context of the civil society platform  for multilingualism  the Commission has been 
cooperating since the en d of 2009 with EUNIC, the networ k of European National Cultural 
Institutes, in examining the cultural aspects of  language learning. These aspects are becoming 
EN 16   EN increasingly important for mobility in the single market, individual employability and 
personal development. 
Initiatives have been launched in the field of literary translation , aiming mainly to raise the 
profile of literary translators, encouraging th em to take advantage of the new opportunities 
offered by a growing market, supporting exchange s between residence centres, promoting the 
creation of internet platforms where literary tr anslators can share legal advice, data bases, 
book synopses, models for contracts, and contacts with publishers. Moreover, two feasibility 
studies  are being conducted on mobility grants for translators  and a literary translation 
prize .  
http://ec.europa.eu/ education/languages  
2.5. ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP  
The Europe for Citizens Programme  (2007-2013) was launched by the Commission on 1 
January 2007. The concept of active citizenship refers to the participatory dimension of 
citizenship, now enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty. The programme seeks to encourage citizens 
to become actively involved in the process of  European integration, to develop a sense of 
European identity and ownership, based on comm on values, history and culture. It also aims 
at enhancing tolerance and mutual understandi ng between European ci tizens, respecting and 
promoting cultural diversity, while cont ributing to intercultural dialogue.  
In the context of this programme, culture is und erstood in its broader soci ological rather than 
artistic sense, referring to hist ory, ways of life and thinking, l eading to identity and sense of 
belonging. The inclusion of a new ‘European Remembrance’ action, aimed at commemorating the victims of mass crimes perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism, reflects this 
reinforced perspective, drawing lessons from Eur ope’s darkest history to help build the future.  
The core values on which the EU is founded cons titute a priority theme of the programme, as 
is intercultural dialogue. Projec ts supported under the Europe fo r Citizens programme help to 
raise awareness about the impor tance of developing active citi zenship that is open to the 
world, respects cultural diversity  and reflects the basic values of the EU. Types of activities 
include town twinning, tran snational projects and netw orking between civil society 
organisations, NGOs, trade unions, think tanks , associations, and other non-governmental 
bodies. The actors and themes are diverse, but th ey all contribute to debate on our place in 
today’s Europe and our cultural roots.  
http://ec.europa .eu/citizenship
 
2.6. YOUTH  
Culture and creativity have been identified in the new EU Youth Strategy18 as a field of 
action for young people, since involvement in cu ltural activities contribu tes to their personal 
development and feeling of belonging to a co mmunity. Moreover, accessing culture reinforces 
awareness of sharing a common cultural heritage  and promotes active c itizenship open to the 
                                                 
18 Commission Communication An EU strategy for youth — Investing and empowering. A renewed open 
method of coordination to addr ess youth challenges and opportunities COM (2009) 200 — Council 
Resolution of 27 November 2009 on a renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field 
(2010-2018), OJ C 311. 
EN 17   EN world. Culture can even allow young  people to express their crea tive energy in a way that will 
help them to exploit future employ ment and entreprene urial opportunities. 
Member States and the European Commissi on are working togeth er to enhance young 
people’s experience of culture a nd to develop their talent and creative skills. This includes 
making new technologies readily  available to harness young people’s creativity, promoting 
specialised training in new media and interc ultural competences for youth workers, and 
encouraging partnerships between culture & cr eative sectors and youth organisations or those 
active with young people. 
A recently conducted study on youth access to culture in Europe19 highlights good practices 
and includes proposals for helping European institutions and Member States to overcome common obstacles such as cost and distance, and improve the access of all young people to all 
forms of creative and cultural activity. 
Community youth programmes often offer young pe ople the opportunity to engage in cultural 
activities.  The general objectives of the Youth in Action programme (2007-2013)  contribute 
to the development of EU culture policy, partic ularly as regards recognition of the cultural 
and linguistic diversity of Europe. In a similar vein, European Voluntary Service  allows 
young people aged between 18 and 25 to spend up to 12 months abroad in order to contribute 
to local projects of many different types, including artistic and cultural activities. 
Special emphasis has often been laid on the ‘intercultural dialogue’ di mension, reflecting in 
particular the idea that youth exchanges help  above all to establish mutual trust and 
understanding and foster a sp irit of active exchange.  
http://ec.europa.eu/youth
 
2.7. COMMUNICATION  
The link between culture and communication is a mutually-reinforcing one. On the one hand, 
culture influences the way we express ourselv es and communicate with others. On the other 
hand, we learn about and from di fferent cultures through comm unication. This means that if 
we want to continue to create a shared cu ltural space in Europe, communication must become 
intercultural across national borders, across various cultural backgrounds, languages and 
religious or philosophical convi ctions. Through the involvement of citizens in debates about 
the future of Europe, the communication stra tegy aims to create shared spaces where 
intercultural dialogue can take place, while fost ering active European ci tizenship and a sense 
of European belonging.  
EuroGlobe Pilot Action: Communication even ts using culture as a vehicle in 2010 and 
2011 
In 2007, 2008 and 2009, civil society initiatives  aimed at developing European public spaces 
for debate, culture and learning were encour aged. Several projects received financial  support  
for the organisation of events using culture as a communication vehicle in the Member States 
holding the rotating Presidency of the EU. 
                                                 
19 See Commission Youth website at http://ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.htm  
EN 18   EN The overall aim is to foster a European public sp here for debate, cultur e and learning through 
the organisation of events that will promote an  understanding of the relevance of the EU for 
culture and society in the Member States. 
The overarching theme of the events financed is : ‘The relevance of th e EU for culture and 
society in the country holding the Council’s Pres idency’. Since the target audience is the 
public at large, the projects focus on comm unicating on the EU as a whole and not on its 
individual institutions. 
For example, the European Film Festival EuroCiné featured 27 films from the 27 Member 
States on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Schuman declaration, on 9 May 2010. 
The catalogue of films will be  screened through UGC’s cine mas in Brussels, Luxembourg, 
Madrid, Rome and Strasbourg. The Festival included debates with film producers, EU 
decision-makers and the public. In 2011, the catalogue  of 27 films will be digitalised for the 
first time, allowing simultaneous screenings in Budapest under the Hunga rian Presidency of 
the EU and Warsaw under the Polish Presidency. 
In the second half of 2010, music festivals featur ing bands from the 27 Member States will be 
organised in Brussels, Namur and Antwerp. In pa rallel, debates on the EU and its policies will 
involve EU and national decision-makers a nd groups of youngsters attending the music 
festivals. In Namur and Antwerp, the music festiv als will be dedicated to the topic of climate 
change. 
http://ec.europa.e u/dgs/communication  
2.8. COHESION POLICY  
Culture has an important role to play in Eur opean economies, and there are many possibilities 
for financing under the instruments of the Co hesion Policy: support for innovation and for 
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), funding for cultural services which integrate 
information and communication technologie s, funding for research projects on the 
preservation and restoration of cultural herita ge, etc. The instruments of the new Cohesion 
Policy 2007-13 should make it possible to tap a ll the potential of th e cultural sphere, 
particularly that of the creative industries.  The creation of networks and interregional 
cooperation activities, for instance, ca n be supported by Cohesion Policy funds. 
Regions which benefit from the Convergence Objective  have resources to invest in the 
protection, promotion and preserva tion of their cultura l heritage and in the development of 
their cultural infrastructure, provided that th ese investments have a significant impact on the 
socio-economic development of the region. Meas ures to promote sustainable tourism and 
enhance a region’s appeal are also being supported.  
The Competitiveness and Employment Objective  allows beneficiary regi ons to invest in the 
protection and enhancement of local cultural heri tage if this will have an impact on regional 
socio-economic development. Such investments ma y also relate to promotion of the regions’ 
cultural assets, with a view to developing sustainable tourism.  
The Territorial Cooperation Objective allows regions to invest  in culture. Cross-border 
cooperation will facilitate the development and shared use of cultural infrastructures. As 
regards transnational cooperation, financing will be available fo r measures to preserve and 
promote cultural heritage where these tie in wi th a sustainable urban development policy. In 
fact, measures to preserve and develop cultur al heritage can be financed under special 
EN 19   EN provisions for urban development in the new Regulation on the European Regional 
Development Fund (ERDF) .  
For the total of 434 operational programmes  approved by the Commission over the period 
2007-2013 amounting to EUR 347 billion, the Member  States have earmarked EUR 6 billion 
for the ‘Culture’ heading , including EUR 2.9 billion for protection and preservation of 
cultural heritage, EUR 2.2 billion for the develo pment of cultural infrastructure, and EUR 797 
million for assistance to improve cultural services20.  
There is, however, a lot more that Cohesion Po licy with a total budget of EUR 347 billion and 
its tools will do for culture and its related industries. Further support will be provided under 
other relevant headings, such as Tourism, Urban regeneration, Research Technology 
Development, SME promotion, info rmation society and human capital . Moreover, from 
the recent Strategic reporting21 figures, it appears that a substantial part (25.8  %) of the 
amounts planned for the ‘Culture’ heading has al ready been allocated by  the Member States 
to selected operations.  
A valuable contribution towards further mainst reaming of culture in regional development 
programmes comes from related innovative ac tions and territorial  cooperation schemes 
carried out during the last f unding period. For the category ‘ heritage, culture and tourism’  
of interregional cooperation ( INTERREG III c ), the experiences of no fewer than 42 projects 
can serve as inspiration for shapers a nd managers of the new programmes.  
An initiative under the Territo rial Cooperation objective, ‘ Regions for Economic Change’ , 
introduces new ways of boosting regional and urban networks and testing and rapidly 
disseminating innovative ideas among the operati onal programmes in Member States. Three 
of the twelve fast-track networks of this initia tive relate to culture (cultural heritage, cultural 
industries and cultu ral diversity).   
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy  
2.9. INFORMATION SOCIETY  
2.9.1.  Digital Libraries initiative 
Information and Communication Technologies can further enhance Europe’s rich cultural and 
linguistic diversity, by facilitating the creation of high-quality digita l content, improving 
access to our shared heritage, and supporting its preservation. The Commission’s Digital 
Libraries initiative  aims at making European cultural reso urces and scientific records easy to 
use in an online environment, by improving th e framework conditions for digitisation and 
digital libraries in Europe, and by providing co-funding to relevant projects through EU 
programmes.  
Europeana, Europe’s digital library, museum and archive, was launched in November 2008. 
The number of digital objects ac cessible through Europeana gr ew quickly from 2 to the 
current 7 million. These are books, journals, ne wspapers, maps, photos, images of museum 
objects and archaeological sites, films, documen taries, TV and radio broadcasts, music and 
                                                 
20 See EU Cohesion Policy- the Thematic Pages/ Culture  at 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/themes/culture   
21 See Cohesion policy: Strategic Report 2010 on th e implementation of the programmes 2007-2013  
of 31.03.2010, COM(2010)110, SEC(2010)360 at http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/reporting   
EN 20   EN other sound recordings. They originate from more than 1  000 cultural organisations across 
Europe. The service, still in a beta phase, has al ready in its first year attracted 6 million users, 
corresponding to 120 million hits. Planning for 2010 includes the target of 10 million digital 
objects, and the launch of a new version of Eur opeana.eu, bringing it from a prototype to a 
full service with new multilingual t ools and community facilities.  
In August 2009 the Co mmission adopted the Communication ‘Europeana - next steps’ , 
looking ahead to the next phase  of development of European a and its orientation for the 
future. The Communication also launched a public consultation, which triggered 118 
contributions by stakeholders indicating widespread support for Europeana and the Digital 
Libraries initiative. On 27 N ovember 2009, EU Culture Minist ers addressed the issue of 
digitisation policies in Europe, and how to make books and other cultural content available 
through Europeana.  
In particular, the issues of orphan and out-of-print works, raised by the High Level Expert 
Group on Digital Libraries  (2006-2009), have been take n up by the Commission in its 
Communication on Copyright in the Knowledge Economy . An impact assessment on 
possible options for orphan work s is ongoing, and further work with  stakeholders on ways to 
facilitate rights clearance for digitisation and online dissemination has been announced, 
including simpler licensing arrangements.  
The Member States’ Experts Group on Digitisation and Digital Preservation , set up in 
2007, monitors progress made with the actions  set out in the Commission Recommendation 
on Digitisation, Online Accessibility and Di gital Preservation of Cultural Material22. 
Moreover, it facilitates exchange of best pr actices and experiences among Member States in 
areas such as accessibility standards for people  with disabilities, large-scale digitisation 
facilities, orphan and out-of-print works. It also serves as a m eans to discuss topical issues 
such as Google Books (Public Private Part nerships) and the long-term funding and 
governance arrangements for Europeana.   
The Commission has announced new measures  for promoting digitisation and online 
accessibility of our cultural heritage in the framework of the new Digital Agenda for 
Europe . 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/ activities/digital_libraries/index_en.htm  
2.9.2.  ICT Policy Support Programme: digital libraries and multilingual web 
The ICT Policy Support Programme (‘ICT PSP ’) aims at stimulating innovation and 
competitiveness through wider uptake and best use of ICT by citizens, governments and businesses. ICT PSP is one of three specific programmes implemented through Decision No 
1639/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing 
a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007-2013) (‘CIP’). ICT PSP 
encompasses activities on cultural, scientific and scholarly content, as well as on multilingual 
access to quality digital content for educati on, conducted under the eContent (2000-2004) and 
eContentplus (2005-2008) programmes.  
                                                
 
22 Commission Recommendation 2006/585/EC. ICT-PSP is one of three specific programmes 
implemented through Decision No 1639/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 
October 2006 establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007-2013) 
(‘CIP’). 
EN 21   EN One of the policies supported by the programme is the digital libraries initiative , aiming to 
improve the accessibility, use and preservation of Europe’s rich and diverse cultural and 
scientific heritage in the onlin e environment. It further supports experiments with open access 
to scientific information and explores new paradigms for accessing and using this information. Through the ICT PSP the Commission intends to support ac tivities that will 
continue to make more cultural and scientific content available online, whilst at the same time 
supporting the next development phase of the cen tral Europeana service as an access portal to 
this content.  
The budget allocated for digita l libraries in 2009 was EUR 25 million. Funded projects 
directly related to Europ eana include: EUROPEANA v. 1.0, s upporting the European Digital 
Library Foundation to devel op a new operational service;  EUROPEANA CONNECT, for 
interoperable, multilingual and user-ori ented services; and EUROPEANA LOCAL for 
making local and regional content accessible. Pr ojects targeting specific types of cultural 
institutions in view of providing their cont ent to Europeana include: EFG-European Film 
Gateway (film archives), APENET- Internet Ga teway for Documents and Archives in Europe 
(archives) and ATHENA (museums). 
The ICT PSP also supports lingu istic diversity in the online universe through the theme 
‘Multilingual Web’  theme, first introduced in the 2009 work programme with a budget of 
EUR 14 million. Nine high-impact pilot projec ts were selected following the 2009 call for 
proposals. These projects levera ge the richness of la nguages and involve a significant number 
of European SMEs and particularly impressi ve participation on the part of the new EU 
Member States. The 2010 work programme provides for a budget of EUR 16 million for 
‘Multilingual Web’. Its main objectives are: to build a European infras tructure for language 
resources (e.g. terminology bases, lexica, collections of translated  documents, etc.) and to set 
up multilingual web services, for the public and private sector alike. 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society /activities/econten tplus/index_en.htm
 
2.10. RESEARCH  
The Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for research and development supports culture 
directly and indirectly through its specific pr ogrammes. Cultural aspects are included in a 
number of thematic priorities: 
– Information society technol ogies: cultural heritage 
The European Commission’s funded research in Information Society Technologies (IST) 
applied to cultural heritage deals with leading-edge in formation and communication 
technologies for expanding access to and use of  Europe’s rich cultural and scientific 
resources. It also investigates how digital c ontent created today will survive as the cultural 
and scientific knowledge of the future. Between 2006 and 2009 a to tal budget of EUR 51.1 
million was devoted to supporting research projects  that explored leading-edge information 
and communication technologies for accessing, experiencing and preserving cultural and 
scientific resources. 
A total of 11 projects were funded through two FP7 calls for proposals in 2007 and 2008: 
Research and technical development in the form of large integrated projects on mass 
digitisation of European cultural heritage, 3D di gitisation of cultural heritage artefacts, and 
preservation of audiovisual and film herita ge, and on developing a digital preservation 
framework, coordination actions on multilingua l information access and on digital library 
EN 22   EN interoperability, and more targeted research pr ojects dealing with virtual representations of 
urban environments as well as aspects of digi tal preservation and digital libraries, such as 
emulation, web archiving and data mining.  
Funded projects include: 3D-COFOR M, delivering new tools in the areas of 3D-capture and 
3D-processing of cultural artef acts; PRESTOPRIME bringing t ogether the main European 
institutions responsible for audiovisual archiv es to develop methods for preserving their 
content; IMPACT led by European national libra ries is removing technological barriers in the 
field of mass digitisation and V- CITY is recreating historic urban environments using an 
innovative interactive 3D user interface. 
In the 2009-2010 Work Programme of the Info rmation and Communication Technologies 
theme of FP7, cultural heritage research is an essential part of Objective 4.1 of Challenge 4, 
‘Digital Libraries and Digital Preserva tion’. The overall budget for 2009-2010 is EUR 69 
million. 
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ic t/telearn-digicult/home_en.html  
– Information society technologies : multilingual technologies 
Technology helps to maintain and promote Europe’s linguistic diversity. Automated 
translation, indexing, text an alysis and speech processing  enable communication across 
language barriers and make content accessibl e and understandable to speakers of any 
language. The FP7-ICT programme is an im portant source of financial support for 
multilingual technologies. The 2009 call for prop osals provided language technology projects 
with EUR 26 million in co-funding. The selected projects address adaptive and self-learning 
machine translation, embedded in a collabora tive online environment and making use of 
context and user feedback. In the next work  programme for 2011-2012 support is expected to 
increase significantly to EUR 50 million for la nguage technologies, ranging from multilingual 
content processing to information retrieval and speech-enabled conversational systems. 
Actions in the field of language technology, funded through the CIP, ICT PSP and FP7-ICT 
programmes, have been supported as a priority in poi nt 4.A.e of the Counc il Resolution of 21 
November 2008 on a European Strategy for Multilingualism.23 
More information:  http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/l anguage-technologies/portfolio_en.html
 
– Social sciences and humanities 
Within the ongoing Seventh Framework Program me (2007-2013), projects in the field of 
social sciences are supported th rough the specific programme on ‘ Cooperation’, Theme 8: 
‘Socio-economic sciences and Humanities’ (SSH). In this context, two activities are 
particularly relevant to culture.  
Culture-related projects in the fields of social  sciences and humanities are supported through 
Activity 5, ‘The citizen in the EU’  (total budget: EUR 11 million) addressing two areas: 
‘Participation and citizenship in Europe’ and ‘D iversities and commonalities in Europe’. The 
two areas cover topics such as: European diversities and commonalities including their 
                                                 
23 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms _Data/docs/pressData/en/educ/104230.pdf   
EN 23   EN historical origins and evolution; cultural inte ractions from an international perspective; 
cultural heritage; identities including European  identity; approaches to multiple coexisting 
cultures; the role of language; the arts and religions; at titudes and values. Examples of 
projects funded in these areas are: EUROFEST IVAL ‘Art festivals and the European public 
culture’ ( http://www.euro-festival.org/ ); EUNAMUS ‘European national museums: Identity 
politics, the uses of the past  and the European citizen’ ( http://www.eunamus.eu/ ); 
GENDERACE ‘The use of racial anti-discrim ination laws: gender and citizenship in a 
multicultural context’ ( http://genderace.ulb.ac.be/ ); IME ‘Identities and modernities in 
Europe: European and national identity construc tion programmes, politics, culture, history 
and religion’ (http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/research /european/ime/); CRIC ‘Identity and conflict. 
Cultural heritage and the reconstruction of identities after conflict’ (http://www.cric.arch.cam.ac.uk/index.php
); MediaAcT (‘Media Accountability and 
Transparency in Europe’) ( http://www.mediaact.eu ); and MEDIADEM (‘European Media 
Policies Revisited: Valuing and Reclaiming Free and Independent Media in Contemporary 
Democratic Systems’). 
• In the same specific programme, Activity 3 on ‘Major tre nds in society and their 
implications’  addresses topics such as cultural ex changes, multiculturalism, dialogue and 
cultural diversity. Examples of funded proj ects through this activity include: RESPECT 
‘Towards a topography of tolerance and equal respect. A comparative study of policies for 
the distribution of public spa ces in culturally diverse soci eties’; ACCEPT ‘Tolerance, 
diversity and social cohesion res ponding to the challenges of the 21st century in Europe’; 
MEDIA & CITIZENSHIP: Transnational televisi on cultures reshaping political identity in 
the European Union’ ( http://www.media-citizenship.eu ). 
Furthermore, under Cooperation Theme 8 on ‘Socio-eco nomic sciences and Humanities’ , 
the European Commission co-funds HERA JRP ‘Hum anities in the European Research Area - 
Joint Research Programme’, initiated by 13  national organisations funding humanities 
research. HERA JRP finances high-quality tran snational collaborative research investigating 
how creativity is linked to innov ation culturally, soci ally and economically. It also considers 
cultural dynamics, such as the crossover betwee n ‘high culture’ and ‘low culture’ as well as 
how culture affects identity and social cohesion. A joint open call for transnational projects in 
two humanities research areas, namely ‘Cultural Dynamics: Inheritance and Identity’ and ‘Humanities as a Source of Creativity a nd Innovation’, was launched in January 2009. 
Nineteen collaborative research proposals involving consortia of at least three partners from 
three or more HERA JRP countries we re awarded funding in December 2009.  
www.heranet.info
 
– Mobility and Capacity-building 
Other specific components of the Framework Progr amme are also broadly relevant to culture. 
The specific programme ‘People ’ supports mobility of researchers and training of PhD 
students in scientific fields related to culture. 
Within the specific programme ‘Capacities ’, cultural aspects are high lighted mainly through 
projects linking science and society, where cultural means ar e often used to bridge the 
division between citizens and science. For ex ample, the EUR 5.2 million PLACES project is 
bringing together networks of science museums and science centr es, science events organisers 
and other key actors to promote scientific cu lture and communication. This four-year project 
is expected to define a model for a City of Sc ientific Culture. In future years links between 
scientific culture and other creative and cultural activities will be strengthened.  
EN 24   EN http://cordis.europa.e u/fp7/sis/home_en.html   
– Culture and Environment 
Within FP7, the ‘Environment (including climate change)’ theme through a specific sub-
activity on ‘Cultural Heritage’ is supporting research on various  subjects ranging from the 
development of advanced techniques and mate rials to non-destructive damage diagnosis, to 
methods of conservation and restoration, and m itigation and adaptation strategies for facing 
up to climate change and other environmental and human risks. 
In its first four years, FP7 supported 16 projects on this t opic for a total EC funding of 
EUR 32.5 million, including one large-scale pr oject entitled ‘CLIMATE FOR CULTURE’, 
dealing with the impact of climate change on Cultural Heritage conservation strategies, a 
subject first addressed by the FP6 NOAH’s AR K project, which was awarded the Europa 
Nostra Prize in 2009. 
– Joint Programming Initiative on Cult ural Heritage and Climate Change 
On 3 December 2009, the Competitiveness C ouncil adopted conclusions endorsing the 
identification and substantiation of a Joint Pr ogramming Initiative (JPI) on ‘Cultural Heritage, 
Climate Change and Security’24, coordinated by Italy and initia lly supported by 14 countries. 
The Council invited the Commission to c ontribute to the prep aration of the JPI25. 
Joint Programming is a process whereby Member  States address join tly areas where public 
research programmes can respond to major societal challenges (‘grand challenges’). 
Joint Programming Initiatives will seek to align the national research programmes in order to 
develop a more effective respons e to the issue at stake. In this framework, Member States 
define, develop and implement a common vision  and a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA). 
The Commission may contribute with measures to establish the proposed JPI. It is worth 
noting that the preservation of Cultural Her itage, affected by environmental and human 
factors, was one of the first priority areas to be identified for the implementation of this new 
instrument. 
2.11. ENTERPRISE AND INDUSTRY  
2.11.1.  The Competitiveness and Innovation Programme 
With a total budget of over EUR 3.6 billion for the period 2007-2013, the Competitiveness 
and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) is the European funding instrument specially 
aimed at fostering the competitiveness of Europ ean firms, in particular small and medium-
sized enterprises (SMEs). Th e programme is designed to encourage innovative activities, 
offering better access to finance as well as business s upport services. It also aims to enhance 
the use of information and communication technol ogies (ICT) as well as the use of renewable 
energies and energy efficiency. 
                                                 
24 This provisional title was later changed by the cons ortium of proposing countries to ‘Cultural Heritage 
and Global Change: a new challenge for Europe’. 
25 Council conclusions 17226/09 http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/09/st17/st17226.en09.pdf  
EN 25   EN The programme has supported various activities  related to creative industries through its 
initiatives on innovation. Under the Europe INNOVA and Pro INNO Europe ® initiatives, a 
number of pilot projects  have been launched..  
Examples of such projects are ADMIRE, aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of European 
SMEs through better use of design; the Innovati on C.I.R.C.U.S. that examined the driving 
forces behind innovation, recordin g experiences of, and attit udes towards creativity and 
innovation in European regions; the Innovation Festival, celebrat ing innovation and creativity 
across six European cities; the ImMediaTe pr oject aimed at supporting growth and innovation 
skills of SMEs in the Digital Media and Cr eative Industries; BCreative, aiming to support 
SMEs in the creative sector through streamlin ing different innovation support mechanisms. In 
addition, the EPISIS INNO-Net will look more cl osely at new markets generated by service 
innovation, such as by the creative industries.  
http://www.europe-innova.eu  and http://www.proinno-europe.eu  
One of the CIP’s key instruments for supporting SMEs in their growth and innovation 
activities is the Enterprise Europe Network . Launched in 2008 by the European 
Commission, the Network provides a range of ta rgeted business and innovation services to 
European SMEs. Combining the former Innovation Relay Centres and Euro Info Centres, the 
Enterprise Europe Network is made up of 577 organisations across 45 co untries. The services 
of the Network – next to pr oviding advice on business collabor ations across borders – also 
help SMEs to access EU support programmes such as FP7.  
The Enterprise Europe Network partners also provide support on a sectoral or cluster basis 
(Network sector groups). The creative industries sector group  was recently established and 
held its first meeting in Birmingham in Ap ril 2010, hosted by the Birmingham Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry. The aim of the group is  to showcase local cr eative activities to 
potential customers across the EU. It also tackles further upgradi ng of SME customers’ 
business models or fresh activity through seekin g collaboration across the whole network into 
the internal market and beyond. The group should  mobilise SMEs present at major cultural 
events throughout Europe to exchange on busin ess or innovation opport unities and to mount 
trans-national deal s involving SMEs. 
Whilst creative industries represent a core el ement of culture and creative activity ranging 
from performing arts to games, fashion, design, etc., considerable synergy for further innovative commercial activity is to be  derived from interaction with the ICT sector group  
(both on audiovisual production equipment and on digital content platforms) as well as the 
tourism and culture heritage sector group (role of  art and creativity in enhancing tourism). The 
creative industries sector group of the Enterp rise Europe Network has around twenty Network 
partners. It will be a catalyst  for further take-up of innovati ve and commercial opportunities 
by the whole EU creative industry. 
http://www.enterprise-europe-net work.ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
 
2.11.2.  Small Business Act  
Adopted in June 2008, the Small Business Act  (SBA) for Europe reflects the Commission’s 
political will to recognise the central role of  SMEs in the EU economy and for the first time 
puts into place a comprehensive SME policy framework for the EU and its Member States. 
The SBA aims to improve the overall approach to entrepreneurship, to ir reversibly anchor the 
‘Think Small first’ principle in policymaking from regulation to pub lic service, and to 
EN 26   EN promote SMEs’ growth by helping them tackle  the remaining problems which hamper their 
development. 
The Small Business Act for Europe applies to all companies which are independent and have 
fewer than 250 employees, meaning 99  % of all European businesses, among which a 
significant number of companies operate  in the cultural and creative sector. 
2.11.3.  Design as a driver of innovation  
In April 2009, the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, the European Commission 
published a staff working document entitled ‘ Design as a driver of user-centred 
innovation ’26. It painted a broad picture of the be nefits of design as  a bridge between 
creativity and innovation, between culture and the market. It hi ghlighted the potential of 
design to enhance the attrac tiveness of new products — e.g. by making technological 
inventions more user-friendly — as well as to bring innovation in to mature markets. It also 
recognised that the application of design is not limited to aesthetics, bu t that as an innovation 
activity, it allows environmental, safety and ot her user considerations  to be taken into 
account. As such, design complements more trad itional innovation drivers such as research. 
To explore what could be done at a European level to furthe r support design, the European 
Commission launched an online public consultation  on the topic on the basis of the staff 
working document. The consultation was received with a lot of interest by the stakeholders, 
with 91 percent of responding orga nisations saying that design is very important for the future 
competitiveness of the EU economy. 71 percent c onsider that its use is very important to 
achieve social objectives, and 72 percent think the same to achieve environmental objectives.  
http://ec.europa.eu/ente rprise/policies/innovatio n/policy/design-creativity  
2.11.4.  2.10.4. Creative industries and services innovation 
Furthermore, in September 2009, the European Commission published a staff working 
document entitled ‘ Challenges for EU support to innovation in services ’27, analysing the 
economic relevance of services in Europe and the potential of se rvices innovation. The 
document concluded that the European policy a pproach to services innovation needs to be 
holistic and to make better use of available Co mmunity instruments in order to have a real 
impact. The analysis showed th at the creative industries have one of the greatest innovation 
potentials in the services field. 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise   
2.12. EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL AFFAIR S AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES  
2.12.1.  European Social Fund (ESF)  and the culture sector   
The European Social Fund is continuing to ma ke a considerable indi rect contribution to 
culture through support for vocational training  and pathways to employment. Creative 
industries are increasingly recognised as successf ul sectors of employment and are linked to 
the creation of enterprises. Th e ESF invests in the cultural fi eld through many different ways; 
                                                 
26 SEC(2009)501. 
27 SEC(2009)1195. 
EN 27   EN advice and training for entreprene urs who wish to start a busin ess in the creative sector, 
investing in training for public auth orities’ staff working in the cultural or tourism area, grants 
for students studying in the artistic  or cultural heritage field.  
Art, photography, renovation, these are also fields that can he lp to reintegrate unemployed 
persons or attract young people who have left  the traditional educ ation system. The ESF 
invests in projects that encourage people to deve lop new skills in these areas and this often 
result in jobs for people previous ly considered as socially excluded.  One example is Real 
Ideas Organisation (RIO) in England, a soci al enterprise working with young people and 
unemployed persons in the creative sector.  
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/  
2.12.2.  Social dialogue in the audiovis ual and live performance sectors 
– Audiovisual sector 
In the EU, more than 2.3 million people are employed in publishing activities, video and 
television programme production, and programmi ng, broadcasting and information service 
activities, and almost 1.2 million people work in printing and media reproduction. The progressive liberalisation of the audiovisual in dustries has led to an increasing division of 
labour across the value chain, part icularly in the tele vision sub-sector. A similar process has 
occurred within the field of radio broadcas ting, with the growth of independent radio 
production companies and service providers. The in itial expansion of th e audiovisual sector 
has been followed by a process of rationalisatio n, with a handful of large players dominating 
the field in many countries. 
The audiovisual industry faces various other cha llenges. In the public sect or, there is a threat 
to licence fees and public fundi ng, while in the commercial se ctor advertising revenue has 
collapsed and the number of work commissions ha s fallen, leading to fi nancial instability. 
Problems that have arisen in the digital age in clude how to provide content across numerous 
platforms and increased pi racy of creative output 
Many workers in the audiovisual sector fa ce irregular and unpredictable employment 
opportunities, atypical c ontractual relationships  and lack of control over their working 
conditions. This means that safeguarding and enhancing a genuine pr ofessional status for 
cultural and media workers is vital to making a career viable. However, audiovisual sector 
workers have a recognised standard of competence which allows them to be mobile within the 
industry across the EU and beyond. They tend also to  be highly skilled and are trained for the 
future requirements of the sector.  
The Audiovisual Sectoral Social Dialogue Comm ittee has only recently been established. So 
far, it has focused on enlargement and how to improve social dialogue in the new Member States, health and safety at work, training as a tool for change, equal opportunities and 
diversity; as well as following up EU draft legislation and policie s (such as the revision of the 
Working Time Directive and the Directive on services in the internal market). 
In 2009 a new sub-working group on training st arted its work in two test categories: 
journalists and technicians. The objective is to  identify the needs of media and entertainment 
workers in the sector and to develop joint activities. 
– Live performance sector 
EN 28   EN The live performance sector covers artistic a nd literary creation, interpretation, operation of 
arts facilities, fair and amusement parks and ot her entertainment activities in direct contact 
with the public. The EU live performance sector employs a million or so people, up to half of whom have the status of self-employed. Among th e employees, almost a third work part-time. 
Moreover, more than 40
 % of the workers are wo men, and more than 40  % of the workforce 
has a high education level. 
The slow growth or even declin e in public subsidies for the sect or in EU countries in recent 
years has put the budgets of many established performing arts organi sations under pressure. 
Moreover, the nature of the live performan ce sector necessitates significant geographical 
mobility. However, the European social partners consider that there is no satisfactory response to the problems of visas, work permits , residence, recognition of  diplomas, status of 
artists in terms of social protec tion and taxation, which need to be resolved if workers are to 
be fully mobile. These problems stem from di sparities in legisla tion between European 
countries.  
The Live Performance Sectoral Social Dial ogue Committee was estab lished in 1999 and its 
rules of procedure were adopted in January 200 3. It meets about six ti mes a year, in biannual 
plenary meetings and dedicated working groups . Recent outputs of the Committee include a 
Joint Statement on the impact of the financial cris is in the live performance sector (2009), and 
the Bucharest and Sophia Declarations on streng thening social dialogue and reinforcing the 
capacities of national social partner organisa tions in the newer Member States in the 
performing arts sector (2007).  
Currently, the Live Performance Sectoral Soci al Dialogue Committee is working on issues of 
EU enlargement, technical training in the thea tre and mobility. In response to the European 
Year of Workers’ Mobility in 2006, they prepar ed a study on impediments to mobility in the 
EU live performance sector and on possible solutions.  
2.12.3.  Coordination of social security schemes for artists  
Mobility of artists within the Europ ean Union is a particular problem area . In fact, EU law on 
the coordination of social security schemes doe s not easily apply to professionals who work 
frequently and for short periods of time under varying employment st atuses in different 
Member States. Given that the problems are similar for different professional groups, the 
situation of highly mobile workers is being analysed as a whole rather than through a 
profession-specific approach.  
The scope and limitations of existing rules determ ining the social security coverage of highly 
mobile groups of workers will be the subj ect of a Commission communication in 2011, which 
will draw up guidelines for implementing the cu rrent legal framework and explore possible 
adjustments.  
Key issues for highly mobile workers are prov ision of information and acceleration of the 
administrative procedures. These aspects will be improved thr ough the modernised 
Regulations for coordination of social securi ty systems (originally Regulations 883/2004 and 
574/2009), entering into force on 1 May 2010. C ooperation across Member States will be 
strengthened through new provision s and streamlined procedures. At  the latest as from 1 May 
2012, social security data will be exchanged electr onically (EESSI system) so as to accelerate 
procedures and secure rights. 
EN 29   EN 2.12.4.  Access to culture for people with disabilities 
Since March 2007, all EU Member  States have signed the United Nations Convention on 
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)  and a majority have also signed its 
Optional Protocol. The European Community ( now EU) has also signed the Convention and 
the Council adopted the Decision for conc lusion of the Convention in November 2009. 
Furthermore, the Commission has issued a prop osal for a Council decision to accede to the 
Optional Protocol. 
Article 30 of the UNCRPD declares that State Parties recognise the right of persons with 
disabilities to take part on an equa l basis with others in cultural life , and must take 
appropriate measures enabling them to: a) en joy access to cultural materials in accessible 
formats; b) enjoy access to tele vision programmes, films, theatre  and other cultural activities, 
in accessible formats; c) enjoy access to places for cultural performances or services, such as 
theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tour ism services, and, as far as possible, enjoy 
access to monuments and sites of national cultural importance. St ate Parties must also take 
appropriate measures giving persons with disab ilities the opportunity to develop and utilise 
their creative, artistic and intellectual potential , not only for their own benefit but also for the 
enrichment of society. 
The Commission is currently working on the development of a new EU Disability Strategy 
2010-2020  to succeed the European Disability Action Plan (DAP) 2003-2010. The new 
strategy is expected to propose actions at EU level, as does the current DAP, and will also 
contribute to assessing the im plementation of the UNCRPD.  
2.12.5.  Preventing poverty and social exclusion 
2010 has been declared European Year for comba ting poverty and social exclusion. The role 
of culture in promoting the active participatio n in society of people who are experiencing 
poverty and exclusion is the focus of several even ts and initiatives organised in the framework 
of the Year, at both natio nal and European levels. 
http://ec.europa.eu/social  
2.13. FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE  
2.13.1.  Integration 
Intercultural dialogue is a key dimension of a comprehensive integration policy for migrants. 
Its relevance is ma de clear in the Stockholm Programme  which will shape immigration and 
integration policies within the EU for the next five years. Intercultu ral dialogue fosters open 
and cohesive societies through enhanced mu tual understanding and respect, beyond cultural 
differences. Among the varied actions included under the banne r of intercultural dialogue, 
organisation of cultural events may contribute  to fostering a shared identity, allowing 
interaction between immigrants and Member Stat e citizens, providing migr ants with a better 
knowledge of their host society an d increasing respect for cultura l diversity, in line with the 
‘Common Basic Principles on Integration’  established on 19 December 2004 by the Justice 
and Home Affairs (JHA) Council. 
The European Fund for the Integratio n of third-country nationals  (EIF), with EUR 825 
million for the period 2007–2013, contributes through the programmes of the Member States to their efforts to develop and implement nati onal integration strategies to facilitate the 
EN 30   EN integration of third-country nati onals into European societies, in confor mity with the common 
basic principles. In addition, up to 7  % of the annual allocation fo r the Fund may be used for 
Community actions. As for 2009, actions in the fiel d of culture may be co-financed as long as 
they promote understanding of the contribution th at migrants make to European societies, 
involve the population as a whole in managing an increasingly diverse society, and encourage 
interaction between immigrants and the host population. 
The European Web Site on Integration  (http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi ) aims to provide policy 
makers and practitioners working on integration in Europe with a tool  for the exchange of 
information and good practice. 
2.13.2.  Visas and transnational mobility28 
Transnational mobility has been integral to the European proj ect from the very beginning, as 
the Rome Treaty included freedom of movement  among the four freedoms necessary to build 
the common market. The Commission promotes m obility of workers and citizens both as a 
means to create a mobile and flexible workforce and as a way of breaking down barriers and building European solidarity. Removing obstacles to mobility is a responsibility shared by the 
Commission and the Member States.  
The Commission is currently looki ng at the direct or indirect  administrative and procedural 
obstacles created by national borders in the eff ective exercise of peopl e’s rights resulting from 
Union citizenship, including the right of EU citizens and their family members to free 
movement and residence, with a view to identifying measures that can remove these 
obstacles, including for artists and cultural prof essionals. These measures will be set out in the 
Communication on Union citizenship  that will be published in October 2010.  
Mobility gives artists an d culture professionals the opportunity to meet their p eers, show their 
work to different audiences, acquire new prof essional skills and find inspiration. Moreover, 
mobility brings audiences into direct contact wi th cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, 
stimulating the creation of a ‘European cultural area’. One aspect of mobility concerns the EU 
visa policy towards third-country  nationals legally residing in  a Member State not applying 
the common visa policy and arti sts residing outside the EU. Im provements on these issues are 
very relevant to the implementation of the Age nda for Culture, even if the concrete measures 
apply across the board and are not specifically focused on artists  and culture professionals.  
Restrictions on market access and mobility of artists and cultural practitioners should be 
addressed by Member States in the context of the implementation of Directive 2006/123/EC 
on the internal market for servi ces. In addition, the points of singl e contact that have to be set 
up by all Member States should help to facilitat e market access and mobility of artists and 
cultural practitioners. 
2.13.3.  Highly skilled workers 
The Blue Card Directive
29, which is part of a legislat ive package on labour migration 
announced in the Policy Plan on Legal Migration30, was formally adopted on 25 May 2009. 
This common European immigration scheme creat es a fast-track and flexible procedure for 
                                                 
28 For mobility and social security coordination, see chapter on Employment and social affairs. See also 
chapter on Culture for actions related to mobility of artists. 
29 Directive 2009/50/EC. 
30 COM(2005)669 of 21 December 2005. 
EN 31   EN the admission of highly qualified third-country immigrants, as well as  attractive residence 
conditions for them and their family members,  and can make things easier for those who 
might wish to move to a second Member St ate for highly qualified employment. Member 
States must transpose this Direct ive by 19 June 2011 at the latest.  
This scheme does not specifically focus on work ers in the field of culture, but they are 
covered whenever they fulfil the conditions laid  down by the Directive, including in particular 
a work contract or binding job offer, a salary threshold and proof of the required educational 
qualifications. The salary threshold is to be fixed at 1.5 times the annual average wage in the Member State concerned, with the possibility of setting a lower threshold (1.2) for the so-called 
‘professions in need’ (ISCO  1 and 2 major groups). 
2.13.4.  Community Code on Visas 
The Regulation establishing a  Community Code on Visas
31, adopted by the European 
Parliament and the Council in 2009, became a pplicable on 5 April 2010. While the Regulation 
applies to all third country nationals subject to visa requirement, it also influences the mobility 
of artists and culture professionals. The Vi sa Code recasts the le gal framework for the 
common visa policy and enhances transparenc y, equal treatment of applicants and legal 
certainty and brings about a harmonisation of the procedures for issuing visas. 
The common visa policy covers short stays, i.e. envisaged stays with a maximum duration of 90 
days in a period of 180 days. The territorial va lidity of a Schengen vi sa is limited to the 
Schengen area without internal borders (compr ising at present 22 Member States and three 
associated States: Norway, Iceland and Switzerla nd. The UK and Ireland do  not participate in 
this but apply national rules).  
The Regulation clarifies which Member State is responsible for processing a visa application 
and defines the different phases for examinati on and decision taking. It includes new provisions 
on the issuance of multiple-entry visas under cer tain conditions and specifies categories of 
travellers for which the visa handling fee can be waived. The Visa Code contains a non-
exhaustive harmonised list of docum ents that visa applicants might  need to submit for justifying 
their intended journey and the procedures for verifi cation. These lists are to be adapted to local 
circumstances. A decision on a visa applicati on should generally be taken within 15 calendar 
days. The Regulation requires Member States to notify the grounds for refusal to the person 
concerned and gives such persons the right to appeal32. 
All these measures contribute to the equal treat ment of visa applican ts and prov ide greater 
legal certainty to make the visa application pr ocess more reliable and calculable also for 
artists and culture prof essionals. Furthermore a Handbook  for the processing of visa 
applications and the modification of issued visa s has been drawn up, with  the aim of ensuring 
harmonised application of the legal provisions. 
Apart from these main rules contained in the Vi sa Code, visa facilitation agreements have been 
concluded with certain third countries, making th ings easier for persons travelling for cultural 
purposes (e.g. in obtaining a mu ltiple-entry visa, a visa fee waiver or in facilitating the 
documentation to be presented as proof of the journey).  
                                                 
31 Regulation 810/2009, OJ L 243, 15.9.2009. 
32 These measures become mandatory from April 2011. 
EN 32   EN However, these arrangements do no t affect national rules of the individual Member States on 
access to employment for artists. 
2.13.5.  Freedom of movement with a long- stay visa33 
In accordance with the Schengen Convention (Ar ticle 21), third-country nationals who are 
holders of a residence permit issued by a Schengen  State are entitled to travel for short stays 
to the other Schengen States.  
The Regulation on freedom of move ment with a long-stay visa was adopted in April 2010 
by the European Parliament and the Council. It aims at facilitating circulation within the 
border-free Schengen area of thir d-country nationals legally re siding in one of the Member 
States on the basis of a nationa l long-stay ‘D’ visa issued by that Member State. This new 
development can support the mobility of arti sts and culture profe ssionals residing in a 
Schengen Member State. The conditions of i ssuing a D visa remain subject to national 
legislation, but once a D visa has been issued it confers the following rights to the holders: 
• All valid long-stay visas allow the holder to free circulation in the Schengen area 
for 90 days in a in a 180 days period, under the same conditions as holders of a 
residence permit. In accordance with the Regul ation, this rule also applies to long-
stay visas already issued before 5 Ap ril 2010, including still valid D+C visas; 
• For D visas already issued, the six months reference period will start on 5 April 
2010. In the case of D+C visas issued before  5 April, the period of stay should be 
calculated on the basis of actual stays in the other Member States before and after 
5 April 2010; 
• Member States are allowed to issue long-stay visas for a maximum period of 
validity of one year. Long-stay visas al ready issued before 5 April 2010 for a 
longer period of validity than one year s hould be converted into residence permits 
after one year calculated from 5 April 2010. 
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home  
2.14. COMPETITION POLICY  
Competition policy ensures that competition is not distorted as a result of anti-competitive 
agreements (Article 101 TFEU (Treaty on the F unctioning of the European Union)), abuse of 
a dominant position (Article 102 TFEU), anti-competitive mergers or incompatible State aid. 
Competition policy is an important element in achieving and protecting cultural diversity. In 
particular, cartels and exclusionary practices may lead to reduced availability of cultural 
goods and services. Anti-competitive agreements and exploitative abuses may result in higher 
prices not only for consumers but also for producers and suppliers of cultural goods and 
services, such as writers, artists and film-makers.  
When applying Article 101 TFEU the Commission must assess each case on its merits. In the 
cultural sector, this means th at the Commission must take into account the specific 
                                                 
33 Regulation (EU) No 265/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending the Convention 
Implementing the Schengen Agreement and Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 as regards movement of 
persons with a long-stay visa. 
EN 33   EN characteristics of cultural goods and services at various stages of the assessment. First, the 
characteristics of the goods and services concerned will influence the definition of the relevant market. Second, within the assessment of whether an agreement restricts competition 
within the meaning of Article 101 (1) TFEU, account will be taken of the actual conditions in 
which it functions, in particular the specifi c economic and legal context in which the 
undertakings operate, the products or services  covered by the agreement and the actual 
structure of the market concerned. Third, under Article 101(3) TFEU, re strictive agreements 
may in certain cases be exempted, for instance if they improve the production or distribution 
of goods including cultural goods, if the consum ers receive a fair sh are of the resulting 
benefit, if the restriction or conduct is in dispensable and competition is not substantially 
eliminated. These conditions are cumulative, wh ich means that the welfare of the consumer 
has systematically been taken into account. Within the framework of  Article 102 TFEU, the 
characteristics of the market and the products and services c oncerned are relevant, e.g. when 
assessing whether conduct may be  qualified as abusive or whet her the alleged abuse can be 
objectively justified. 
2.14.1.  Antitrust policy and Merger control 
An approach has been followed which, in the co mpetition analysis, takes into account impacts 
on cultural diversity in the entire chain (pro duction/distribution/consumption) leading to 
availability of a diversity of  cultural goods and services.  
– Antitrust policy  
The Commission tackled the issue of collective ma nagement of authors’ rights in music works 
in the CISAC case. It applied the competition rules and issued on 16 July 2008 the antirust 
decision addressed to 24 EEA collecting socie ties which manage music rights on behalf of 
their authors (both composers and ly ricists), all members of CISAC ( International 
Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers) . The CISAC decision  prohibits 
membership and exclusivity clauses in the reciprocal representation agreements between 
collecting societies for all mode s of exploitation and ends a concerted practice concerning the 
territorial delineation of ma ndates to license established under these representation 
agreements for internet, cable retransmission a nd satellite exploitation. However, the decision 
does not call into question the network of reci procal agreements as such. Also, it does not 
undermine cultural diversity as it does not aff ect authors’ revenues nor does it affect the 
ability of small collecting societies to license  their local repertoire. The CISAC case is one 
example of how the possible impact of an antitrust decision on cultural diversity has been duly taken into account.  
– Merger control 
In Case No COMP/M.5272 - Sony / Sony BMG, a transaction cleared on 15 September 2008, 
the Commission analysed the vertical integratio n between the activities of Sony in consumer 
electronics (portable music devices, mobile  phones), video games and cinema, and the 
activities of Sony BMG in music publishing a nd music recording. The Commission concluded 
that Sony would continue to have the incentive to sell its music to as many customers of 
portable music devices, mobile phones, vide o games and films as possible, and would 
therefore not restrict access to its music catal ogue to competitors in these markets. In any 
event, Sony’s competitors for portable mu sic devices, mobile phones, video games and 
movies would continue to have access to a sufficiently large por tfolio of music rights from 
alternative suppliers. In addition, Sony would continue to  have the incentive to purchase 
EN 34   EN music for its portable music devices, mobile phones, video games and films from different 
sources. The Commission therefor e concluded that the transac tion did not have any negative 
impact on consumer choice and cultural diversit y (explicit reference made in the decision).  
– Other initiatives  
The Commission has also pursued advocacy effort s to support industry solutions facilitating 
EU-wide licensing and transparen cy of rights ownership info rmation through the ‘Roundtable 
on opportunities and barriers to online retailing in the Europ ean Single Market’. On 17 
September 2008, former Commissioner for Competi tion, Neelie Kroes, he ld the first meeting 
of the Roundtable  with consumer and industry representa tives. The aim was to discuss the 
business opportunities crea ted by the Internet and the existing barriers to increased online 
retailing of music and goods in  Europe. Subsequent meetings  of the Roundtable under the 
aegis of the Commissioner for Competition were held in December 2008, September 2009 
and October 2009, focusing on online distributi on of music only. The R oundtable initiative 
resulted in two joint statements : on online distribution of music and on rights ownership 
information . A number of Roundtable participants  also announced concrete steps and 
commitments that should result in European consumers having better access to music online. 
2.14.2.  State aid  
The objective of State aid contro l is to ensure that  government interventi ons do not distort 
competition and intra-community trade in a form contrary to the common interest. The Treaty 
on the Functioning of the European  Union (TFEU) establishes the general prohibition of State 
aid (Article 107 (1)). In some  circumstances, however, government interventions constituting 
State aid contribute to objectiv es of Community interest and are necessary and proportionate 
for achieving those objectives. Therefore the TFEU accommodates a number of policy 
objectives for which State aid can  be considered compatible.  
Culture is one such objective and accordin g to Article 107(3)(d) TFEU, introduced by the 
Maastricht Treaty, ‘aid to promote culture and heritage conservation where such aid does not 
affect trading conditions and competition in the Comm unity to an extent that  is contrary to the 
common interest, may be considered to be  compatible with the common market’.  
It should be pointed out that many initiatives in the cultural field do not fall under the State 
aid rules at all, for example because the bene ficiaries are not undertak ings or because the 
measures do not affect trade between Member States. Where measures constitute State aid 
under Article 107(1) TFEU, they can be auth orised as compatible  aid under the afore-
mentioned Article 107(3)(d). Under that provision, the Comm ission has approved a wide 
range of measures, which have benefited such diverse areas as museums and cultural centres, 
national heritage (also in the form of immate rial heritage), theatre  and music productions, 
printed cultural media, and last but not least th e cinematographic and a udiovisual sector (this 
last one being subject to a specific comm unication based on the cultural derogation).  
The Commission has been making sure over rece nt years that cases with a cultural aim34 are 
systematically treated in terms of the cultura l derogation. Article 167 TFEU and the UNESCO 
                                                 
34 Countless cases could be referred to in this contex t. We recommend therefore attentive reading of the 
cases mentioned on the following site: http://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef , refining the search 
by policy area ‘State aid’ and primary objective ‘Culture’. 
EN 35   EN Convention on Protection and Promotion of th e Diversity of Cultural Expressions have 
provided strong support in this context .  
2.15. TAXATION AND CUSTOMS  
2.15.1.  Taxation 
– Rules on the place of supply  
The rules on the place of supply were changed by a Council Directive  in February 
200835. These changes will impact on the ru les governing the place of supply of 
services relating to cu ltural, artistic, sporting, scientific , educational, entertainment or 
similar activities, including services of the organisers of such activities.  
Until 31 December 2010, these services continue  to be taxed at the place where the 
activities are physi cally carried out36. Regarding similar activiti es, it is clarified that 
this includes activities such as fairs a nd exhibitions. It is a rule which applies 
regardless of whether the supply is made to  taxable persons or non-taxable persons. 
As from 1 January 2011, this rule will no longer apply for supplies made to taxable 
persons (or non-taxable legal persons identified for VAT purposes, who are assimilated to taxable persons by Article 43)
3738. It will only be applicable if these 
services are supplied directly  to non-taxable persons. In the case of supply to taxable 
persons, a new rule, more limited in scope, is  introduced for servi ces in respect of 
admission to cultural, artistic, sporting, sc ientific, educational, entertainment or 
similar events (such as fairs and exhibiti ons) and related ancillary services. If the 
service is not only the admission to an event,  it will fall under the general rule, which 
provides that the service supplied to taxa ble persons or non-ta xable legal persons 
identified for VAT purposes is taxabl e at the place where the customer is 
                                                 
35 Council Directive 2008/8/EC of 12 February 2008 amending Directive 2006/112/EC as regards the 
place of supply of services – OJ L 44, 20.2 .2008 p. 11. 
36 According to Article 53 (as inserted by Article 2 of Directive 2008/8/EC) ‘ [t]he place of supply of 
services and ancillary services relating to cultu ral, artistic, sporting, scientific, educational, 
entertainment or similar activities, such as fairs and exhibitions, including the supply of services of the 
organisers of such activities, shall be the place where those activities are physically carried out.’. 
37 Article 43 provides that ‘For the purpose of applying the rules concerning the place of supply of 
services: 
 1. […]; 
 2. a non-taxable legal person who is identified for VAT purposes shall be regarded as a taxable person.’. 
38 Article 53 (as replaced by Article 3 of Directive 2008/8EC) provides that ‘ [t]he place of supply of 
services in respect of admission to cultural, artistic, sporting, scientific, educational, entertainment or 
similar events, such as fairs and exhibitions, and of ancillary services related to the admission, supplied 
to a taxable person, shall be the place where those events actually take place’.  
Article 54 (as replaced by Article 3 of Directive 2008/8/EC) provides that ‘ [t]he place of supply of 
services and ancillary services, relating to cultu ral, artistic, sporting, scientific, educational, 
entertainment or similar activities, such as fairs and exhibitions, including the supply of services of the 
organisers of such activities, su pplied to a non-taxable person sha ll be the place where those activities 
actually take place’. 
EN 36   EN established39. If the supplier of the service is not established in the Member State 
where the customer is established, the customer himself will be the person liable to pay the VAT due in his Member State
40. This will represent a genuine simplification 
for artists providing cu ltural services to organisers of  spectacles in Member States 
where they are not established. 
– VAT rates 
The VAT rates on cultural services are very di fferent from Member State to Member State 
because, first, the 2006 VAT Directive41 only fixes minimum levels (15  % for the standard 
rate and 5  % for reduced rates) and, second, the applic ation of a reduced rate is optional for 
the Member States. Under the EU VAT rules curre ntly in force, as a general rule Member 
States may have a maximum of two reduced rates set no lower than 5  %, which they may 
apply at their discretion to goods and services listed in Annex III  (list of supplies of goods 
and services which may be subject to reduced rates) to the VAT Directive.  
The cultural goods and services included in Annex III are: books on all physical means of 
support, newspapers and periodicals, other than material wholly or predominantly devoted to 
advertising; admission to shows, theatres, circuses, fairs, amusement parks, concerts, museums, zoos, cinemas, exhibitions and similar cultural events and fa cilities; reception of 
radio and television broadcasting services; su pply of services by writers, composers and 
performing artists, or of the royalties due to them. 
In 2007, the Commission adopted a Communication
42 in which it suggested a political 
debate, in the Council, the Eu ropean Parliament and with other stakeholders on the way 
forward in the field of reduced rates.  
In 2008, the Commission launched a public consultation43 on its website, with a view to 
gathering stakeholders’ views on the review of the existing le gislation on reduced VAT rates 
in the context of both a first proposal for am ending the VAT Directive and a planned more 
global review of the scope and structure of  reduced VAT rates at  a later stage.  
Also in 2008, the Commission presented a proposal44 which was intended to be the first step 
in the process of revising the EU legislation concerning reduced VAT rates. A more in-depth 
review of the whole structure of VAT reduced  rates was to follow, taking account of the 
                                                 
39 Article 44 provides that ‘The place of supply of services to a taxable person acting as such shall be the 
place where that person has established his business. Ho wever, if those services are provided to a fixed 
establishment of the taxable person located in a pl ace other than the place where he has established his 
business, the place of supply of those services sh all be the place where that fixed establishment is 
located. In the absence of such pl ace of establishment or fixed estab lishment, the place of supply of 
services shall be the place where the taxable pers on who receives such serv ices has his permanent 
address or usually resides. 
40 Article 196 provides that ‘VAT shall be payable by any taxable person, or non-taxable legal person 
identified for VAT purposes, to whom the services referred to in Article  44 are supplied, if the services 
are supplied by a taxable person not establishe d within the territory of the Member State. 
41 Council Directive 2006/112/EC. 
42 Commission Communication COM (2007)380 final. 
43 The results of this consultation are available at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/common/consultations/tax/index_en.htm . 
44 COM(2008) 428 final http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0428:FIN:EN:PDF . 
EN 37   EN outcome of the general debate  on the way forward and the us efulness and cost-effectiveness 
of reduced VAT rates.  
After long and thorough discussions, the deba te in the Council on th e overall system of 
reduced VAT rates was concluded by the una nimous political agr eement of 10 March 200945. 
This political agreement was the result of difficult negotiations and respects a fragile equilibrium of Member States’ interests in the politically sensitive area of reduced VAT rates. 
It led to the adoption in 2009 of the Council Directive
46 on reduced rates of VAT. Concerning 
the cultural sector, this Direct ive clarified and updated to tec hnical progress the reference to 
books in category 6 of Annex III, which previously only referred to printed books, by specifying ‘books,  on all physical means of support’ . The result is that under the EU VAT 
Directive supplies of books on a ll physical means of support
 are eligible for a reduced VAT 
rate as of 1 June 2009. 
2.15.2.  Customs 
The European Commission (Director General TAXUD) manages legislation47 that provides 
for control over the export of cultural goods su ch as paintings, sculptures and photographs 
from the EU, thereby contributing to protecting the cultural diversity and identity of the 
Member States. 
2.16. INTERNAL MARKET  
As for other Community fields of action, regulat ed single market approaches exist for cultural 
goods and services. For instance, Community la w includes major measures for harmonising 
intellectual property rights in order to provide  equivalent levels of protection for rights 
holders in the various Member States, eliminate barriers to trade and adapt the European legal framework to the new forms of use made  possible by information and communication 
technologies. 
The Commission Communication on Copyright in the Knowledge Economy
48 summarises 
a large-scale consultation pro cess that was launched by the Gr een Paper on Copyright in the 
Knowledge Economy of 16 July 2008. Th e Communication is part of the Digital Agenda 
launched by Commission President Barroso an d announces an ambitious programme to deal 
with the emergence of European Digital Librar ies and the need to further integrate people 
with visual impairments into  the knowledge economy. One major task entails creating a 
coherent framework for copyright in the digital era that (1) fac ilitates the online access to all 
print material contained in library and archives  collections for the public  at large, including 
the visually impaired; (2) protects  of the rights of right  holders and (3) allo ws the preservation 
of Europe's cu ltural heritage. 
As a first follow-up measure envisaged by the Communication, the Commission is working 
on an ‘ orphan works’  initiative. The complexity of c opyright assignment and the often 
unsatisfactory maintenance of records on copyright ownership has resulted in a situation 
where much of European library stock is made  up of ‘orphan works’. These are works whose 
owner can either not be identified or cannot be  traced. To prevent the complexity of copyright 
                                                 
45 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ecofin/106576.pdf . 
46 Council Directive 2009/47/EC amending Directive 2006/112/EC. 
47 Regulations 116/2009 and 752/93. 
48 (COM (2009) 532 of 19 October 2009). 
EN 38   EN rules from constituting an obstacle to the onl ine display of such works across Europe, the 
Commission is considering a legislative soluti on that would facilitate the digitisation and 
Europe-wide online acce ss of orphan works.  
An additional plank of the Commission’s effort to promote social and societal inclusion is the 
copyright policy in relation to  the special needs of the visually impaired or people suffering 
from other disabilities which prevent their full enjoyment of literary and artistic works. In 
many respects, online libraries th at make books readily available deny people suffering from a 
variety of disabilities new opportunities to gain access to culture. In order to enhance the availability of products and serv ices conceived for the visually impaired and reading disabled, 
the Commission has launched a stakeholder dialogue aiming to produce a Memorandum of 
Understanding which will set out ways and mean s of making an increased number of books 
available to disabled persons in a format suita ble for their specific needs. Special emphasis is 
laid on the fact that such books should be legally supplie d to any user, irrespective of the 
Member State of the European Union where th ey reside. There should be no territorial 
restrictions preventing users in  certain Member States from having access to products and 
services for the visually impaired and readin g disabled that were lawfully produced in a 
Member State of the European Union. In the Commission’s view, the free  movement of such 
special products and services c onstitutes an efficient tool to battle the ‘book famine’ -— the 
fact that only 5
 % of all books published ar e also produced in form ats that the visually 
impaired and reading disabled can use.  
The Commission’s drive to better integrate th e visually impaired and reading disabled 
complements work carried out at the World In tellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) where 
delegations are currently debating a Treaty proposal to enhance the free movement of 
products conceived for the special needs of the blind and visually impaired.  
In light of the overall aim of copyright policy, to foster legal online services which are 
available to all consumers across the entire European Union, the Commission, on 22 October 
2009, published a reflection paper entitled ‘ Creative Content in a European Digital Single 
Market: Challenges for the Future’ . Adapting Europe’s regulator y framework so that more 
protected works (music, books, films) and sound recordings are sold legally online is the 
biggest priority in this area. With the increase in legal services, payment flows to the owners of copyright will increase as well. Accordi ngly, some streamlining of the way in which 
copyright is managed in the online space mi ght become necessary. As announced in the 
Digital Agenda, the Commission will present a Green Paper addressing the opportunities and 
challenges of online distribution of audiovisu al works and other creative content by 2010.  
Finally, the Commission has adopted a proposal
49 for extending the term of protection for 
performers and sound recordings . The aim of the proposal is to extend the term of 
protection beyond the current 50 year s after publicati on in order to cover a performer’s entire 
lifetime. This is why the conciliation between  the European Parliament, the Council and the 
Commission in the end agreed to a term of 70 years after publication of  a sound recording. At 
present, performers often face reduced earnings later in life at a time when they are more vulnerable and not able to co ntinue creating. The proposal enjoyed signi ficant support from 
the European Parliament as shown by the overw helming vote in favour at the plenary meeting 
in April 2009. The proposal is still be ing considered by EU Member States.  
                                                
 
49 (COM (2008) 464 of 16 July 2008. 
EN 39   EN In all of the above fields, the Commission will  take account of the need to promote cultural 
diversity through the implementatio n of potential new initiatives. 
2.17. AGRICULTURE AND SUSTAI NABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT  
The contribution to culture is to be found mainly in the second pillar of the Common 
Agricultural Policy, i.e. the rural development policy .  
For the programming period 2007-2013, the contri bution to culture co mes under priority 2 
(improving the environment and the countryside ) which, under the agri-environment measure, 
supports the preservation by farmers of traditional farmed landscapes (e.g. cultural landscapes such as terracing, low dry-stone walls and hedgerows). 
Culture is also supported under the third prio rity (quality of lif e in rural areas and 
diversification of the rural economy), which incl udes in particular measures to improve the 
quality of life in rural areas by making them more attractive (attracting new businesses and stabilising the population): on the one hand, the ‘ Conservation and upgrading of rural 
heritage’  measure provides financing for studies a nd investments linked to the maintenance, 
restoration and upgrading of cultural he ritage and, on the other hand, the ‘ Basic services for 
the economy and rural population’  measure offers financing for the establishment of 
cultural services in rural areas. 
Lastly, priority 4 of the Leader  approach should likewise allow for the development of 
territorial cultural activities including local cultural strategies, particularly those linked to territorial identity, which often forms the ba sis for development that  draws on local human 
resources (endogenous development). 
In 2008, 424 actions linked to cultural heritage were approved for a total budget of EUR 7.9 
million from the
 European Agricultural Fund fo r Rural Development (EAFRD). 
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture  
2.18. MARITIME POLICY  
The Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) Blue Paper Action Plan  of 2007 contains a chapter 
entitled ‘Raising the visibili ty of maritime Europe’. 
Although no specific action on maritime heritage was envisaged in the Action Plan, the Blue 
Paper clearly stated that: ‘[Th e Integrated Maritime Policy] should also promote Europe’s 
maritime heritage, supporting maritime commu nities, including port-cities and traditional 
fisheries communities, their artefacts and traditi onal skills, and promoting links between them 
that enhance their knowledge and visibility.’ 
The European Maritime Day  (EMD) is one of the actions in which the topic of maritime 
heritage has been explored further. 
During EMD 2009 in Rome a workshop on maritime he ritage was held. The objectives of this 
workshop were: 
– Linking the maritime heritage dimension of Europe to tourism-related initiatives; 
– Showing examples of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage; 
EN 40   EN – Exploring Europe’s maritime industrial heritage; 
– Sharing best practice from  EU regional projects; 
– Establishing maritime cultural heritage in postgraduate education. 
The workshop was considered very useful by part icipants as a first step in establishing a 
Europe-wide exchange on maritime heritage i ssues and developing operational conclusions. 
There will be two maritime heritage works hops during the EMD 2010 in Gijon. One will deal 
with the common European maritime heritage as a challenge for communication and will try 
to develop some recommendations for the European Commission on ho w maritime heritage 
can be dealt with from the European point of view, including how it can be made part of the 
EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy. 
Activities and projects aiming at  preserving and promoting Eur opean heritage in different 
areas (culture, research, regional poli cy, etc.) include maritime heritage. 
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs  
2.19. ENVIRONMENT POLICY  
Our societies, cultural diversit y and economies are reflected in our landscapes, agriculture and 
natural spaces. The Natura 2000  (N2K) network covers some 18  % of the territory of the EU 
encompassing the most important natural an d scenic areas and providing a long-term 
guarantee for the protection of our valued and th reatened wildlife. Many of these areas have a 
significant cultural dimension a nd their protection and use as a resource for tourism and 
recreation is an essential element of European lifestyle. Furthermore, in a continent where 
little of our landscape is  genuinely wilderness, many protected  habitats and landscapes of the 
N2K network are the product of traditional ag ricultural and land management practices – 
grazing, hay making, etc. – which are an integral part of rural cultural traditions. The 
continuation of these management practices is vital to the long-term conservation of these 
sites.  
Starting in 2010, one European city is to be selected each year as the European Green 
Capital  (EGC).  Stockholm was the first city to win this  title. Cities designated as European 
Green Capitals which perform well in terms of  the nature and biodiversity indicator may 
contribute indirectly to improving the knowledge and dissemination of th eir cultural heritage 
across Europe. The EGC evaluation criteria for choosing the cities focus on typical 
environmental indicator areas, but cities are also  given the chance to show what their cultural 
heritage means to them and how it ties in with a sustainable living and development 
environment. For example, restoration and adaptation of existing buildings and urban 
landscapes is in the long run much more environmentally friendly than demolition and starting anew. 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment
 
2.20. CONSUMER POLICY  
Cultural markets are included in EU Consumer Policy through the Consumer Markets 
Scoreboard. This tool aims to develop indicators showing where consumer markets may be 
failing to deliver the economic and social outco mes expected by consumers, to track progress 
EN 41   EN in the integration of the EU retail market and to monitor national consumer environments. The 
Scoreboard is an essential component  of the market monitoring approach  developed by the 
Commission. Indicators should show where ma rkets are failing to maximise economic 
outcomes for consumers and also where they are failing to deliver the key social outcomes.  
The Scoreboard is derived from surveys on 50 market areas. Two market s are directly related 
to culture, i.e. books, magazines, newspapers and stationery, and cultural and entertainment 
services. The Commission is currently screening answers to five questions asked in the 27 
Member States (plus Norway). The questions refer to comparability of different goods or 
services available on the market; trust in the providers on this market; whether consumers have experienced a problem on this market; wh ether they complained about the problem and 
to whom; to what extent were their expectations met. 
Based on the survey, a composite indicator  will be defined for each market, showing the 
perceived consumer conditions.  
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers
 
3. CULTURE  IN EXTERNAL  RELATIONS  AND  DEVELOPMENT  POLICIES  
AND  PROGRAMMES  
Since the adoption of the European Agenda for Culture in 2007, a new strategic framework 
for culture in the EU’s external relations is emerging: culture is increasingly perceived as a strategic factor of political, social and economic development and not in terms of isolated cultural events or showcasing. New policy deve lopments and funding opportunities are part of 
a dynamic process that has reinforc ed considerably the role of culture in the EU’s relations 
with the rest of the world. 
This novel approach, strengthened by the ratific ation by the EU and most Member States of 
the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of 
Cultural Expressions,  provides for a more in-depth understanding of Europe’s cultures 
throughout the world, as well as for greater cult ural cooperation betw een our continent and 
the rest of the world. To achieve this dual aim, it is crucial to foster intercultural dialogue and 
strengthen cultural exchanges with partner co untries and regional orga nisations that share 
commonly accepted principles of cultural  governance at international level.  
In the context of cultural coopera tion with third countries, it is also important to promote the 
cultural diversity of EU partners and the develo pment of national cultur al policies, to make 
access to culture easier for local populations and to build struct ural capacities in order to 
foster cultural and creative industries, whic h can have a direct impact on socio-economic 
development.  
The positive results achieved in 2007 and 2008 in the field of cu lture and extern al relations 
were taken forward by the Council Conclusions on the promo tion of cultural diversity and 
intercultural dialogue in the external rela tions of the Union and its Member States  adopted 
in November 2008
50. The Conclusions outline a strategic approach for culture and 
intercultural dialogue in the cont ext of external relations and se t out a number of fundamental 
principles regarding the role of cultural cooperation and interc ultural dialogue in fostering 
                                                 
50 http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-policy-development/doc/ICD_external_relations_en.doc.pdf . 
EN 42   EN reconciliation, democratisati on and economic development. Overall, the Conclusions 
represent an important step forward providi ng the European Commission and EU Member 
States with a general framework for implementi ng the third objective of the European Agenda 
for Culture. 
Culture is recognised as an important  element of the European Union’s cooperation 
programmes and instruments , and in its bilateral agreements with third countries . A 
wide variety of cultural projec ts and programmes have been implemented for many years as 
part of EU technical and financial assistance . The Commission runs funds and actions to 
support the emergence and strengthe ning of cultural industries, in  particular the cinema and 
audiovisual sector in partner countries, as well as to prom ote local access to culture and 
cultural diversity in third countries. The EU  has increasingly focused on promoting support 
for protection and promotion of cultural right s, the rights of in digenous people, etc.  
Certain programmes such as Culture 2007  and the Media International preparatory action 
under the MEDIA 2007 programme (to become Media Mundus  from 2011 ) offer 
opportunities for boosting cultural cooperation51. The European Commission also develops 
cooperation with UNESCO, the Council of Europe  and other multilateral institutions which 
are active in the field of culture, de velopment and external relations.  
Moreover, the European Commission Delegations  have been involved in the EU’s cultural 
activities in third countries, including film festivals, con certs, open doors events, drawing 
competitions, etc. Following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the Delegations abroad are responsible for coordinating and hosting m eetings of the EU Member States’ Cultural 
Counsellors. They cooperate closely also with  Member States’ cultu ral centres through the 
EUNIC network (European Union National Institutes for Culture). 
3.1. CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 
 
In the field of development cooperation , the EU’s policy appro ach gives culture an 
important role to play by: 
– systematically integrating cultural aspects into  all its policies, proj ects and programmes,  
– funding the preservation of cultural herita ge and the emergence of viable cultural 
industries,  
– covering living culture and cultura l heritage – both important for growth, jobs and cultural 
identity, and  
– encouraging its partners to in clude culture in their own pove rty reduction strategies and 
national development plans. 
Regarding financial support , the European Commission has established multiannual 
thematic programmes financed under the Development Cooperation Instrument  (DCI, 
financial perspectives 2007-2013) for its activi ties in developing countries and regions, on the 
one hand, and at internationa l level, on the other hand. Th e thematic programmes ‘ Investing 
in People’  and ‘ Non-state Actors and Local Authorities in Development’  are available to 
complement geographical programmes. 
                                                 
51 See the chapters on culture and the audiovisual sector in this document. 
EN 43   EN Investing in People  supports projects in th e area of human and soci al development for all 
partner countries. Thematic programmes are designed to comp lement geographical 
programmes that are the main focus of EC cooperation with third countries by bringing 
specific added value in a particular area of activity. Investing in People covers several 
domains, among them culture, which benefits from a fund allocation of EUR 50 million for 
the period 2007-2013. Through this programme, the Commission is also pr omoting culture in 
new regions – outside the African, Caribbean a nd Pacific (ACP) countries and the southern 
Mediterranean, where it has long been active. 
The programme promotes culture as part of  its approach to development and reducing 
poverty, with the general aim of improving huma n and social developmen t levels in partner 
countries and thus contributing to the Millennium Development Goals . It promotes 
intercultural dialogue, cultural diversity and resp ect for the equal dignit y of all cultures and 
supports the cultural sector as  a promising economic sector for development and growth. 
The objectives of the programme have been ta ken into account in two calls for proposals 
under the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Annual Action Progr ammes, revolving around the general 
theme ‘ Access to local culture, protection a nd promotion of cu ltural diversity ’. 
The first call for proposals, published in December 2007, aimed to  strengthen the capacities of 
cultural actors by encouraging netw orking and coordination, as we ll as to stimulate regional 
cooperation. It sought pr ojects promoting access to cultur e, dissemination of culture and 
intercultural dialogue. Strengthening of local culture, access to and di ssemination of culture 
continued to be supported in the second call for proposals, combining the budget allocations 
for 2008 and 2009. A particular focus was put on the promotion of cultural expressions 
contributing to the fight against all forms of discrimination. In all, 32 projects have been 
funded to the tune of EUR 17.8 million. 
In 2010 the programme focus will shift to governance of the cultur al sector, so as to support 
the implementation of effective cultural poli cies and the development of an enabling 
institutional, regulatory, economic and profession al environment, essential to foster access to 
culture and creation, promote cu ltural diversity and support the sustainable development of 
the cultural sectors. This approach  will entail two complementary actions: 
– Firstly, the programme will support the structur ing and strengthening of the cultural sector 
through capacity-building for the benefit of cultural actors including public and private 
entities and civil society organisations, so as to enhance their own governance and their 
role in national govern ance of the cultural sector. The call for proposals will promote 
cooperation and exchange of experiences betwee n different countries and regions in this 
regard.  
– Secondly, the programme seeks to support devel oping countries in their efforts to improve 
governance of the cultural sector through an e xpert facility to be managed by UNESCO. 
The expert facility will provide demand-driven technical assistance to ministries and public 
institutions with responsibiliti es in the cultural s ector or influencing sector governance, as 
well as to local authorities, for the development of cultural policies and public initiatives enhancing the role of culture as a vector of  sustainable human and social development. 
Developing countries lack an operational institutional framework  that would facilitate and 
respect the commercial exploitation of the count ry’s cultural heritage. Moreover, there are not 
enough properly functioning collective management societies , which means that local artists 
EN 44   EN and authors cannot effectively collect remunera tion that would allow them to live from their 
work. This causes a significant talent drain.  Therefore, it is crucial to focus on a legal, 
institutional and educational framework fo r intellectual property rights (IPR) that  both local 
and EU creative companies and individuals wi ll benefit from, as well as IPR awareness-
raising.  
3.2. CULTURE AND TRADE POLICY 
The EU has used its commercial policy to incr ease opportunities for cultural industries and 
professionals from Europe and abroad and thus  meet targets for promoting cultural diversity. 
Multilateral and bilateral trad e negotiations can offer enhanced economic opportunities for 
cultural practitioners in spheres as varied as  performing arts, theatre, circus, publishing and 
design, to name only a few, but may also give them a chance to travel and benefit from new 
experiences and ideas. EU trade agreements ar e also used to promot e intellectual property 
protection standards and ensure th at the rights of artists and performers get the protection they 
deserve.  A key objective of the 2005 UNESC O Convention is to ensure broader and more balanced 
cultural exchanges. Indeed one of  the fundamental challenges t oday is to faci litate cultural 
exchange while promoting cultural diversity and in particular pres erving the ability of 
partners to develop and implem ent cultural policies. This applies especially to developing 
countries whose cultural pract itioners often need support to ensure the creation or 
consolidation of sustainable nationa l cultural industri es and models. 
As part of the implementation of the Convention by the EU, a Protocol on Cultural 
Cooperation  was concluded with the Cariforum countries
52 in 2008. This Protocol aims at 
implementing in particular Article 16 of the Convention regarding pref erential treatment for 
developing countries’ cultural goods, services and cultural practitioners, outside of the 
provisions on trade liberalisation of  the general trade agreement which they are party to. It is 
an innovative framework for cooperation allowi ng easier cultural exchanges between the EU 
and the Caribbean countries while consolidating public policies in favour of cultural diversity.  
In the negotiations with Andean countries  (Peru and Colombia, with the possibility of 
Bolivia and Ecuador joini ng at a later stage) and Central America  (Panama, Nicaragua, El 
Salvador, Costa-Rica, Honduras and Guatemala), different solutions from the ones established 
with CARIFORUM are being prioritised in the fi nal phase of the negotiations in the light of 
the modalities of cooperation agreed with these partners: 
– For Andean countries, the negotiation of an Agreement on Cultural Cooperation, 
independent from the multiparty trade agreem ent between the EU and the Andeans, was 
provisionally finalised in February 2010;  
– For Central America, a Protocol of Cultura l Cooperation connected to the culture and 
audiovisual cooperation provision s of the EU-Central Americ a Association Agreement was 
provisionally finalised for the EU-Latin America Summit in May 2010.  
In both instances, the Agreement /Protocol will  enter into force upon ratification of the 
UNESCO Convention by the partners. 
                                                 
52 Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Be lize, Dominica, the Domini can Republic, Grenada, 
Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vin cent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, 
Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. 
EN 45   EN Furthermore, the possibility of  negotiating a Protocol on Cult ural Cooperation with developed 
and emerging countries is also under consideration on a case- by-case basis, as a means to 
implement the Convention, based on its Articles 12 and 20.  
In this context and following more than two years of negotiations, the EU and South Korea  
initialled in October 2009 a Protocol on Cultural Cooperation together with the bilateral 
Free Trade Agreement which is the first such ag reement negotiated by the EU with an Asian 
partner. This Protocol sets  a framework for engaging in policy dialogue on culture and 
audiovisual issues and coopera ting in facilitating exchanges regarding cultural ac tivities, 
including the audiovisual sector. It is based on strict  reciprocity and bala nce — compared to 
the Protocol with Cariforum countries, which is asymmetrical in nature. The Protocol 
illustrates the EU’s commitment to actively promoting and implementing the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural e xpressions. Its entry 
into force is conditional upon South Korea’s ratification of the Convention — which took 
place in April 2010. 
These Protocols fit into a gene ral strategy of cooperation and di alogue as they are intended to 
achieve non-trade objectives (such as  the UNESCO Convention expansion and 
implementation), while they are also a tool to  address, where needed, issues arising from 
modalities of cooperation which may have an interaction with the trade environment. 
Another area where trade policy takes cultural considerations into account is intellectual 
property (IP) rights. In this rega rd, EU policy is geared to re inforcing cooperation with third 
countries, for example in the context of Free Trade Agreements or by promoting a framework 
to improve enforcement in relation to large-scal e infringements of IP rights such as the Anti-
Counterfeiting Trade Agreement being negotiated with a number of inte rnational partners.  
3.3. CANDIDATE AND POTENTIAL  CANDIDATE COUNTRIES
 
The specific policy and financial instruments de dicated to culture have been even more 
tangible since 2007 in the candidate countr ies (Turkey, Croatia, the former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia) and potential candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo53 and Iceland). This complements the participation of the same 
countries (not all of them at this stage) in the Culture Programme54 and, where relevant, the 
negotiations on Chapter 26 of the acquis communautaire  concerning education and culture. 
In the enlargement context, the bilateral and regional cultural cooperation activities  are 
recognised as making a fundament al contribution to the promo tion of European values and 
intercultural dialogue. This is of particular relevance in th e Western Balkans, where in 
addition to fostering democra tisation, reconciliation and resp ect for human rights, culture 
contributes to the developm ent of the local economy. 
Significantly, three Commission Co mmunications have supported new actions in the cultural 
field in the enlargement countries since 2007: 
– ‘Western Balkans: Enhancing the European perspective’  of March 2008 established the 
Civil Society Facility , covering a number of s ectors, including culture; 
                                                 
53 Under UNSCR 1244/99. 
54 see chapter on culture in this document. 
EN 46   EN – The Enlargement Strategy 2008-2009  specifies that under IPA 2009 ‘support schemes to 
civil society partnerships will  give priority to sectors such as culture, minorities and 
business associations’. The relevant call for proposals was pub lished early in 2010; 
– The Enlargement Strategy Paper 2009-2010  emphasises that ‘the Commission, in the 
context of the Ljubljana Process, supports th e rehabilitation of cultu ral heritage as an 
important means for reconciliation also contribu ting to the development of local economy.’  
As a consequence, substantial financial and human resources are allocated for cultural 
purposes.  
Following the launching of the Union for the Mediterranean  in July 2008, the Euro 
Mediterranean Partnership has been extended with some new partner countries from the 
Western Balkans, which will therefore take part in the work on the new Euromed Strategy 
on Culture  to be adopted before the end of 201055 . 
In order to ensure full cohe rence of the EU’s po licies on the ground, Commission services 
work closely with EU Special Representatives (EUSR) whenever relevant. The most striking 
example is Kosovo where th e EC and EUSR launched a Technical Forum on Cultural 
Heritage  convening on a bi-monthly basis for the sake of transparency among and 
coordination of local and in ternational stakeholders.  
The Commission meets with key international interl ocutors in the field of culture, namely the 
Council of Europe  and UNESCO,  at headquarters and at field level with a view to enhancing 
coordination and cooperation. 
The website www.southeasteurope.com , dedicated to the promoti on of Southeast European 
culture(s) and artists, has been funded and created by the Commission.  
EU financial assistance in the cultural sect or focuses on infrastructures, events and 
administrative capacities.  
For the first time, as part of the preparatory actions for the multi-beneficiary IPA 2011-13  
programming, a working group with the main stakeholders dealing with Culture and History 
in the Western Balkans  was set up to identify key strategic sectors in the fields of culture, 
heritage and history. The priorities identifie d will be incorporated into the 2010 Multiannual 
Indicative Programme (MIPD). NGOs are participat ing in identifying priorities as well as in 
the programming process. 
In the heritage sector, the Commission provides funding and c ooperates with the Council of 
Europe and local ministries to implement the ‘ Ljubljana Process for Funding Cultural 
Heritage in Southeast Europe ’ (the new phase of the Integrated Rehabilitation Project 
Plan/Survey of the Architectural and Archaeolo gical Heritage IRPP/SAAH, initiated in 2003). 
This is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the Council of Europe, which is part 
of a regional long-term effort designed to m ove forward the enlargement process in the 
Balkan countries, encouraging cooperation wi th European institutions  and the adoption of 
European standards. The aim of the initiative is to build bridges between peoples, thereby 
fostering reconciliation, cultural dive rsity and intercultural dialogue.  
                                                 
55 see subchapter on Euromed partners. 
EN 47   EN Following the launch of the final phase of the IRPP/SAAH, Slovenia orga nised the ‘Ljubljana 
Conference – Rehabilitating our Common Heritage’, which took place on 6 and 7 November 
2009 in Ljubljana in the contex t of the Slovenian Chairmanship of the Committee of 
Ministers of the Council of Europe, celeb rating the achievements of the IRPP/SAAH. 
Ministers of the Western Balkan countries sign ed a declaration to c ontinue their commitment 
in the region after 2010.  
Talks are now progressing with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC - successor of the Stability Pact) to develop a joint EC/RCC/CoE pr oject to start a new phase of the Ljubljana 
Process at the end of 2010, in particular to  increase local ownership of this project.
 At the 
request of the European Parliament, extra f unds (EUR 6 million) were allocated to the 
Commission in 2008 and 2009 for a pilot project for preserving and restoring cultural heritage 
in post-conflict areas. Projects will be im plemented in Bosnia-and-Herzegovina, Croatia, 
Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro.  
Under the Civil Society Facility , a call for proposals launched in early 2010 focuses 
exclusively on partnerships be tween cultural organisations. The funding amounts to EUR 2.5 
million. The specific objectives of the call are to encourage the development of sustainable 
partnerships and networks among cultural organi sations in order to in crease involvement and 
ownership among civil society organisations, as  well as citizens in the cultural field. 
The Commission-funded T echnical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument 
(TAIEX)  has recently been used for cultural purpos es, more precisely to help Albania and 
Kosovo respectively to improve fund-raising a nd cooperate with external donors, and to 
restructure central and decentralised cultural ad ministrations. TAIEX is also implementing the 
Civil Society Facility’s People 2 People Programme (P2P)  that supports visits to EU 
institutions and bodies to exchange expe rience, know-how and good practices between 
beneficiaries, EU and Member States’ Civil So ciety Organisations (CSO s). In this context, 
some visits have focused on cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. 
At country level  the EU has in particular funded herita ge-related actions and dedicated some 
funds to cultural events (jazz and film festival s, ‘Les Rencontres du Livre de Sarajevo’).  
As regards audiovisual and media policies , one of the main priorities  of the European Union 
is to promote alignment with  European standards on medi a regulation in supporting the 
convergence of the Western Balkan countries and Turkey with the European Union. The 
European Commission therefor e invited media stakeholders from the Western Balkan 
countries and Turkey to a seminar on the au diovisual media servi ces directive and the 
digitalisation of television, which took place in Istanbul on 1 and 2 December 2008. This 
followed on from an earlier initiative to suppo rt broadcasting policy reform in the Western 
Balkans. 
– Albania 
There are two interlinked projects concerning one of the 26 consolidated projects of the 
Ljubljana Process, i.e. the Bazaar of Korca, in south-east Albania. 
– Under CARDS 2006  the project for ‘Sustainable and integrated development of cultural 
and historical heritage Albania’ is prepar ing the designs and tender documents for the 
restoration of historical sites identified in  Tirana, Kruja, Himara, Korca, Elbasan and 
Shkodra, and is financing works on three sites until 2011. 
EN 48   EN – Under IPA 2009  there is a EUR 5 million project th at aims at providing ‘Support to 
sustainable and integrated development of cu ltural and historical he ritage — phase II’, 
entailing physical restoration of urban areas in  and around selected hist orical heri tage sites 
based on the economic and development plans concerning the following sites: Korca Bazaar, Via Egnatia in Elbasan, street next to the Cathedral in Shkodra and streets around 
the castle in Berat. 
– Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Under IPA 2009  the sum of EUR 4 million is earmarked for restoration and rehabilitation of 
the Sarajevo Town Hall destroyed during th e war in 1992. This is one of the projects 
identified and consolidated in the framewor k of the Ljubljana Process. Under IPA 2010 an 
additional EUR 5 million is being discussed to en sure the completion of the reconstruction of 
this site. 
– Croatia 
Under IPA 2009  a project (EUR 1.8 million) related to cu ltural heritage aims at rehabilitating 
the Maskovica Han in the Ljubljana Process fra mework. There are also a number of small-
scale projects financed under Cross-border Programmes (IPA Component II) mostly related to cultural tourism and preservation of cultural heritage. Under the EIDHR, Croatian CSOs benefit from funds mainly for intercultural activities fostering reconciliation.  
– The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 
Supporting the implementation of th e Ljubljana Process, a cultura l heritage project has been 
programmed under IPA 2009  (EUR 1.2 million) for conserva tion and revitalisation of the 
cultural and tourist site St. George – Staro Nagorichane. 
– Kosovo
56  
From CARDS 2001 until IPA 2009 around EUR 10 million have been implemented for 
cultural heritage projects in Kosovo, like restor ation of medieval ort hodox churches, but also 
for capacity-building and training of civil servants  at central and decentralised levels in the 
administration dealing with culture. Logistical  support has been provid ed for organisation of 
the technical forum on heritage in Kos ovo. Moreover, in accordance with the Commission 
Communication on ‘Enhancing the European Pers pective of Kosovo’, endorsed by the EU 
Council in December 2010, the Kosovo-tailore d scholarship scheme called Young Cell 
Scheme (YCS) has opened its eligibility criteria to postgraduate students from the cultural sector.  
– Serbia  
In the framework of the Ljubljana Process , an EU-funded project will  aim at rehabilitating 
the coal mine of Senj: Senjski Rudnik . The old industrial centre will be transformed into a 
regional heritage centre and c ontribute to sustainable touris m and development. Senjski 
Rudnik is the birthplace of th e industrialisation of Serbia, established in 1853. The project 
amount is EUR 1.5 million. Also, under CARD S 2006, the Commission supported the 
restoration and conservation of, and access to , the Yugoslav Film Archive collection. The 
                                                
 
56 Under UNSCR 12244/99. 
EN 49   EN budget for the project amounts to EUR 2 million. The Archive is considered to be one of the 
five most important in Europe and one of the 10 largest in the world, with a collection 
containing over 95  000 copies of national a nd international films. 
– Turkey 
Culture is considered an important vector fo r the development of civil society in Turkey. 
Therefore, while actively promoting civil soci ety dialogue between the EU and Turkey, the 
EU-funded programmes ‘Culture in  Action’ and ‘Cultural Bridges’ allow cultural actors to 
receive grants to develop pr ojects in the culture and arts areas. Between 2006 and 2009,  the 
Culture in Action programme funded 15 joint EU-Turkey  projects contributi ng to heightened 
public interest in different aspects of Eu ropean art and culture (EUR 1.5 million). The 
Cultural Bridges  programme targets mainly the cultural institutes of EU Member States and 
their Turkish and European partners (EUR 6 millio n). It provides direct grants to engage in 
multi-partner  cultural activities with the aim of establishing a permanent dialogue and 
partnerships between cultural actors from Turkey and the EU. 
Furthermore, EUR 1.5 million has been allocated to support Istanbul  as the 2010 European 
Capital of Culture . 
– Iceland 
Given the recent inclusion of  Iceland among the Enlargement countries, there is no EU 
assistance implemented in this country. Iceland is an EEA signatory a nd has therefore already 
been participating in the Culture Programme  for many years. If shared, its successful 
experience in this field could help  the other Enlarg ement countries.  
3.4. EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD  
Cultural cooperation plays an important role  in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), 
both in the Eastern Partnershi p and in the Mediterranean re gion. Cultural cooperation, 
including cross-border cooperati on, is financed through the European Neighbourhood 
Partnership Instrument  (ENPI), covering  neighbourhood countries (Eastern Europe, South 
Caucasus and the Mediterranean partners) and Russia. The central elements of the ENP are 
the bilateral Action Plans agreed between the EU and each partner.  These set out an agenda of 
political and economic reforms, also includi ng cultural provisions, with short and medium-
term priorities.  
Furthermore, new forms of technical assist ance have been extende d to ENP partners 
(previously available only for new Member States, candidate and potential candidate 
countries). In this context, opportunities under TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information 
Exchange) and the Twinning Programme  — offering a framework for administrations and 
semi-public organisations in th e beneficiary countries to work  with their counterparts in 
Member States — can be exploited in the field of culture.  
As a way of opening up funding opportu nities for ENP countries under the Culture 
Programme  (candidate and potential candidate count ries can participate on an equal footing 
with Member States), in 2009 and 2010 the Special Action is dedicated to ENP countries 
(with political conditionality linked to ratification of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural 
Diversity and the signing of Association or Pa rtnership and Cooperation Agreements with the 
EU).  
EN 50   EN A new follow-up initiative — covering the whole ENP region  and allowing for regional 
and inter-regional cu ltural cooperation — should be launched from 2011 onwards.  
3.4.1.  Euromed countries : Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, 
Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria and Tunisia 
Since 1995, the Barcelona process  has become the regional fr amework for dialogue between 
members of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnershi p. Dialogue between cultures was recognised 
right from the outset as a ma jor component of the process and as a new development in 
relations between the EU and Mediterranean pa rtners. The social, cultural and human chapter 
of the Barcelona process aims to bring people on  both sides of the Med iterranean together, to 
promote their mutual knowledge and understanding and to improve their perception of each other.  
Particular attention is paid to intercultural a nd inter-religious dialogue and to the fundamental 
contribution that civil society organisations can make towards bringing people together. These 
goals have been the target of a wide variety of regional progra mmes and projects in the field 
of culture, notably actions to preserve a nd promote tangible and non-tangible cultural 
heritage. The Euromed Heritage Programme  was the first regional MEDA programme 
focusing on cultural heritage. It  was launched in 1998 and is c ontinuing in four phases until 
2012 for a total amount of almost EUR 75  million, involving 48 projects and with 
approximately 400 partners from EU Member St ates and South Mediterr anean countries. The 
aim of the programme is to highlight Euro-Medite rranean common heri tage, to promote 
exchange of know-how and knowledge about herita ge and to offer training in heritage-related 
skills and professions. One of the main results  of the programme is the production of a 
strategy paper entitled ‘Strategy for the development of Euro-Mediterranean Cultural 
Heritage: priorities from Medit erranean countries (2007-2013)’ , drafted in consultation 
with the Mediterranean partner countries. This document, which defines priorities for Cultural 
Heritage in the framework of the Euro-M editerranean partnership and the European 
Neighbourhood Policy, is intended to serve as a refe rence tool for future policies in this field. 
Euromed Heritage IV  (2008-2012) represents a further milestone, carrying forward the 
achievements of Heritage I + II + III, in the process of recogni sing culture as a catalyst for 
mutual understanding between the people of the Mediterranean region. Today embedded in 
the European Neighbourhood Policy and with a b udget of EUR 17 million, Euromed Heritage 
4 contributes to the exchange  of experiences on cultural heritage, creates networks and 
promotes cooperation. It is based on the obj ectives defined in th e ‘Strategy for the 
Development of Euro-Mediterranean Heritage : priorities from Me diterranean Countries 
(2007-2013)’ and focuses on local populations’ appr opriation of their cu ltural heritage and 
favours access to education on this subject.  It supports a framework for exchanging 
experiences, channelling the dissemination of be st practices and new perspectives aimed at 
the development of an institutional cultural environment. 
www.euromedheritage.net
 
The new EU maritime policy  also offers a unique opportunity  to promote maritime cultural 
heritage on both sides of the Mediterranean as a means to fo ster cultural understanding and 
economic cooperation. 
Another major regional programme, Euromed Audiovisual , continues to foster cooperation 
in the audiovisual sector across the Mediterr anean with a third phase  (total budget EUR 46 
EN 51   EN million since its creation in 2000). Euromed Audiovisual III  (2009-2012) contributes to 
intercultural dialogue and cultu ral diversity through support for building cinematographic and 
audiovisual capacity in the Mediterranean partner countr ies. With a budget of EUR 11 
million, the latest programme aims to contribute to intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity through support for the development of cinematographic and audi ovisual capacity in 
the partner countries. It promotes complementar ity and integration of the region’s film and 
audiovisual industries, while s eeking to harmonise public sector  policy and le gislation. It 
builds on the achievements of Eu romed Audiovisual I + II, aiming to tap into the potential of 
a developing audiovisual market in the region and help Mediterranean films to secure a place 
on the global scene. 
www.euromedaudiovisuel.net
 
The Euro-Mediterranean Anna Lindh Foundat ion for Dialogue between Cultures, as the 
first common institution created within the Ba rcelona process, aims at bringing people and 
organisations of the region together by launc hing actions impacting on mutual perceptions 
across the Mediterranean regi on, including culture, educatio n and media, as well as 
developing its position as a sp ace of expertise on the human and cultural dimension of the 
EuroMed partnership though its report on intercultural trends. 
The Foundation coordinates 43 national networks  involving civil society actors and public 
bodies, thus serving as a catalys t to develop activities on th e ground. It acts in partnership 
with regional and international or ganisations to promote the role of intercultural dialogue as a 
tool to prevent confli ct and to build human, cultural and political bridges across the Euro-
Mediterranean region. With a total initial budge t of almost EUR 13 million for the period 
2008-2011, provided by all EuroMed partners, of  which the European Commission provides 
EUR 7 million, the activity of the Anna Li ndh Foundation is now well established and 
provides the ideal framework for developing cultural dialogue be tween the two shores of the 
Mediterranean Sea.  
The Foundation was jointly create d and is co-financed by all me mber countries of the Euro-
Mediterranean Partnership. It covers Algeri a, Egypt, Israel, Jord an, Lebanon, Morocco, 
Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, and Tuni sia as well as all 27 EU Member States and 
remaining members of the Union for the Med iterranean, making a total of 43 countries. The 
Foundation promotes cooperation in the fields of  culture, education, science, human rights, 
sustainable development, empower ment of women and the arts.  
The EuroMed Youth Programme  supports and strengthens the contribution of youth 
organisations and young people from the regi on to the development of society and 
democracy, and promotes dialogue and understa nding. The fourth phase of the programme - 
with a budget of EUR 5 million for 2010-2013 - s upports concrete actions implemented by 
organisations on the ground focusing on three t ypes of activity: youth exchanges, voluntary 
service, and training and networ king (the same scheme as th e Youth for Europe programme). 
Thematic priorities focus on the fight agains t racism and xenophobia and the promotion of 
more tolerance, active citizenship and gender equality. 
In addition to the cooperation programmes, Mini sters of Culture of the EuroMed Partnership 
have established a political dialogue  in the form of ministeria l meetings. The third one took 
place in Athens in May 2008 and was an opportuni ty to exchange views about the cultural 
dimension of the partnership while also agreei ng on the launching of a process to draw up a 
fully fledged Euro-Mediterranean  Strategy on Culture serving to enhance dialogue between 
cultures and targeting cooperati on on cultural policies.  The strategy – to be based on the 
EN 52   EN principles of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection a nd Promotion of the Diversity 
of Cultural Expressions – should be adopted at a ministerial meeting during the second half of 
2010.  
This marks a milestone not only as regards the cultural dimension of the Euromed Partnership 
but also with regard to the overall implement ation of the European Agenda for Culture. For 
the first time a mandate has been give n at political level for devising a regional Strategy on 
Culture .  
In order to understand the n eeds more fully, the European Co mmission has been engaged in a 
consultation process addressing public entities and civil society organisations in the partner 
countries of the Union for the Mediterranean. For the South-Mediterranean countries a needs 
assessment report has been drawn up by two ex ternal experts (for the Western Balkan 
countries and Turkey a separa te written consultation proces s has been conducted). With a 
view to completing this proce ss and providing an opportunity for the cultural  sectors of 
partner countries to exchange vi ews on needs in the context of the new Strategy as well as on 
the results of consultations, the European Commission orga nised a seminar on 12 October 
2009. Furthermore, as outlined in the Athens  Conclusions, an ad hoc working group 
(composed of cultural experts of the members of the Union for the Mediterranean) will be given the responsibility for dr awing up the new Strategy.  
At the Paris Summit in July 2008, the Euro-Medit erranean Partnership was re-launched as the 
Union for the Mediterranean  with the aim of enhancing rela tions between the countries on 
both sides. This Union was endorsed at the Ma rseille meeting of th e Euro-Mediterranean 
Ministers of Foreign Affairs in November 2008. The Partnership now includes all 27 Member 
States of the European Union, along with 16 pa rtners across the Southern Mediterranean, the 
Middle East and the Western Balkans. 
http://www.euromedalex.org/En/AboutUs.htm
 
3.4.2.  Eastern Partnership countries : Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova 
and Ukraine 
Following the adoption of the Commission Communication on the Eastern Partnership  in 
December 2008, according to which ‘The EU has specifically rec ognised the value of cultural 
cooperation  and intercultural dialogue as an integral  part of all external policies and has 
underlined the importance of cultural coope ration in addressing poli tical processes and 
challenges’ , the partnership initiative was officia lly launched at the Pr ague Summit meeting 
on 7 May 2009. The multilateral framewor k of the Eastern Partnership  provides for 
cooperation activities and open an d free dialogue. In this framework, four Platforms have 
been set up.  
The Platform on Contacts between people  (Platform 4) – covering inter alia the field of 
culture – met twice in 2009 and once in 2010 (May ). At its first meeting held in June 2009, 
the policy dialogue on culture was launched, based on the implementation of the 2005 
UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Pr omotion of the Diversity of Cultural 
Expressions and on the experience accumulated in the context of the Cultural Policy Reviews 
conducted under the aegis of the Council of Eu rope. The Platform’s work programme for 
2009-2011, adopted at the second meeting in  November 2009, focuses on (1) a demand-
driven policy dialogue, (2) foster ing participation of partners in EU-funded programmes, and 
(3) organising an enlarged meeting of Cultural Contact Points allowing for an exchange of 
EN 53   EN views on  preparatory measures to be taken by part ners with a view to  new programmes. The 
enlarged meeting of Cultural Cont act Points was held on 18 March 2010. 
The Eastern Partnership Culture Programme – Part I  has been designed to strengthen 
regional cultural links and dialogue within th e ENP East region, and between the EU and ENP 
Eastern countries’ cultural networks and ac tors. It covers cooperation with Armenia, 
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, a nd Belarus from 2010 to 2013. The budget of € 3 
million foreseen for its Part I is supposed to pr ovide technical assistance to public authorities 
and civil society. This first phase will be co mplemented by € 9 million for Part II and a call 
for proposals for projects should be published be fore the end of 2010. Th e Eastern Partnership 
Culture Programme aims at assisting the partne r countries in their cu ltural policy reforms at 
government level, as well as  capacity-building an d improving the professionalism of cultural 
operators in the Eastern ENP regi on. It contributes to exchange of information and experience 
among cultural operators at a regi onal level and with the EU. The programme seeks to support 
regional initiatives which demonstrate positive cultural contributions to economic development, social inclusion, conflict resolution and interc ultural dialogue.  
– The Kyiv Initiative: Black Sea and South Caucasus 
The Kyiv Initiative br ings together five countri es at the south-eastern edge of Europe, namely 
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.  Their aim is to work with each other, to 
create democratic and engaged societies and rebuild trust and confid ence across the region.  
The programme focuses on five themes that bo th unite and characterise the participating 
countries – heritage management, film, the shap ing of cultural policy, li terature, wine culture 
and tourism exchange. Through a series of pr ojects designed to encourage cross-border 
collaboration, the Kyiv Initiative enables the sharing of expertise and the development of 
competence and skills in both towns and the countryside.  In the context of the Council of Europe’s Ky iv Initiative Regional Pr ogramme, the European 
Commission is co-financing over the period 2009/2010 the first phase of Pilot Project 2 on 
‘Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage in Historic Cities ’ (PP2) for institutional capacity-
building in relation to rehabil itation projects. A second conventi on will be concluded between 
the Commission and the Council of Europe in 2010, valid until 2011, for the second phase of 
Pilot Project 2.  
3.5. AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND P ACIFIC (ACP) COUNTRIES 
 
The European Development Fund  is the instrument that finances external cooperation with 
the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific stat es. Currently, the EC is implementing the 10th 
EDF for the period 2008-2013 with  an overall budget of EUR 22  682 million. The cooperation 
programmes financed by the EDF are governed by  the Cotonou partnership agreement, signed 
by the ACP countries and the EU Member States  in June 2000 and revised in Luxemburg in 
2005.  
Article 27 of the Cotonou agreement  states that the cultural di mension is to be implemented 
at all levels of development cooperation; recognising, preserving and promoting cultural 
values and identities to enable  intercultural dialogue; recogn ising, preserving and promoting 
the value of cultural heritage; supporting the development of capacity in this sector; and developing cultural industries and enhanci ng market access opportunities for cultural goods 
and services. 
The second revision of the Cotonou partnershi p agreement was signed in March 2010. This 
revision changes the title of the relevant Article 27 from ‘Cultural development’ to ‘Culture 
EN 54   EN and development’ and introduces two new point s, namely ‘e) recognising and supporting the 
role of cultural actors and cultural netw orks and their contribution to sustainable 
development’; and ‘f) promoting the cultural dimension in educat ion and the participation of 
youth in cultural activities’. 
In the spirit of the Cotonou agreement, cultural cooperation projects or activities at bilateral 
level under the 10th EDF are scheduled in the National Indicative Programmes  (NIPs) 
currently being implemented in Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. Cultural cooperation activities in a number of these countries are actually funded through calls 
for proposals in the context of  a Civil Society Support progr amme. Most of the projects 
qualify for small allocations, but in some cases significant funding is envi saged for the culture 
sector, for instance in the case of Eritrea (EUR 5 million),  Ethiopia (EUR 10 million),  or 
Mali (EUR 15 million). The case of Mali is quite  specific, as EU/Mali cultural cooperation 
has been going on for almost 10 years. This burgeoning cooperation has been shaped by past experiences and by responding to  the changing needs of the co untry’s cultural sectors.  
Moreover, apart from the countries which orig inally included cultura l programmes in their 
NIPs, some others have shown interest in establishing cultural programmes within the 
framework of their development strategies as a result of the recent mid- term review of the 10
th 
EDF. In countries where culture does not co nstitute a programme in itself, there is the 
possibility of integrating it into oth er transversal programmes  such as local development, 
support to non-state actors and to small and medi um-sized enterprises, microcredit, vocational 
training and good governance. Countries such as  the Dominican Republic, Mozambique and 
Cameroon propose to follow this strategy and in clude cultural windows in larger programmes 
integrating several sectors.  
The EDF also covers regional cooperation. Cu ltural cooperation may be included in the 
Regional Indicative Programmes (RIP)  as a focal sector for intervention. This is the case in 
two specific instances, namely West Africa a nd its programme supporting cultural industries, 
financed as an Intra-ACP programme, and the PALOP regional association, which 
encompasses Africa’s five Portuguese-speak ing countries (Angola, Cape Verde, 
Mozambique, Sao Tome e Principe and Guin ea Bissau). The PALOP regional development 
programme is an exception as it is the only programme gathering non-adjacent countries on a 
purely linguistic criterion. Culture was a focal sector for the PALOP under previous EDFs. 
The second RIP PALOP (9th EDF) included a programme of  EUR 3 million. The agreement 
was signed in February 2008. In the 10th EDF it continues to  be a priority. 
A specific programme supports  institutions, NGOs and indi vidual actors throughout West 
Africa (Economic Community of West African States -  ECOWAS ) and Mauritania to 
ensure wider access to culture, sharing of expe rtise and experiences, support for creation and 
for new forms of expression based on new technologies . 
Future regional cooperation  should focus on actions that cannot be developed with the 
smaller size programmes at national level and ha ve added value if desi gned regionally. Such 
is the case, for instance, with the structuri ng of cultural sectors at  regional level and the 
support given to cultural operato rs that cover the whole value chain in the region. Similarly, 
future regional cooperation coul d foster the emergence of re gional poles of excellence in 
certain cultural sectors, in cluding a vocational training and technical support dimension. The 
diffusion, circulation and commerci alisation of cultural goods, serv ices and works at regional 
level is also another target identified for future  actions by professionals and politicians in the 
EN 55   EN International Colloquium on ‘Culture and creativity, vectors for Development’ organised 
by the Commission in April 2009 in Brussels.  
The Colloquium  attracted over 800 participants: artists, professionals and pol iticians from 65 
ACP and EU countries, includi ng 48 Ministers of Culture from  ACP countries, two European 
Commissioners and two Heads of State.  The Colloquium led to the Brussels Declaration of 
EU/ACP professionals, giving a se ries of recommendations at the level of local authorities, 
the international donor community and th e professionals themselves. The culture 
professionals asked for a Follow-up Committee to be set up in order to monitor the implementation of the Declaration and streng then the synergy betw een EC cooperation 
actions and those of different public actors in the field of development (especially Cultural 
Institutes and private Foundations). The firs t meeting of the Follo w-up Committee took place 
in the framework of the Seminar on culture and development organised by the Spanish 
Presidency  in Girona (4-6 May 2010). 
The national and regional levels are not the only ones at which the EDF acts. At the intra-
ACP level , covering all ACP countri es, two programmes for a total of EUR 15 million are 
currently activ e under the 9
th EDF: ACP Films and ACP Cultures,  focusing on the cultural 
industries of the ACP countries. 
ACP Films  co-finances the production, distribution and promotion of  audiovisual works from 
ACP countries, including feature films, TV series and animated  films. Its funding level is 
EUR 8 million under the 9th EDF, of which EU R 6.5 million has been allocated to 24 grant 
projects, involving partners from over 40 c ountries covering the six geographical and 
linguistic ACP regions as well as several Euro pean countries. This programme builds on the 
achievements of the previous EU-ACP progr amme supporting cinema (2000-2004), which co-
financed the production of 47 fi lms and eight distribution actions. This focus on cinema and 
audiovisual cooperation reflects the economic importance of the sector and the importance of 
audiovisual media as a vector of culture.  
ACP Cultures  is a Cultural Industries Support Programme  providing support to cultural 
actors. While the programme is open to all AC P countries, particular emphasis is put on 
strengthening the culture sector in five pilot co untries with a view to maximising the sector’s 
economic and job potential. The programme also  supports the creation of an ACP Cultural 
Observatory, which will allow a better view and understanding of the cultural sector in the 
ACP region and will help structure the sector on a professional and political level. The budget 
for this action is over EUR 6 million under th e 9th EDF, of which EUR 2.3 million has been 
allocated to six grant projects currently in progre ss in the areas of perfor ming arts, visual arts 
and music. These projects include part nerships from the entire ACP area. 
These programmes are currently bei ng evaluated, and identification of the new intra-ACP 
programme under the 10th EDF, which will am ount to EUR 30 million, is already 
underway . The intra-ACP programmes transcend na tional and regional distinctions. The 
beneficiaries are all the ACP countries, on a global scale,  and therefore, intra-ACP 
programmes try to build up synergies within the different ACP countries and regions, but also 
beyond the ACP realm, encompassing the EU a nd its Member States. The primary objective 
is to develop networks enhancing the exch ange of competences and the diffusion and 
circulation of cultural goods, se rvices and works and to st ructure the cu ltural sectors 
complementing the national and regional levels. 
Furthermore, the European Commission has other instruments to promote development 
through culture. In the case of ACP states, cultural cooperation can be supported through 
Economic Partnership Agreements ( EPA s), as has already been done in the case of 
EN 56   EN CARIFORUM, where the EPA grants a special st atus and easier access to European markets 
to cultural goods and services th rough a special cultural protocol  attached to the body of the 
agreement. The CARIFORUM cultural protocol forms a precedent for the rest of the ACP 
regional organisations in terms of commercial relations with the EU. Jamaica  is considering 
including the cultural industry as one of the four priority sectors for a project to be financed 
within the NIP of the 10th EDF in the framework of a project supporting the implementation 
of the EPA among Jamaican industries and exporters. 
Finally, it should be noted that, in order to centralise all info rmation on the issue of culture 
and development, and to create an enduring netw ork of professionals who can exchange their 
views with the Commission, the latt er has established a website (www.culture-dev.eu ) with 
information on the conclusions and follow- up of the above-mentioned Colloquium on 
‘Culture and Creativity, vectors for devel opment’. Also, a workin g group on ‘Culture and 
Development in Internationa l Cooperation’ has been created on the EC web platform 
www.capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu  to allow for better exchan ges among cultural cooperation 
professionals. 
3.6. LATIN AMERICA  
The Heads of State and Government of the EU  and the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) 
countries recognised the importance of cultural di versity as a factor for development, growth 
and stability at the EU-LAC Summit  that took place in Vienna in 2006. They committed 
themselves to finding ways to enhance both EU-LAC and intr a-LAC cooperation and 
exchanges of expertise and good practices and ag reed to commemorate historic and cultural 
events with the aim of contributing to  closer ties between their peoples. 
In line with these political recommendations , at sub-regional and bilateral level, sectoral 
dialogues  are on the increase and cooperation on cu lture is being deve loped. Several policy 
initiatives in the cultural field have taken place or are scheduled.  
Regarding regional cooperation, the MERCOSUR Audiovisual Programme  aims to 
strengthen the cinematographi c and audiovisual se ctor in MERCOSUR as an instrument 
fostering the regional integrati on process and the participation of civil society. With an EU 
contribution of EUR 1.5 million, the programme is based on five axes of intervention, which 
are: to support harmonisat ion of the legislation govern ing the sector in MERCOSUR 
countries; to strengthen the capacities of the MERCOSUR Audiovisual Observatory; to 
disseminate audiovisual content; to support th e preservation, dissemination and digitalisation 
of audiovisual heritage; and to provide professional and technical  training for the audiovisual 
sector. 
The VI EU-LAC Summit  of Heads of State and Governme nt held in Madrid on 18 May 
2010 announced the creation of an EU-LAC Foundation  for promoting mutual 
understanding and cooperation between the peopl es of Latin America and the EU through 
cultural, intellectual and people- to-people exchanges, and foster ing the transfer of knowledge 
and good practice between the two regions. 
– Brazil 
The EU’s strategic partnership with Brazil has a strong cultural dimens ion, reflected in the 
reference to culture in the landmark Joint Actio n Plan (JAP) with Brazil and in the ambitious 
conclusions of the latest EU-Brazil Summit  held in Rio in December 2008.  
EN 57   EN The structured sectoral policy dialogue on culture  was launched by a Joint Declaration on 
culture signed in May 2009 by the Eu ropean Commission and th e Brazilian Government. 
Both parties  stress that ‘enhancing cooperation and dial ogue on culture is instrumental to 
improve mutual understanding and to establish a genuine intercultural dialogue, as well as a 
community of views as regards questions of  cultural governance at international level’. 
The Culture Programme selected Brazil for the external cooperation action in 2008 (‘Special 
measures: cooperation with third countries’). Seven bi-annual projects scheduled for the 
period 2008-2010 were select ed with a to tal budget of EUR 1.3 million . They involve 
cultural cooperation between European and Braz ilian cultural organisations and/or cultural 
activities carried out in Brazil.  
– Mexico 
The signing of the Joint Declaration on culture  in June 2009 set the scene for a structured 
sectoral  policy dialogue  on culture between the EU and Mexico.  
The Cultural Fund EU – Mexico  is a bilateral cultural cooperation project which started in 
December 2007  with a budget of EUR 1 million  for the first phase ( 2008 – 2010). The aim of 
the Fund is to stimulate better reciprocal  understanding between Mexican and European 
societies. Never before had cultural cooperation been highlighted as clearly prior to the start 
of a sectoral dialogue between the EU and an  external partner coun try. This pilot phase 
provides new perspectives on cultural exchange s that will benefit EU and Mexican cultural 
operators. 
During the first phase of the Cultural Fund, si x projects were financed in 2008 for a total 
amount of almost EUR  1 million . Two projects were in the ci nematographic diffusion area, 
two related to the organisation of theatre festiv als and two were concer ned with art exchange. 
An agreement for financing the second phase of this programme, Cultural EU – Mexico II 
Fund  2009 – 2012, was signed in 2 009 with a total budget of EUR  5.6 million , financed 
equally by the European Commission and the Mexican government. The objectives include 
support for artist and cultural industry exchan ges as well as seminars on public policies 
dealing with access to culture and job creation. 
A special action  will be dedicated to Mexico in the framework of the Culture Programme  
for the period 2011-2013, similar to the one for Br azil. The call for proposals will be launched 
in December 2010 with a budget of at least EUR 1 million. The aim of the action is to support 
cultural projects involving both Me xican and European cultural operators, and taking place 
equally in Europe and Mexico. It is more spec ifically meant to ensure the continuation and 
sustainability of cultural activi ties of common interest devel oped in the context of the 2010 
official celebrations in Mexi co and Europe (centenary of Revolution and bicentenary of 
Mexican Independence). 
3.7. ASIAN COUNTRIES  
In Asia  and Central Asia , the DCI is the legal basis for development cooperation, replacing 
the ALA regulation for Asia and the TACIS re gulation for Central Asia. The cooperation 
strategy with Asia is based on a partnership a pproach. One of the priorities is to increase 
awareness of the EU in Asia and vice vers a, which should be achieved by, among other 
things, strengthening educational and cultura l exchanges between the two regions, and 
promoting enhanced civil society co ntacts and intellectual exchanges. 
EN 58   EN These objectives are pursued thr ough the Asia-Europe Meeting ( ASEM ), an informal process 
of dialogue and cooperation be tween the EU Member States and the European Commission 
and 16 Asian countries and the ASEAN Secretaria t. ASEM activities on the cultural pillar 
include a wide range of enhan ced contacts and dialogue between the two regions, as well as 
cooperation in the protecti on of cultural heritage.  
Since 1997 the Commission has been co-finan cing project activities carried out by the Asia-
Europe Foundation (ASEF) , whose aim is to promote mutual understanding, deeper 
engagement and continuing collaboration among the people of Asia and Europe through 
greater intellectual, cultural and people-to-peop le exchanges between the two regions. In the 
field of arts and culture, ASEF aims to stimulat e the exchange of ideas,  creativity and artistic 
practices in different contexts. ASEF is also active in the field of interfaith dialogue, 
exploring opportunities for collaboration a nd innovation among stake holders and between 
religious and secular groups, so as to contribu te to mitigation of conflict and reconciliation. 
The ASEF budget is EUR 3 million for the period 2008-10. 
– India 
The New Delhi EU-India Summit Joint Statement  of 30 November 2007 provided support 
for further cooperation in the field of culture , including stepping up the activities of 
organisations such as the Indian Council for Cu ltural Relations (ICCR) a nd the Indian cluster 
of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC).  
In the European Year of Intercul tural Dialogue (2008), a conference on ‘ Multilingualism and 
Intercultural Dialogue in Globalisation’  was organised in December 2008 in New Delhi. 
This was the first EU-India platform for disc ussion and exchange betw een high-level scholars 
and intellectuals on the issue of multilingualism and its implications in the fields of business, 
politics, identity, intercultural dialogue and edu cation. The event was the first step towards a 
more permanent policy dialogue with India in th is domain, initiated by the signing of an EU-
India Joint Declaration on Mu ltilingualism on 6 March 2009.  
In financing terms, a number of cultural coopera tion initiatives were su pported in the context 
of the EU-India Economic Cros s-Cultural Programme , as well as through the special 
action under the  Culture Programme in 2007 with a budget of EUR 1.8 million (together 
with China).  The EU Delegation and Embassies of the EU Member States in 
Delhi supported a wide range of cultural activities ai med at raising the pr ofile of the EU, and 
of European culture, in India.  Key events included cultural w eeks that were organised in 2008 
and 2009 and, in 2010, the 15th anniversary of the Eu ropean Union Film Festival (24 April - 4 
May), which showcased European cultural divers ity and brought European cinema to Indian 
audiences. 
– China 
In October 2007, the European Commission and th e Chinese Ministry of Culture signed a 
Joint Declaration on cooperati on in the field of culture . 
The first EU-China sectoral dialogue on culture  took place in May 2009, in Beijing, 
at director general level. During the follow- up meeting in October 2009 in Brussels, both 
sides agreed on three priority areas of coope ration, namely (a) promotion of cultural and 
creative industries, (b) preser vation of cultural heritage , and (c) cooperation on the 
management of cultural organisations and instit utions (printing houses, operas…). In order to 
EN 59   EN enhance cultural cooperation by raising the issue at a higher le vel, the Chinese side proposed 
to hold a high-level cultural forum.  
The importance of the cultural dimension of EU-China relations was underlined at the 12th 
EU-China Summit  in November 2009, in Nanjing. Pr emier Wen further endorsed the 
proposal to establish a high-level cultural forum  that would take place in the margin of the 
EU-China Summit in October 2010.  President Barroso also stressed the importance of cultural 
and people-to-people exchanges for increasing mutual understand ing. Both sides decided that 
2011  would be the Year of EU-China Youth , and that an EU-China ministerial mechanism 
on youth affairs should be created.  Both sides agreed to work together to improve dialogue 
mechanisms and introduce fresh vitality into the re lationship, including in the cultural field.  
The Joint Statement  issued on this occasion promoted fu rther strengthening of the exchanges 
and cooperation on the basis of the existing good cultural relati ons, continuing the EU-China 
cultural policy dialogue, and working closely together to push for implementation of the 
Unesco Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural 
Expressions.  
A number of pilot events , involving young people from both China and Europe, are planned 
in 2010, including school twinning and a Youth Summ it. Interactions will be strengthened in 
the framework of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 . Europe and China will host 
official opening ceremonies, flagship events  on youth, culture, sports and volunteering, as 
well as projects jointly implemented by Chinese a nd European organisations. It is proposed to 
designate Youth Ambassadors in a number of fi elds. An official closing ceremony is planned 
for the later part of 2011.  
Regarding funding opportunities , the third country call under the Culture Programme  in 
2007 covered China and India with a budget of EU R 1.8 million. Ten projects in the fields of 
performing arts, cultural he ritage, new media technologi es, library books and reading, 
architecture, design and applied arts were ca rried out in a spirit of cooperation between 
European, Chinese and Indian operators. 
3.8. INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES  
– Russia 
A Joint Working Group on Culture made up of representativ es of the European 
Commission, the Member States and the Russian Ministry of Culture  was established in 
February 2007 and has met regularly, mo st recently in June 2008 in Moscow . One of the main 
aims of the Joint Working Group is to draw up an EU-Russia Culture Action Plan , which is 
currently being discussed.  
The first Permanent Partnership Council (PPC) on Culture took place in Lisbon on 25 
October 2007 and  was concluded with a  Joint Statement between th e Russian Federation (RF) 
and the EU . The PPC is a new format for cooperati on with the RF agreed upon at the St 
Petersburg Summit to strengthen the EU/Russi a Cooperation Council. PPCs bring together the 
Ministers/Commissioners responsible for particul ar policy areas. The EC position is based on 
a Commission proposal a dopted by the Council. 
One of the concrete proposals set out in the Cu lture Action Plan is the organisation of an EU-
Russia high-level seminar on cultural cooperation. In  this context, an international seminar on 
‘Russia-EU: signs on the road map of cultural cooperation’ , co-organised by the European 
EN 60   EN Commission and the Russian Minist ry of Culture, took place on 8 December 2009 in Moscow. 
It brought together cultu ral operators from the EU and Russi a (more than 150 experts from 22 
European countries and 20 regions of the Russian  Federation) so that they could discuss the 
priorities and modalities of EU-Russia coop eration, as well as elements of the policy 
environment which could facilitate cultural cooperation.  
The main conclusions of the seminar were li nked to the enhancement of EU-Russia cultural 
cooperation encompassing all areas of cultural and artistic expressions, engaging cultural 
stakeholders at all levels, in cluding state and non-state acto rs, civil society, business and 
independent actors, fostering the mobility of artists and cultur al workers between the EU and 
Russia, facilitating access to in formation and networking, etc. Th e overall objective is to link 
the outcome of the seminar to the ongoing ne gotiations on the Culture Action Plan and 
prepare recommendations from the cultural sector to feed into this process. 
EU-Russia cooperation in the field of cu lture is covered by  the 1997 EU-Russia Partnership 
and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) , and it will also be a part of the New EU-Russia 
Agreement (NA), which is currently  under discussion . The NA contains subs tantive, legally-
binding commitments in all areas of the partne rship, including political  dialogue, justice, 
freedom and security issues, trade and investment, energy, economic cooperation, and 
research, education and culture . The culture and audiovisua l cooperation text is being 
negotiated within the Research, E ducation and Culture Working Group.  
In May 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Northern Dimension 
Partnership on Culture (NDPC)  under the Northern Dimension policy, with the 
participation of Norway, Iceland, EU Member States and the Russian  Federation, was signed. 
The main purpose of the Partnership is to func tion as a focal point for networks, projects and 
other cultural activities in the Northern Dime nsion area with a view to keeping interested 
parties informed of plans and activities. 
In the framework of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument , the 
programme on ‘ Minorities in Russia: Developing la nguages, culture, media and civil 
society’  is implemented jointly with the Council of  Europe. The project started in February 
2009 and will last for 36 months, with EU f unding of EUR 2.5 million. The overall objective 
of this action is to promote Russia’s ethnic a nd national minorities a nd better recognition of 
their specific integrity as regards culture, e ducation, languages, media and civil society. A 
more specific aim is to pave the way for Russia’ s future ratification and implementation of the 
Council of Europe’s Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.  
The Institution Building Partnership Program me (IBPP): the EU-Russia Culture Window  
For a number of years, the European Commissi on has fostered cultur al cooperation between 
the EU and Russia through its Delega tion in Moscow. Support to the EU-Russia Cultural 
Cooperation Initiative  is a part of the EU-Russia Cooperation Programme designed to 
support grassroots initiatives in  the area of culture via the Institution Building Partnership 
Programme (IBPP ). The purpose is to support the EU-Russia cultural initiatives 
implemented through partnerships among non- governmental organisations, local/regional 
authorities, artistic universitie s, museums and other cultural institutions from the EU and 
Russia. Project promoters act in partnership and projects involve at least one organisation 
from Russia and one from the EU. 
In 2007 the European Commission’s Delegatio n to Russia launched the first thematic call for 
proposals specifically focused on culture . Eight joint EU-Russia pr ojects with a total budget 
EN 61   EN of EUR 2 million were selected and financed . In 2008 the European Commission continued 
its activities aimed at fostering cooperation wi th Russia in the cultural field and promoting 
artistic and cultural projects with a European dimension. As a result, nine joint EU-Russia 
projects  were selected and financed via the IBPP in 2008 for a total budget of EUR 2 million. 
The subjects covered were artistic creati on, cultural mobility, intercultural dialogue, 
strengthening of cultu ral networks and cooperation among mu seums. In 2009, a third call for 
proposals was launched with a focus on promoting creativity and innovative artistic projects 
with a European dimension, for a total budget of EUR 2 million .