COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT A New European Agenda for Culture - Background Information Accompanying the document Communication from the European Commission to the European Parliament, , the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions A New European Agenda for Culture
Date: 2018-05-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: artistic creation, cultural cooperation, cultural heritage, cultural pluralism, cultural promotion, cultural relations, culture industry, technological change

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 22.5.2018 SWD(2018) 167 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT A New European Agenda for Culture - Background Information Accompanying the document Communication from the European Commission to the European Parliament, , the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions A New European Agenda for Culture {COM(2018) 267 final}  
 
 
Contents 

1.  A New European Agenda for Culture – key actions proposed ............................................. 3 

1.1 Objective 1 – harnessing the power of culture for social cohesion and wellbeing ............. 3 

Mobility ................................................................................................................................. 3 

Assessing the impacts of cultural cross-overs ....................................................................... 4 

Integrating refugees and other migrants ................................................................................ 5 

Gender ................................................................................................................................... 6 

Cultural participation and creativity in cities ........................................................................ 6 

1.2 Objective 2 - Supporting culture-based creativity in education and innovation, and for 
jobs and growth ......................................................................................................................... 6 

Creativity in education .......................................................................................................... 6 

Skills ...................................................................................................................................... 8 

Working with the music sector .............................................................................................. 8 

Culture in cities and regions .................................................................................................. 9 

Supporting innovation and entrepreneurship  ..................................................................... 10 

Sustainable cultural tourism ................................................................................................ 11 

Fair remuneration ................................................................................................................ 13 

1.3  Objective 3 - Strengthening international cultural relations ............................................ 13 

Implementing the Joint Communication on International Cultural Relations .................... 13 

Supporting culture as an engine for sustainable social and economic development .......... 15 

Promoting culture and intercultural dialogue for peaceful inter-community relations ....... 17 

Reinforcing cooperation on cultural heritage ...................................................................... 19 

2.  2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage ........................................................................... 20 

2.1 Ten European Initiatives ................................................................................................... 20 

EYCH Initiative 1 – Sharing heritage, history and values .................................................. 21 

EYCH Initiative 2 – Heritage at school .............................................................................. 22 

EYCH Initiative 3 – Youth for heritage .............................................................................. 23 

EYCH Initiative 4 – Heritage in transition .......................................................................... 24 

EYCH Initiative 5 – Tourism and heritage ......................................................................... 25 

EYCH Initiative 6 – Cherishing heritage: quality principles .............................................. 26 

EYCH Initiative 7 – Heritage at risk: fighting illicit trade, managing heritage site risks ... 27 

EYCH Initiative 8 – Skills for heritage: for traditional and new professions ..................... 28 

EYCH Initiative 9 – Heritage for all: citizen participation and social innovation .............. 29 

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EYCH Initiative 10 – Science for heritage: research, innovation, science and technology 30 

3.  Digital4Culture .................................................................................................................... 32 

Digital4Culture Initiative 1 – .............................................................................................. 33 

Europeana: an enabler of digital transformation for cultural heritage ................................ 33 

Digital4Culture Initiative 2 – Digitization centres for monuments and sites ...................... 34 

Digital4culture Initiative 3 – Digital Creative Hubs ........................................................... 35 

Digital4culture Initiative 4 - Enhancing the availability and visibility of EU films ........... 36 

Digital4culture Initiative 5 New mentoring schemes for audiovisual professionals .................. 37 

Digital4culture Initiative 6 Stimulating cross-overs from culture to innovation in society 
and industry ......................................................................................................................... 37 

4. Stakeholder Views .................................................................................................................. 38 

4.1  Stakeholder meeting summary ......................................................................................... 38 

4.2  EUSurvey – summary of MS and Stakeholder responses................................................ 42 

5.  Summary and Main Results of the 2007 European Agenda for Culture ............................. 46 

5.1 Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 46 

5.2 Implementation ................................................................................................................. 47 

5.3  Outputs – Council Work Plans for Culture ...................................................................... 48 

5.4 Outputs - structured dialogue ............................................................................................ 54 

6.  Statistics .............................................................................................................................. 57 

6.1 Eurostat ............................................................................................................................. 57 

6.2 Eurobarometer ................................................................................................................... 62 

Key findings on shared values and the role of culture ........................................................ 62 

Key findings on cultural heritage ........................................................................................ 64 

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1. 

A New European Agenda for Culture – key actions proposed 

The  following  main  actions  will  be  carried  out  under  three  strategic  objectives,  in  order  to 
support Member States implementing the New Agenda for Culture. 

1.1 Objective 1 – harnessing the power of culture for social cohesion and wellbeing 

Mobility 

The  arts  sector  is  possibly  unique,  in  its  contribution  to  Europe's  innovation  capacity,  and  in 
being  driven  by  a  specialised  workforce  that  is  highly  mobile  across  national  borders. 
Nowadays  geographical  mobility  is  such  an  intrinsic  aspect  of  an  artist's  professional 
development  that  in  many  cases,  working  internationally  is  the  only  choice  for  young 
professionals. Artists have a special place also because with their mobility they strengthen the 
common European cultural space and foster participation in European integration. 

But  there  are  also  many  problems.  Working  frequently  and  for  short  periods  in  different 
Member  States,  often  in  atypical  and  precarious  forms  of  employment,  under  successive 
employers  and  with  irregular  and  unpredictable  income,  artists  face  both  regulatory  and 
administrative barriers in their cross-border activities. These include the risk of double taxation 
in the countries where they perform as well as those where they reside1. 

A pilot project on artists mobility was carried out in 2008 and 2009, focusing on identification 
and exchange of good practice, networking of structures supporting mobility and a feasibility 
study  by  ECOTEC  on  "Information  systems  to  support  the  mobility  of  artists  and  other 
professionals in the culture field" http://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/culture/policy/cultural-creative-
industries/documents/mobility-systems_en.pdf .  

This was followed in June 2010 by a report of an Open Method of Coordination working group 
on  the  mobility  of  artists  and  culture  professionals  with  recommendations  on  mobility 
information  provision  for  artists  and  culture  professionals,  including  guidelines  for  Mobility 
Information Services. In 2011 the Council asked the Commission to establish an Expert Group 
tasked with preparing a set of guidelines (Mobility Information Standards) on common content 
and quality standards for establishing or further developing information and advisory services 
for artists and culture professionals2.  

In  April  2013  and  June  2014,  the  European  Commission  organised  two  thematic  seminars  to 
analyse  administrative  practices  creating  obstacles  to  the  mobility  of  artists  and  culture 
professionals. The seminars focused on: 

  Schengen visas 
  social security 
  cross-border taxation 
 

information provision for artists and culture professionals 

1  As noted also in the Communication adopted by the European Commission on 20 September 2017 on Boosting 

growth and cohesion in border regions. 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/communications/2017/boosting-growth-and-
cohesion-in-eu-border-regions 

2  http://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/culture/library/publications/mobility-info-standards_en.pdf 

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The  events  facilitated  an  exchange  of  information  and  best  practice  between  representatives 
from  EU  Member  State  governments  and  the  culture  sector.  In  May  2016,  the  European 
Commission organised a stocktaking meeting to assess follow-up initiatives and progress made 
since 2014 regarding the abovementioned topics in the context of cultural and artistic mobility. 
The  exercise  brought  together  different  European  Commission  services,  government  experts 
from 22 EU Member States (Culture, Social Affairs and Finance ministries and public bodies), 
representatives  of  cultural  organisations,  festivals,  professional  associations,  and  agencies 
supporting or  promoting  the  international  mobility  of  artists  and  culture  professionals,  artists' 
federations  and  trade  unions,  employers,  university  professors,  lawyers,  independent  experts, 
and cultural practitioners. The stocktaking allowed concluding that despite higher awareness of 
the obstacles to artistic and cultural mobility, numerous problems persist. 

Incentives: A mobility scheme for artists and creative people has been included in the 2018 
Commission Work Programme. It aims at testing a funding scheme to be activated on a regular 
basis from 2021 onwards.  In particular, the following objectives will be pursued: 

  Study  the  feasibility  of  a  mobility  fund  active  at  European  level.  In  particular,  the 
project  would  evaluate  the  best  conditions  for  the  administration,  management  and 
evaluation of the work of such initiative in the mid-/long-term; 

  Design  and  run  a  pilot  mobility  fund  that  would  act  in  complementarity  of  existing 
mobility  schemes  available  at  local,  regional  and/or  national  levels.  In  particular,  the 
project  would  establish  the  conditions,  criteria, communication  strategy,  feedback  and 
evaluation mechanisms for an effective funding scheme; 

  Formulate  policy  recommendations  to  the  European  Commission,  the  European 
Parliament  and  Member  States  towards  the  full  implementation  of  such  a  fund  in  the 
next generation of EU programmes. 

In this first stage, the scheme will cover the following sectors: visual arts, music, performing 
arts and literature, covering cross border travel and visa costs for individual European artists for 
specific performances, taking part in solo or group exhibitions, travel costs to residency places; 
within or outside an EU country taking part in the Creative Europe programme. 

The budget for the implementation of the action in 2018 should be EUR 1 million allowing for 
the participation of +/- 200 individuals.  

Administrative  and  fiscal  obstacles  continue  to  hinder  the  mobility  of  artists  and  culture 
professionals:  for  this  reason  the  Commission  calls  on  Member  States  to  remove  remaining 
obstacles to mobility for performing artists, by the end of the next Council Work Plan  

Assessing the impacts of cultural cross-overs 

The Commission services will support research on cultural cross-overs, assessing the impacts 
of culture in different fields such as health and well-being. , building on  

 

 

the  Council  Conclusions  of  May  2015  on  "Cultural  and  creative  cross-overs  to 
stimulate, innovation, economic sustainability and social inclusion",  
the  work  of  the  2017-2018  OMC  Working  Group  on  Fostering  the  contribution  of 
culture  to  social  inclusion,  which  is  look  into  how  public  policies  can  encourage  and 

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support  cultural  institutions  in  working  within  partnerships  with  other  sectors 
(healthcare, social care, prison service) 
research  activities  including  under  the  EUR  9  million  Horizon  2020  call  on  "The 
societal value of culture and the impact of cultural policies in Europe" 

 

Work in this area will be undertaken by the Commission's Joint Research Centre and through 
dedicated studies to be agreed under the Creative Europe programme 

Integrating refugees and other migrants 

There  was  unprecedented  interest  in  the  2016  Creative  Europe  special  call  on  support  for 
refugee  integration  (274  project  applications,  requesting  a  total  of  EUR  48  million):  12 
projects were selected with a budget of EUR 2.35 million.  In light of the many high quality 
applications which could not be funded under this call, the Commission made cultural projects 
for migrant inclusion eligible under other EU programmes including the Asylum & Migration 
Integration  Fund,  Rights,  Equalities  &  Citizenship  programme,  Erasmus+  and  Europe  for 
Citizens. It is also possible for relevant projects to be supported under the European Structural 
and Investment Funds, including in rural areas. 

In its 2017 report "How culture and the arts can promote intercultural dialogue in the context of 
the migratory and refugee crisis", a working group of Member States experts under the culture 
OMC made a number of recommendations to cultural policymakers at EU, national and local 
level, on empowerment, inter-sectoral working and evaluation.  These included calls to: 

  Support and fund networking, self-organisation and active participation of refugees and 

migrants in the arts and culture. 

  Provide  spaces  and  opportunities  for  refugees  and  migrants  to  lead,  as  well  as 
participate in arts and culture, including new museums and new exhibitions dedicated to 
migration 

  Support  and  fund  networks  (formal  and  informal)  with  publicly  funded  cultural 
organisations,  civil  society  and  other  stakeholders,  to  contribute  to  policy-making 
processes. 

  Prioritise funding for cultural and artistic projects for the integration of refugees and 
  migrants  under  national  and  EU  programmes,  including  those  outside  the  field  of 
culture  (e.g.  at  EU  level  under  the  Europe  for  Citizens  programme,  Asylum  & 
Migration  Fund,  and  Rights,  Equality  and  Citizenship  programme  as  well  as  Creative 
Europe). 

  Broaden  and  deepen  evaluation  of  publicly  funded  culture  projects,  beyond  financial 
and  quantitative  aspects,  to  assess  their  societal  impacts  and  their  effectiveness  in 
promoting intercultural dialogue. 

In its deliberations on the EU's 2020 multiannual financial framework, the European Parliament 
has also recognised the importance of cultural programmes in integrating refugees and migrants 
into European society. 

The  Commission  services  will  therefore  continue  to  promote  such  actions  in  relevant 
programmes  under  the  next  financial  framework,  including  the  successor  programme  to 
Creative  Europe,  taking  into  account  the  OMC  group's  2017  recommendations,  and  inform 
cultural and creative stakeholders of the opportunities available. 

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Gender 

Increasing  female  labour  participation  is  one  of  the  policy  objectives  of  the  European 
Commission, which is committed to promoting gender equality in the labour market through a 
mix of legislation, policy guidance and financial support. However, as in the overall economy, 
men's share in cultural employment is higher than women’s, at 54 %. 

In order to encourage greater participation by women, in the successor programme to Creative 
Europe,  the  Commission  services  will  propose  selection  criteria  that  reward  projects 
guaranteeing gender equality in their organisation.  

Cultural participation and creativity in cities 

The 2018 Creative Europe Work Programme foresees the launch of a EUR 1.5 million call for 
proposals  for  Cultural  and  creative  spaces  and  cities.  The  action  will  address  creative  hubs, 
which have recently and rapidly  developed in  numerous cities  throughout  the EU. A creative 
hub  is  an  infrastructure  or  venue  that  uses  a  part  of  its  leasable  or  available  space  for 
networking, organisational and business development to the cultural and creative sectors. Many 
co-working spaces in the creative sector also refer to themselves as "creative hubs". 

Apart from creative hubs, the action aims to provide support to cultural and creative spaces as 
well  as  other  stakeholders  in  particular  at  the  local  level,  including  local,  municipal  and 
regional authorities.  

The  project  will  build  on  results  achieved  and  policy  lessons  derived  from  previous  actions 
funded under the Creative Europe cross-sectoral strand (European Network of Creative Hubs,  
Culture  for  Cities  and  Regions),  other  relevant  projects  such  as  the  Trans-Europe  Halles 
network  and  "Creative  Lenses",  funded  under  Creative  Europe,  the  European  Network  of 
Cultural Centres (ENCC) as well as the successful experiences of urban regeneration driven by 
a number of  European Capitals of Culture (ECOC).  

1.2  Objective  2  -  Supporting  culture-based  creativity  in  education  and  innovation, 

and for jobs and growth 

Creativity in education 

The Commission's Proposal for a Council Recommendation on High Quality Early Childhood 
Education  and  Care  Systems  acknowledges  the  important  role  of  music  and  the  arts.  
Specifically  it  recommends  that  Member  States  should  "Enhance  the  development  of  early 
years'  curricula  so  that  it  can  meet  wellbeing  and  educational  needs  of  children.  Approaches 
that support curriculum development and support social, emotional and linguistic competences 
of  children  include:  ensuring  an  appropriate  balance  of  social-emotional  and  pre-academic 
learning, acknowledging the importance of the role of music, arts and physical activity”.  The 
Erasmus+ programme and its successor will support Member States in making music and the 
arts a priority theme in education, including through greater use of e-twinning. 

In 2017-18 the European Commission teamed up with the OECD in the CREASSESS project 
in order to prototype and test internationally an assessment tool that will help teachers assess 
the  creative  and  critical  thinking  skills  of  their  students.  Another  important  outcome  of  the 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
project will be the production of a toolkit comprising three outputs: 1) an assessment rubric that 
teachers  can  use  to  assess  students’  creativity  and  critical  thinking  skills,  2)  a  portfolio  of 
pedagogical activities and exercises making the space for these skills to be expressed, and 3) a 
portfolio  of  student  work  produced  during  these  activities  exemplifying  different  levels  of 
achievement in creative and critical thinking skills.  

A final outcome for the OECD Project is to prepare a second phase of validation and to scale 
up  the  intervention  at  a  system-wide  level  encompassing  other  levels  of  schooling  and 
disciplines.  In  a  third  phase,  a  summative  assessment  tool  for  creativity  and  critical  thinking 
could be developed and items integrated in international tests such as the standardised tests of 
the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).  
Given  the  importance  of  developing  creative  and  critical  thinking  skills  in  the  education 
process,  the  Commission  proposes  to  support  with  the  Creative  Europe  programme  also  the 
validation phase of the project in 2019, and is developing, again teaming up with the OECD, a 
similar approach also in the area of higher education.  

This  will  complement  work  just  launched  under  a  Creative  Europe  EUR  1.5  million 
experimental  call  for  proposals  to  design  innovative  interdisciplinary  modules  for  Master 
degrees, combining arts and ICT with entrepreneurial and business skills.  The modules will be 
designed with a view to: 

  Equipping students in arts and creativity, business and technology with the knowledge 
and competences needed to work across cultural and creative sectors and disciplines; 
Improving  the  quality  and  relevance  of  teaching  and  learning  in  arts  and  culture 
disciplines by linking creativity, business and technology; 

 

  Developing an entrepreneurial culture among the students and the teaching staff; 
  Stimulating innovative learning environments within and across disciplines through the 

integration of creative, digital and entrepreneurial education; 

The implementation of the modules will entail: 

  Testing, validating the modules and improving their content if needed; 
  Applying the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System to the modules; 
  Sharing of results and exchanges on most effective practices and lessons learnt among 

 

the partners; 
Identifying  the  potential  of  transfer  of  the  most  efficient  and  innovative  practices  to 
other courses or discipline 

In  its  2017  Communication  on  a  renewed  EU  agenda  for  higher  education3,  the  Commission 
announced  it  would  launch  an  up-scaled  EU  STE(A)M  coalition.    The  coalition  would  bring 
together  different  education  sectors,  business  and  public  sector  employers  to  promote  the 
uptake of relevant Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths subjects, and modernise 
STE(A)M  and  other  curricula,  including  through  more  multi-disciplinary  programmes  and 
cooperation  between  relevant  faculties  and  HEIs.  The  Communication  indicated  that  the 
evolution from STEM to STEAM reflects recognition within higher education of the increased 
importance of inter-disciplinary approaches. The interaction between STEM and art and design 
is driving substantive innovation and creativity. 

Cultural awareness and expression remains one of eight key competences recognised at EU 
level in the revised Key Competence Framework for Lifelong Learning. Building on recent 

3  COM(2017)247  

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
policy collaboration in this area, under the new Agenda there will be further targeted cross-
sectoral action to expand understanding and visibility of cultural awareness and expression.  

Skills 

In  2018-19  the  Commission  services  will  carry  out  a  pilot  project  on  "Finance,  Learning, 
Innovation  and  Patenting  for  Cultural  and  Creative  Industries"  which  will  define  and  test 
policies and actions for sustaining and developing cultural and creative industries; the project 
will focus on 4 areas:  

 
 
 
 

A new skill classification model for CCIs;  
CCI-skills and traditional education and skills development systems;  
Recognition of intangibles for CCI loans and  
Valuing and defending intellectual property produced by CCIs 

The Commission services will also explore launching with the European Institute of Innovation 
and Technology (EIT) an Innovation Community on skills for CCIs and heritage.  

The Digital Competence Framework and European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework 
(EntreComp)  are  also  relevant  to  the  development  of  transversal  skills  in  the  cultural  and 
creative sectors.  The Commission services will aim to provide guidance in this regard. 

The Interreg programmes contribute to the cultural and to creativity skills development among 
the countries, regions and at cross-border level4.  
At  macro-regional  level,  culture  is  also  related  to  the  development  of  skills  and  expertise, 
education, and training. 

Working with the music sector 

The music industry is changing and finds itself in uncharted territory, paving the way for the 
other content industries. The unstable music industry ecosystem calls for an increasing need to 
mobilise  the  sector  as  well  as  the  policy  makers  to  face  the  new  challenges  and  explore  the 
related new opportunities. As actions and policy initiatives at national level often prove neither 
sufficient nor suitable to encompass the global nature of the industry and of the consumption 
schemes, there is a need and a demand for an EU intervention to support Europe's key assets in 
the music field: creativity, diversity and competiveness in a context of globalisation.  

A new Preparatory  Action, Music Moves Europe, included in the 2018 EU Budget, will take 
into  account  the  results  from  the  recent  EU  level  dialogue  with  music  stakeholders  on 
addressing the sector's specific needs in the short and medium terms. It aims at testing suitable 
actions for more targeted  funding for music and which  could support  European diversity and 
talent, the competitiveness of the sector as well as increased access of citizens to music in all its 
diversity.  

The Preparatory Action is designed to meet four specific objectives: 

4  http://www.interregeurope.eu/crinma/ for instance, the interregional programme Interreg Europe 2014-2020 has 
granted  the  project  CRinMA  "Cultural  resources  in  the  mountain  areas”  which  is  focused  on  the  mountain-
related heritage in folk architecture, traditions, customs, and skills. The project was selected as representative 
for the EYCH 2018. 

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 

 

 

 

to  develop  a  better  understanding  of  the  market  trends  and  to  propose  sustainable 
mechanisms on how to monitor them, as well as to identify funding needs of the music 
sector, 
to identify innovative and sustainable distribution models that would support European 
music  diversity  (promoting  the  circulation  of  local  repertoire  beyond  mainstream 
international hits),  
to  promote  the  cross-border  mobility  of  artists  through  implementing  different  cross-
sectorial  training  schemes  which  are  bridging  industry  silos  and  addressing  the  most 
relevant gaps in knowledge of the sector, 
to  develop  a  strategic  approach  for  the  promotion  of  European  music  on  the 
international market. 

To  address  the  specific  challenges  in  the  music  ecosystem  the  Commission  is  committed  to 
organise a regular dialogue with the sector at EU level. 

Culture in cities and regions 

The  first  (2017)  edition  of  the  Cultural  and  Creative  Cities  Monitor  developed  by  the 
Commission's  Joint  Research  Centre5  shows  how  well  168  selected  cities  in  30  European 
countries  perform  on  a  range  of  measures  describing  the  ‘Cultural  Vibrancy’,  the  ‘Creative 
Economy’ and the ‘Enabling Environment’ of a city.  

Its  main  objective  is  to  help  national,  regional  and  municipal  policy  makers  identify  local 
strengths  and  opportunities  and  benchmark  their  cities  against  peers  based  on  similar 
population,  income  and  employment  rate,  using  both  quantitative  and  qualitative  data.  Its 
principal  value  added  is  thus  in  fostering  exchange  and  learning  between  cities,  while 
researchers will be able to explore a large pool of comparable data to assess the role of culture 
and creativity in cities’ social and economic wellbeing. 

The  accompanying  online  tool  allows  users  to  browse  the  168  selected  cities,  simulate  the 
impact of policy actions (e.g. increased number of creative jobs) on the scores as well as create 
new city entries, thus giving any interested city the possibility to assess its performance. 

As  highlighted  in  the  EC  Communication  on  "Strengthening  innovation  in  Europe's  regions: 
Towards resilient, inclusive and sustainable growth at territorial level"6 , Europe's competitive 
edge is increasingly dependent on its capacity to promote new growth models at regional level, 
by targeting investments in innovative sectors with significant growth potential and high added 
value  addressing  challenges  such  as  increasing  cooperation  in  innovation  investments  across 
regions and harnessing synergies and complementarities between EU policies and instruments.  

The Smart Specialisation approach7 contributes to a new role of the internal market to integrate 
the fragmented efforts in countries and regions in a process of co-creation of new value chains 
and new markets based on interactions between place-based innovation ecosystems. Regional 
smart  specialisation  strategies  are  being  implemented  across  the  EU,  and  around  6%  of  all 
1,300  regional  smart  specialisation  priorities8  refer  to  culture  under  different  angles  (e.g. 
cultural heritage, creative industries, etc). 

5  https://composite-indicators.jrc.ec.europa.eu/cultural-creative-cities-monitor/  
6  COM(2017)376 final of 18 July 2017 
7  See http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu  
8  http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/map 

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Under  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  from  2014-2020,  many  European  regions 
have  designated  cultural  and  creative  industries  as  priority  sectors  in  their  Research  & 
Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation. EU regions have been very good at tapping into 
this  extraordinary  potential  as  a  way  to  promote  socio-economic  development  -  including 
through the use of EU Structural Funds. 

There  has  also  been  effective  EU  collaboration  in  the  framework  of  European  Territorial 
Cooperation, Interreg, and other transnational, interregional, and cross-border programmes, as 
well as within macro-regional strategies and sea-basin strategies where culture is an important 
thematic area9. 

In particular, the macro-regional strategies are associated among others with networks of Cities. 
These  are  platforms  such  as  the  Forum  of  Adriatic  and  Ionian  Cities  "FAIC”10,  which  is 
relevant for the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) and the Council of 
Danube  Cities  and  Regions.  These  associations  bring  together  respectively  the  cities  of  the 
countries of the Adriatic-Ionian Basin and of the Daube basin. They aim to build and develop 
the economic, social, environmental and cultural heritage of the Adriatic and Ionian cities and 
to  collaborate  on  European  integration  and  enlargement.  It  pursues  this  goal  by  promoting 
innovative  forms  of  multi-level  decentralized  cooperation  and  partnerships  among  local 
authorities of the member Countries. 

There is scope to build on this, capitalising the experience gained so far and further enhancing 
the role of culture as priority domain for innovation-led territorial development.   

Supporting innovation and entrepreneurship  

Promoting  cross-sectoral  dialogue  and  cooperation  between  cultural  and  creative  sectors, 
technological  companies,  and  traditional  industries  is  key  to  trigger  innovation  processes.  In 
line  with  the  Renewed  EU  Industrial  Policy  Strategy11  the  Commission  is  supporting  the 
creation  of  incubation  networks  for  creativity-driven  innovation  and  partnerships  (among 
creative  people,  traditional  manufacturing,  IT  and  science)  through  COSME  (Europe’s 
programme  for  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises),  the  Creative  Europe  programme  and  its 
Cultural  and  Creative  Sector  Guarantee  Facility  Fund,  the  European  Fund  for  Strategic 
Investments, and the Structural Funds.  

With  the  WORTH  Partnership  Project12  supported  under  COSME,  the  Commission  supports 
transnational  collaborations  between  fashion  designers,  creative  people,  manufacturing 
enterprises  (SMEs)  and  technology  firms.  The  objective  is  to  support  150  cross-boundary 
partnership projects between creatives, manufacturers and technology professionals, involving 
a minimum of 450 companies throughout the four-year project. 

The  initiative  "European  Incubation  Network  for  creativity-driven  innovation13"  Supports 
trans-national networks of business incubators and accelerators with a focus on SMEs and start-

9  Interreg; EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region; EU Strategy for the Danube Region; EU Strategy for the 

Adriatic and Ionian Region; EU Strategy for the Alpine Region; Westmed-initiative; Atlantic strategy; Black-
sea-synergy  

10  http://www.faic.eu/index_en.asp  
11  COM(2017) 479 final 
12  http://www.worthproject.eu/ 
13  https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/cos-einet-2017-3-04-european-incubation-networks-creativity-driven-innovation  
10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
ups  in  the  CCIs  sector.  In  2018,  the  pilot  phase  addressed  two  industry  sectors:  Fashion  and 
new technologies and tourism. 

The  Europe  Enterprise  Network,  under  the  COSME  programme,  supports  SMEs  to  go 
international  by  organising  B2B  match-making  events  in  international  tradeshows  and 
providing  tailor-made  advice  on  a  wide  range  of  topics  such  as  protection  of  intellectual 
property,  international  trade.  A  dedicated  sector  group  for  Creative  Industries  combines 
international business expertise with local and sectoral knowledge. 

Common  to  creative  industries  is  that  the  economic  relevance  of  micro  enterprises  is  much 
higher  than  in  other  industry  sectors.  The  vast  majority  of  European  creative  industries 
enterprises  (95%)  are  microenterprises  (with  fewer  than  10  employees),  which  however  only 
account  for  35%  of  employment14.The  role  of  Cluster  Organisations  is  essential  to  support 
those  micro-enterprises  and  enable  their  collaboration  with  other  sectors  and  regions.  The 
European  Cluster  Collaboration  Platform  –  ECCP  -  lists  33  core  creative  industries  (media, 
design,  arts)  Clusters  in  Europe,  and  out  of  its  750  Clusters,  around  160  have  a  cultural  and 
creative dimension15. The ECCP supports their collaboration with clusters in other regions and 
sectors,  which  enables  the  integration  of  creative  SMEs  in  larger  trans-European  emerging 
industries  value-chains,  there  through  boosting  the  overall  competitiveness  of  the  European 
Industry. 

Sustainable cultural tourism 

Promoting  cross-border  mobility  through  tourism  and  especially  cultural  tourism  can  create 
bonds between citizens, enhance mutual understanding and build a shared identity that relies on 
common  values.  Cultural  and  historical  attractions  are  one  of  the  main  reasons  for  travelling 
(Eurobarometer 2016 - Europeans travel for culture 26% and city trips 27%) and for wanting to 
return to the same place for holiday (31%). Travelling to different EU countries for leisure or 
business, EU citizens discover local traditions and heritage and find connections across borders. 
It  is  worth  noting  that  half  of  EU  citizens  took  at  least  part  of  their  holidays  in  another 
European country. 

Coastal  and  maritime  tourism  is  the  most  important  sub-sector  of  tourism  and  the  largest 
maritime  activity  in  Europe.  Europe  has  rich  fisheries  and  maritime  culture  including  many 
underwater  cultural  heritage  sites  such  as  ancient  shipwrecks  and  sunken  cities  that  are  still 
insufficiently explored, valued and protected.  In rural areas, Geographical Indications for food, 
wine and spirits contribute to European cultural heritage, and it is important also to make links 
between cultural and natural heritage. 

The  Commission  services  will  promote  sustainable  cultural  tourism  through  a  dedicated 
European initiative under the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage (see separate section on 
EYCH initiatives for more details). Clusters of countries, regions, and cross-border cooperation 
between  countries  are  also  contributing  to  promotion  of  Europe  as  a  destination  in  long-haul 
world  markets,  via  macro-regional  cultural  routes,  working  on  common  cultural  priorities 
among regions and countries. 

Below  are  examples  of  European  Commission  actions  in  the  area  of  cultural  tourism  (in 
addition to the support provided under COSME mentioned previously):, 

14  European Cluster Panorama 2014 
15  https://www.clustercollaboration.eu/cluster-list 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Cooperation with the Council of Europe on the European Cultural Routes 

1. 
The  EU  has  supported  the  Council  of  Europe's  programme  on  European  Cultural  Routes 
established in 1987 with the aim of showing “by means of a journey through space and time, 
how  the  heritage  of  the  different  countries  and  cultures  of  Europe  contributes  to  a  shared 
cultural  heritage”.  More  information:  http://www.culture-routes.net/cultural-routes.  A  new 
support  programme  for  the  years  2018-2020  aims  at  strengthening  the  macro-regional 
dimension of Cultural Routes and develops new Cultural Routes in the framework of the four 
existing macro regional strategies16. 

2. 
Cooperation with UNESCO on "World Heritage Journeys of the European Union" 
Under  the  1st  phase  of  the  Preparatory  Action  in  2016-2017  UNESCO  focused  on  the 
development  and  promotion  of  4  thematic  trans-European  cultural  routes  (i.e.  Royal  Europe, 
Romantic  Europe,  Ancient  Europe  and  Underground  Europe),  each  linking  8  to  9  iconic  and 
lesser-known UNESCO World Heritage sites. The promotion of these cultural routes is planned 
in  cooperation  with  National  Geographic  under  the  2nd  phase  of  the  project  in  2018-2019. 
More information: http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/875/. In addition an evaluation of spatial 
overlaps  between  Natura  2000  and  UNESCO  areas  is  under  preparation  with  a  view  to 
promoting integrated management17. 

Cooperation with UNWTO on the Western Silk Road Tourism Development Initiative 

3. 
Cooperation with UNWTO took place in 2016-2017 under an ad-hoc grant on the Western Silk 
Road  Tourism  Development  Initiative.  The  project  resulted  in  publishing  the  Western  Silk 
Road Roadmap. More information: http://silkroad.unwto.org/project/western-silk-road-tourism-
initiative. UNWTO works on the expansion of this project to the macro-regions in order to set 
up transnational itineraries of related cultural sites. 

COSME co-funded projects on cultural tourism 

4. 
Since  2011  the  European  Commission  regularly  publishes  calls  for  proposals  to  support  the 
development and promotion of thematic tourism products, including physical or virtual routes 
that have a transnational or European dimension and are based on cultural heritage.  
More information: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/offer/cultural/index_en.htm 

5. 
The Commission is using its European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to support 
development  of  technologies  to  help  discover  underwater  cultural  heritage  sites.  It  is  also 
funding several transnational touristic thematic routes based on underwater cultural heritage or 
other nautical activities and including promoting cultural attractiveness of our coastal regions. 
EMFF financial resources are also available to Fisheries Action Local Groups (FLAGS) to help 
supporting  social  well-being  and  cultural  heritage  actions  in  fisheries  and  maritime 
communities. 

European Destinations of Excellence – EDEN 2017 Cultural tourism   

6. 
The European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) is a European Commission initiative which 
awards  and  promotes  sustainable  tourism  development  models.  In  2017  the  competition 
focused on cultural tourism, and 18 countries selected one tourist destination of excellence for 
its local tangible cultural assets. More information: http://ec.europa.eu/eden 

16  Routes4U is the Joint Programme between the European Commission and the Council of Europe for the 

creation of cultural routes in the macro-regions: https://www.coe.int/en/web/cultural-routes/eu-jp-2017-20 It 
was signed in December 2017 

17  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/links_natural_cultural_heritage_en.htm 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Fair remuneration 

The proposal for a directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market (COM(2016) 593 final) 
contains  a  set  of  targeted  measures  to  increase  transparency  and  balance  in  the  contractual 
relations  of  authors  and  performers.  In  particular,  these  measures  cover  ex-post  aspects  in 
contractual arrangements, in order to remedy lack of transparency and unbalanced bargaining 
positions: i.e. reporting obligations covering as a minimum modes of exploitation of works and 
related revenues coupled with a “better-seller” clause mechanism enabling creators to request 
an  adjustment  of  contracts  in  case  of  disproportion  between  their  remuneration  and  the 
revenues and benefits derived from the exploitation of their works. Such reporting obligations 
and  contract  adjustment  mechanism  are  to  be  backed  up  by  a  voluntary  dispute  resolution 
mechanism.    The  reporting  obligation,  the  contract  adjustment  mechanism  and  the  dispute 
resolution  mechanism  will  complement  and  reinforce  each  other  resulting  in  a  strong 
"transparency triangle" for individual authors and performers. 

These  proposals  are  an  important  step  towards  a  fair  market  place  -  one  where  creators  are 
fairly compensated. On the other hand, the proposal does not exhaust all issues, including with 
regard  to  ex-ante  aspects  (i.e.:  before  contracts  are  defined),  and  leaves  an  ample  margin  for 
national intervention. 

The Commission, as confirmed in the Communication accompanying the proposed Directive, 
(COM(2016) 592 final) is committed to continue engaging with stakeholders. This will be done 
through general or sector-specific dialogues, to discuss developments and the need for further 
action.  The  effective  deployment  of  these  measures  will  require  Member  States  to  organise 
sector-specific  discussions  to  define  in  practice  the  appropriate  transparency  obligations  by 
type of content and industry. The Commission services will therefore closely follow this work 
at Member State level  to ensure the efficiency and coherence  of the results. In  addition, they 
will  continue  to  engage  with  all  interested  parties  from  the  cultural  and  creative  sectors, 
through general or sector specific dialogues, to discuss developments and the need for further 
action. 

1.3  Objective 3 - Strengthening international cultural relations  

Implementing the Joint Communication on International Cultural Relations 

The  Joint  Communication  of  the  European  Commission  and  the  High  Representative  of  the 
Union  for  Foreign  Affairs  and  Security  Policy  "Towards  an  EU  Strategy  on  International 
Cultural Relations" of 8 June 2016 (JOIN/2016/029 final) called for enhanced cooperation with 
EU national Cultural Institutes. In this respect, an EU Cultural Diplomacy Platform18 has been 
set up to  provide  advice  on external  cultural  policy,  facilitate networking, carry  out  activities 
with cultural stakeholders and develop training programmes for cultural leadership. 

The  Council  Conclusions  of  23  May  2017  on  "An  EU  strategic  approach  to  international 
cultural relations" also invited the Member States, the Commission and the EEAS to consider 
pilot  projects  in  third  countries  to  test  forms  of  collaboration  involving  local  cultural  actors, 
national cultural institutes, EUNIC clusters and EU delegations. 

On 16 May 2017 the EEAS, the Commission services (DG EAC) and the organisation of EU 
National  Institutes  for  Culture  (EUNIC),  agreed  an  administrative  arrangement    outlining  the 
joint principles, values and objectives underpinning their cooperation as well as priority areas 

18  www.cultureinexternalrelations.eu  

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
based on the Joint Communication and practical arrangements. The Arrangement outlines joint 
principles, values and objectives, which are intended to underpin this cooperation. It also points 
out  the  priority  areas  for  cooperation,  together  with  the  practical  arrangements  for  its 
implementation  through  pilot  activities  developed  by  EUNIC  in  partnership  with  the  EC 
services  and  the  EEAS.  As  indicated  in  the  Administrative  Arrangement,  the  joint  pilot 
activities should: 

  help  test  method(s)  of  ‘enhanced  cooperation’  between  EU  Delegations  (or  their 
headquarters  when  relevant)  and  cultural  institutes  in  partner  countries,  including 
aspects of planning, resourcing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; 

  help analyse and test possible financing and partnership models in line with the existing 

rules and regulations. 

The Administrative Arrangement envisaged that such joint activities 'will be developed in those 
countries where the conditions are more favourable'. In this regard, ‘more favourable’ has been 
defined  as  those  countries  with  mature  clusters  already  cooperating  with  EU  Delegations. 
Activities are being monitored in 14 countries: Brazil, Japan,  USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
Serbia,  Ukraine,  Egypt,  Morocco,  Tunisia,  Jordan,  Ethiopia,  Democratic  Republic  of  Congo, 
Senegal and Sudan. EUNIC did the same with their "clusters".  

Examples of pilot activities include: 

  Egypt:  18-month  pilot  project  between  EUNIC  Egypt  and  EU  Delegation  in  Cairo 
commencing  in  September  2017,  focus  on  cultural  and  creative  economy  (EUR 
120,000) 

  Tunisia: a EUR 4 million programme in support of the cultural sector sub-granted to the 

British Council and EUNIC was launched and already supports 20 local projects. 

  Morocco:  preventing  radicalism  through  building  capacities  of  young  people  in  the 
cultural  sector  across  Morocco  and  Moroccan  diasporas  in  the  EU  –  in  preparation 
responding to a call of the EUDEL 

  Ukraine:  a  project  for  EUR  1.3  million  for  EU-Ukraine  exchanges,  reconciliation  and 
internal cohesion through cultural projects, development of cultural management skills, 
and seed funding 

  Sudan: service contract for the professionalization of the Sudanese fashion design sector 
  DRC:  professionalization  of  Congolese  cultural  sector  through  the  promotion  of 
European  cultural  values  and  focus  on  creative  industries  (photo,  cinema,  music, 
literature) 

In  the  implementation  of  the  strategy,  all  relevant  stakeholders  must  join  forces  to  ensure 
impact,  complementarity  and  synergies.  The  EU  Delegations  will  act  as  an  enabler  and 
contribute  by  encouraging  synergies  and  cooperation  between  European  and  local  cultural 
institutes and foundations, as well as private and public enterprises, as appropriate.  

EU Delegations can help identify local needs and opportunities, ensuring that actions fit with 
local cultural contexts and engage the local population, while simultaneously serving the EU's 
strategic  objectives.  Continuous  and  improved  communication  and  information  sharing 
between HQ and EU Delegations and with international organisations at field level are required 
for a more integrated and cooperative approach.  

Cultural  focal  points  in  EU  Delegations  are  receiving  training  on  the  cultural  dimension  of 
development and external relations to better disseminate best practice and better answer to the 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
expectations  of  the  counterparts.  The  European  External  Action  Service  now  runs  139  EU 
Delegations  and  Offices  operating  around  the  world,  which  represent  the  EU  and  its  citizens 
globally.  The  potential  for  cooperation  and  coordination  to  advance  the  EU's  cultural 
cooperation and diplomacy is therefore considerable 

Other actions are under way or in preparation under each strand of the Joint Communication: 

Supporting culture as an engine for sustainable social and economic development  

The cultural and creative sector is one of the economic sub-sectors with the highest growth in 
the  world,  representing  around  3%  of  the  world's  GDP  and  30  million  jobs  and  with  great 
potential in terms of further job creation and income generation.  

A  new  Africa,  Caribbean  and  Pacific  (ACP)  Culture  programme,  focussing  on  creation  and 
production, access to market and circulation, image education, and technological and financial 
innovation,  is  just  starting.  Together  with  the  programme  "Investing  in  Culture  and 
Creativity19"  it  represents  the  new  generation  of  programmes  conceived  to  give  full 
implementation  to  the  2016  Joint  Communication.  Increased  cooperation  in  the  audiovisual 
sector with other regions - in addition to the one included in the ACP Culture programme - is 
being considered. 

A third phase of the Eastern Partnership Culture programme will also be launched, to mobilise 
funds  from  the  Instrument  for  Pre-Accession  Assistance  (IPA)  for  culture  in  Enlargement 
countries; a new phase of the programme MED-CULTURE is also foreseen to contribute to the 
strengthening of  civil society in Mediterranean countries. 

The  external  dimension  of  the  European  Year  of  Cultural  Heritage  will  include  a  Silk  Road 
Corridor programme (described below). The potential of culture to tackle fragile situations and 
bring people out of situations of economic and social fragility will also be supported through 
Ethical  Fashion  and  Creative  Business  and  Sharing  Initiatives,  addressing  some  of  the  root 
causes of migration and building a more positive "branding" for the countries concerned. 

All of these initiatives will support the implementation of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on 
the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, to which the EU and all 
Member States are parties.   

The  macro-regional  strategies  establish  structured  frameworks  of  development  plans,  which 
make transnational, interregional, cross-border and national investments in culture and creative 
industries  very  successful.  Culture  is  an  important  policy  area  in  all  four  existing  macro-
regional strategies that is related to growth and jobs investments. However, its approach varies 
per macro-region. 

(i) The Policy Area "Culture"20 is one of 13 policy areas of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea 
Region (EUSBSR) that was introduced as the EU's first macro-regional strategy in 2009. The 
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and the Ministry of Justice, Cultural and 
European Affairs of Land Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) are the Policy Area Coordinators.  

 The actions of PA Culture are: 

19  https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/commission-implementing-decision_c2017_-_8725_-

_annex_2_en.pdf  

20  http://www.eusbsrculture.eu/homepage/about.html 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
1.  

2.  

3. 

4.  

Promoting  the  Baltic  Sea  region  cultural  and  creative  industries,  encouraging  creative 
entrepreneurship 
Promoting  and  presenting  Baltic  Sea  region  culture,  using  the  innovative  force  of 
culture for societal development 
Preserving  and  presenting  the  Baltic  Sea  region  cultural  heritage,  strengthening  the 
cultural identity of the region 
Developing an efficient framework for Baltic Sea region cultural cooperation 
PA Culture contributes to the EUSBSR objective of "Increase prosperity" and "Connect 
the Region". Norway, Russia and Belarus participate in flagship projects of PA Culture. 

(ii) In the framework of the second macro-regional strategy launched in 2010: the EU Strategy 
for  the  Danube  Region  (EUSDR)21  culture  is  comprised  in  the  Priority  Area  3  “To  Promote 
Culture, Tourism and People to People Contacts”. 
The  Priority  Area  coordination  is  by  the  Ministry  of  Regional  Development,  Public 
Administration  and  European  funds in  Romania,  and  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  in  Bulgaria. 
Among  the  targets  set  by  the  participating  counties  of  the  Strategy,  the  following  have  been 
prioritised for cultural cooperation in the region: 

(a) Develop a Danube Brand for the entire Danube Region based on already existing work,  
(b) Develop new and support existing Cultural Routes relevant in the Danube Region 
(c) To create a ‘Blue Book’ on Danube cultural identity 
(d)  Ensure  the  sustainable  preservation  of  cultural  heritage  and  natural  values  by  developing 
relevant  clusters,  and  networks  of  museums,  interpretation  and  visitors  centres  within  the 
Danube Region 
(e) Promoting exchange and networking in the field of contemporary arts in the Danube Region 

The Strategy links fourteen EU and non-EU countries22 under its priority areas and targets. 

(iii)  Within  the  structure  of  EU  Strategy  for  the  Adriatic  and  Ionian  Region  (EUSAIR)23 
adopted  in  2014,  culture  is  highly  considered  and  it  is  linked  to  the  Pillar  IV  "Sustainable 
Tourism".  The  Ministry  of  Tourism  of  Croatia  together  with  the  Ministry  of  Economic 
Development,  Tourism,  Trade  and  SME  of  Albania  are  the  coordinators  of  this  pillar.  An 
expert network (thematic steering group) of four EU and four nor EU countries24 work together 
in order to obtain smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, via the following topics: 

(a) “Sustainable and thematic tourist routes’; 
b) “Fostering Adriatic-Ionian cultural heritage”; 
(c) "Initiative to improve quality for sustainable tourism offer"; 
(d) "Improving accessibility for Adriatic -Ionian tourism products and services" 
(e) "Upgrade of the Adriatic Ionian tourism products" 
(f) "Promoting the Region in world markets" 
(g)  "Expanding  the  tourist  season  to  all  year-round"  through  cultural  activities  and  creative 
industries 
(h) "Training in vocational and entrepreneurial skills" 

Furthermore, SMEs development, research and innovation are predominant in these topics. 

21  http://www.danube-region.eu/ 
22  http://www.danube-region.eu/about/the-danube-region 
23  http://www.adriatic-ionian.eu/ 
24  http://www.adriatic-ionian.eu/about-eusair/adriatic-ionian-region/ 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
This  macro-region  has  a  big  potential  for  developing  cultural  heritage  related  projects  and 
actions25. 

(iv)  Last  but  not  least,  the  EU  Strategy  for  the  Alpine  Region  (EUSALP)26  adopted  in  2015 
relates  5  EU  member  states  with  two  non  EU  member  states27  in  cultural  actions  under  its 
Objective 3: "Ensuring sustainability in the Alps: preserving the Alpine heritage and promoting 
a  sustainable  use  of  natural  and  cultural  resources".  In  fact,  one  of  the  main  features  of  the 
Alpine Region is its outstanding natural and cultural heritage. Natural resources (in particular, 
clean and abundant water, minerals, a variety of landscapes and great biodiversity), and strong 
and  diverse  cultural  life  are  major  assets  of  this  region.  One  of  the  main  priorities  of  this 
Thematic Policy Area would be reinforcing Alpine natural and cultural resources as assets of a 
high quality living area. 

Culture in this macro-region can be also related to health tourism, which is its specific cultural 
asset, as well as to the creative industries that are mainly linked to SMEs development, research 
and innovation. 

Cooperation on culture, media and arts has been proved to be a solid way to help countries and 
regions working together for efficient and sustainable projects in the framework of the Interreg 
programmes. Culture is the second most popular topic in Interreg for the programming period 
2014-202028.  

While Interreg combines culture and activates its spill-overs in other economic sectors, such as 
tourism, entrepreneurship, research and innovation, environment, blue growth and agriculture, 
the  macro-regional  strategies  can  ensemble  existing  structures  to  work  together  as  platforms 
promoting macro-regional traditions, arts, and creativity.   

At the launch of the EU Year for Cultural Heritage more than 50 Interreg projects have been 
selected to obtain the EYCH 2018 logo.  

Promoting culture and intercultural dialogue for peaceful inter-community relations 

Models of cooperation with the national cultural institutes will be further explored thanks to a 
Preparatory Action on European Houses of Culture in 2018-19. Such Houses would be based 
on a partnership between the EU and partner countries and "would enable cultural institutes and 
other  stakeholders  to  come  together  and  provide  services  to  the  local  population,  engage  in 
joint projects and offer scholarships, cultural and educational exchanges". 

The  preparatory  action  will  test  initial  experiences  and  analyse  their  potential  in  helping 
Member States  to  work together with EU Delegations in  third countries in  delivering the EU 

25  Although  tourism  is  already  one  of  the  fastest  growing  economic  activities  in  the  Adriatic-  Ionian  
Region,  and  one  of  the  main  contributors  to  the  area’s  GDP,  the  full  potential of the Region’s rich 
natural, cultural, historic and archaeological heritage is not yet exploited in a sustainable and responsible way.  

26  https://www.alpine-region.eu/ 
27  https://www.alpine-region.eu/7-countries-and-48-regions 
28  At  present  and  for  the  timeline  of  2014-2020,  more  than  8.6%  of  the  overall  Interreg  budget  is  financing 
“cultural heritage and arts”. This implies the 2nd place in number of projects within Interreg investments and 
scores  culture  as  a  very  popular  Interreg 
the  Keep.eu  website 
(https://www.keep.eu/keep/): Keep is the only source of aggregated data regarding projects and beneficiaries of 
European  Union  cross-border,  transnational  and  interregional  cooperation  programmes  among  the  member 
States, and between member States and neighbouring countries. 

topic.  This  data  derives  from 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
strategy  on  international  cultural  relations.  The  project  will  be  developed  over  two  years,  in 
order  to  allow  sufficient  time  to  test  new  models  of  Houses  of  Culture and  assess  the  results 
with a view to further recommendations. 

Following the appointment of Cultural focal points in EU delegations, the next step towards a 
more  coordinated  EU  approach  is  the  development  of  Regional  strategies.  In  this  respect, 
taking  account  of  policy  priorities,  linguistic  factors  and  the  availability  of  funding,  the 
Commission  and  the  European  External  Action  Service  propose  to  start  with  the  regions  of 
Latin America, the Middle East and North African countries, and the Western Balkans.  

In  particular,  for  the  Western  Balkans  integration,  the  EU  strategy  for  the  Danube  Region 
together with the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region are also relevant29. 

The  recent  Communication  from  the  European  Commission  on  the  "  EU-Western  Balkans 
Strategy: a credible enlargement perspective or and enhanced EU engagement with the Western 
Balkans"  (COM(2018)  65  final,)  issued  on  6th  February,  refers  to  further  developed 
collaboration  with  the  EU  countries,  including  the  macro-regional  cooperation  and  Interreg 
programmes. 

Intercultural dialogue  is an essential part  of EU action to  promote global citizenship, cultural 
diversity,  peace  and  security.  Thus,  a  new  action  to  promote  intercultural  and  interreligious 
dialogue, cultural diversity, and respect for equal dignity of all people has just been launched 
by the Commission (DG DEVCO)30.  

The action has the global objective of promoting intercultural dialogue, cultural diversity and 
respect for equal dignity of all people in the project countries. It comprises two lots: 

  Enhancing understanding, tolerance and respect for cultural and religious diversity, with 
the  specific  objective  of  enhancing  cultural  pluralism  and  intercultural  understanding, 
including aspects relating to religion or belief in the project countries 

  Culture as enabler of social inclusion and cohesion of disadvantaged populations, with 
the specific objective of enhancing dialogue and social inclusion (notably of vulnerable 
and  disadvantaged  populations  such  as  persons  belonging  to  minorities,  migrants, 
women  and  girls,  disabled)  skills  development  and  social  cohesion  in  the  project 
countries. 

Civil  society  and  cultural  operators  should  also  be  supported  as  key  actors  in  improving 
governance through inclusive policy-making at local level, or through the European Instrument 
for Democracy and Human Rights, should cultural rights be at stake.  

29  This  has  also  been  highlighted  in  the  European  Union  Communication  on  the  added  value  of  the  macro-
regional  strategies  COM(2013)  468  final,  on  27.6.2013,  where  improved  cooperation  with  neighbouring 
countries and the principle of partnership are main topics  
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/communic/baltic/com_added_value_macro_region

_   strategy_en.pdf 
30  https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-

services/index.cfm?ADSSChck=1490868839190&do=publi.detPUB&aoref=154498&orderbyad=Desc&search
type=QS&page=2&orderby=upd&nbPubliList=15&userlanguage=en  

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Reinforcing cooperation on cultural heritage 

The action supporting the Silk Road Heritage Corridors in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran 
will  strengthen  the  contribution  of  cultural  heritage  to  prosperity,  peace  and  citizenship 
building,  social  cohesion,  and  intercultural  dialogue  along  the  Silk  Roads  corridors  in  the 
region.  

Actions  have  also  been  identified  in  countries  of  the  Middle  East  and  Central  Asia,  both 
strongly  affected  by  recent  conflicts.  These  actions  aim  to  protect  and  rehabilitate  damaged 
cultural  heritage,  and  to  promote  job  creation  and  better  livelihoods  for  local  communities, 
including  those  who  have  been  forcibly  displaced  as  a  result  of  conflict.  Projects  are  already 
about  to  start  in  Yemen  and  Afghanistan  (supported  by  the  Instrument  contributing  to  Peace 
and  Stability)  and  Iraq,  in  the  context  of  the  EU  Mission  under  the  Common  Security  and 
Defence Policy (CSDP). 

Building  on  these  developments,  the  issue  of  the  protection  of  cultural  heritage  could  be 
integrated  in  the  planning  processes  of  CSDP  Missions  and  Operations  where  appropriate.  
Awareness raising on protection of cultural heritage could be incorporated in pre-deployment 
courses  and  trainings,  and  cultural  heritage  points  of  contact  could  be  considered  as  part  of 
CSDP Missions and Operations where appropriate and where existing resources allow. 

Actions  directed  to  the  valorisation  and  protection  of  cultural  heritage  (through  mobility  and 
vocational training) for Cuba and the Latin American region will also be part of the priorities of 
cooperation for the 2018-20 period.  

Finally, actions to combat the illicit traffic in cultural goods are detailed in this document in the 
"fiche" on the EYCH Initiative 7: "Heritage at risk". 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. 

2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage 

2.1 Ten European Initiatives 

In  the 2018 European Year  of Cultural Heritage, thousands of projects, events and  initiatives 
are  being  organised  at  local,  regional  and  national  levels  across  the  European  Union  to 
celebrate Europe's cultural heritage.  

To make sure these efforts leave an imprint beyond 2018, the European Commission will run 
long-term  projects  around  10  themes.  The  graphic  below  summarises  the  10  European 
Initiatives being taken forward by the Commission for the European Year of Cultural Heritage.   

These are grouped under four pillars which define what Europe's Cultural Heritage stands for: 
engagement,  sustainability,  protection  and  innovation.    More  details  of  each  initiative  are  set 
out in the following pages. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EYCH Initiative 1 – Sharing heritage, history and values 

WHY? - Objectives 

One of the aims of the European Year is to encourage people-centred and inclusive approaches 
to cultural heritage, and to make cultural heritage accessible to all by removing social, cultural 
and physical barriers. The Year also aims at raising the profile of Europe's cultural heritage in 
local communities, helping people draw connections between the local and the European, and 
re(discover)  how  much  of  our  heritage  is  shared.  Putting  our  common  values,  shared  history 
and heritage on the spotlight can contribute to reinforce a  sense of belonging to Europe, and 
ultimately bring us closer together.  

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

General  public,  local  communities,  older  people  and  hard-to-reach  groups  including  people 
with special needs and those at risk of social exclusion. 

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

Special EYCH edition of the European Heritage Days 

I  
(1)  a  "Call  for  European  Heritage  Stories"  to  collect  testimonies  of  how  communities 
understand the European dimension of their local heritage;  
(2) "European Heritage Makers Week" to inspire children and youth to explore surroundings, 
discover the European dimension of their local heritage and share stories; and  
(3) "Funding trans-border projects", to enable realisation of small–scale cross-border projects. 

the European Heritage Label 

Special  EYCH  editions  of  the  EU  Prize  for  Cultural  Heritage/Europa  Nostra 

II  
Award and  
The EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards annually recognises best practices 
of  conservation,  management,  research,  education  and  communication  of  Europe's  shared 
heritage. The 2018 award ceremony takes place in June during a high-level European Heritage 
Summit in Berlin.  
The  European  Heritage  Label  (EHL)  celebrates  heritage  sites  which  symbolize  European 
ideals,  values,  history  and  integration.  A  touring  exhibition  on  the  European  Heritage  Label 
sites  will  be  launched  and  a  high-level  award  ceremony  for  the  9  new  labelled  sites  will  be 
organised in March 2018 in Plovdiv.   

Sharing heritage, digitally 

III  
o  Interactive  map-based  interface  for  cultural  heritage  developed  by  the  Joint  Research 

Centre (JRC)  

o  Europeana flagship project: Connecting European Citizens through shared culture, 
o  Europa Nostra's  #Ode2Joy Challenge 

IV   Removing barriers and increasing access to cultural heritage 
o  An EU Access City Award will be launched by DG EMPL, to reward the efforts of small 

and bigger cities in the EU in granting access to physically disabled people. 

o  WeAre#EuropeForCulture  project:  aiming  to  promote  heritage  among  hard-to-reach 
groups, this DG EAC led project will facilitate pop-up exhibitions of cultural heritage. 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EYCH Initiative 2 – Heritage at school 

WHY? - Objectives 

The European Year aims to raise awareness of the importance of cultural heritage for Europe 
through  education  and  lifelong  learning,  with  a  particular  focus  on  children,  young  and 
elderly people and local communities. The aim of this initiative is to maximise the impact of 
Erasmus  +  in  the  field  of  cultural  heritage  education  and  to  encourage greater awareness  of 
Europe's rich cultural heritage in schools. Within the classroom, visits, encounters with heritage 
experts and playful educational activities are being organised. Children and their parents are 
also invited to engage with cultural heritage beyond the classroom, through informal and non-
formal  learning,  drawing  on  the  experiences  of  elderly  people  (e.g.  grandparents)  and  their 
local  communities,  thus  contributing  to  intergenerational  and  intercultural  dialogue  and  to 
foster participatory approaches to heritage. 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

School children (in particular 10-15 years old), teachers, parents, local communities.   

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I  

Valorising Erasmus + projects on cultural heritage and stimulating new initiatives 

II  

Awareness raising activities: joint UNESCO project, toolkit for schools 

-  A  joint  EU-UNESCO  project  will  be  implemented  through  a  series  of  activities  with 
schools  in  EU  Member  States,  working  in  particular  with  members  of  the  UNESCO 
Associated Schools Project Network (about 2000 schools in Europe).  

-  A  cultural  heritage  toolkit  for  schools  is  under  preparation.  It  will  combine  new 
communication  material  and  existing  resources  by  UNESCO,  the  House  of  the 
European  History,  EUROPEANA,  Interpret  Europe  and  other  partners.  The  material 
will  target  teachers  and  pupils  in  primary  and  secondary  schools  and  will  be 
disseminated  through  existing  teachers  networks,  including  e-twinning,  the  School 
Education Gateway and EUROCLIO - European Association of History Educators 

III   Activities for children in the framework of the European Heritage Days 

The  European  Heritage  Days  (EHDs)  2018  will  implement  the  'European  Heritage 
Makers  Week  Competition',  a  new  dedicated  action  targeting  school  children  to 
encourage them to explore their surroundings, discover the European dimension of their 
local heritage and share their unique stories. 

IV   

Strengthening Europe through education and culture with EESC and CoR 

-  "United in diversity: a younger future for European culture" is an initiative led by the 
European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  (EESC)  that  will  bring  secondary  school 
pupils,  from  28  EU  Member  States  and  five  candidate  countries,  to  visit  Brussels    to 
discuss the role of culture and heritage in their lives and make policy recommendations.  
-  The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) will organise a debate with its members 
on  '  Cities  and  regions  as  key  drivers  for  strengthening  European  identity  through 
education and Culture', with the aim of promoting the role of culture, cultural heritage 
and education among European local and regional authorities. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
EYCH Initiative 3 – Youth for heritage 

WHY? - Objectives 

The Year aims to empower young people to better appreciate their cultural heritage, interact 
with it, and through it, to participate in and contribute to society. It is also an opportunity for 
them to engage in projects where their skills can make a difference, for instance as volunteers 
in activities that aim at protecting, safeguarding and promoting heritage. Ultimately, the Year 
can stimulate young people to reflect on what Europe they want to build. The objective is also 
to  increase  their  access  to  cultural  heritage,  including  by  digital  means,  and  to  support  their 
creativity and talent when it comes to cultural heritage.  

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

Young people (between 15 and 29), Erasmus + generation, cultural heritage organisations and 
youth organisations.   

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I  

II  

III  

A  joint  project  with  UNESCO:  Empowering  European  youth  through  a  Young 
Heritage Experts Forum 
The project, to be implemented by UNESCO and its national commissions, aims to raise 
young people's awareness of heritage diversity, conservation and transmission.  

Youth volunteering for cultural heritage 
The activities under this component are mainly of an awareness raising nature, with two 
objectives:  1)  to  inform  young  people  about  existing  European  opportunities  for 
volunteering in the field of cultural heritage, particularly the European Solidarity Corps, 
and 2) to encourage cultural heritage organisations and sites to host more young people. 

Engaging with young people through social media. 
Social media is changing how we connect with culture and cultural heritage, particularly 
for  younger  audiences.  The  activities  in  this  initiative  focus  on  young  people’s 
interactions with cultural heritage, and their perceptions of it. They include an Instagram 
photo competition, heritage quizzes and short video campaigns. 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
EYCH Initiative 4 – Heritage in transition 

WHY? - Objectives 

One  of  the  aims  of  the  European  Year  is  "to  integrate  cultural  heritage  into  environmental, 
architectural  and  planning  policies".  This  initiative  will  promote  good  practice  in  the 
transformation  of  Europe's  industrial,  religious  and  military  heritage  for  new  uses  and  the 
socio-economic development of European cities and regions.   

Through  smart  restoration  and  adaptive  reuse,  old  buildings  and  sites  can  be  given  new 
leases  of  life.  Transformed  into  cultural  venues  or  attractions,  they  can  bring  economic  and 
social  dynamism  to  cities  and  regions  and  contribute  towards  EU  implementation  of  the  UN 
Sustainable Development Goals. 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

Local/regional authorities and communities, heritage professionals and architects.   

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I  

II  

Exchange of good practice  
- The initiative will identify and showcase successful re-use of industrial, religious and 
military  heritage.  Creative  Europe-funded  networks  as  well  as  ICOMOS  committees 
will organise conferences to share experiences and discuss reuse challenges.  
- The European Commission will dedicate one of the sessions of the European Cultural 
Heritage Summit to reuse and highlight good examples through EU Prizes for Cultural 
Heritage  (Europa  Nostra)  and  Contemporary  Architecture  (Mies  van  der  Rohe 
Foundation). 

Engagement 
To celebrate industrial heritage and its reuse, the European Route of Industrial Heritage 
(ERIH)  will  launch  Work  it  out!,  a  pan-European  dance  performance  in  industrial 
heritage  sites.  E-Faith  will  launch  a  campaign  for  cross-border  twinning  between 
associations while the Torch Initiative run by Future for Religious Heritage (FRH) will 
collect personal stories related to religious heritage throughout Europe. 

III   Urban/rural regeneration and sustainable development 

The  findings  of  EU  regional  or  research  projects  will  be  used  to  promote  the  positive 
impact  that  the  adaptive  reuse  of  built  heritage  can  have  on  the  revival  of  urban  and 
rural areas. Heritage-led regeneration often provides a catalyst for social, economic and 
cultural  renewal  in  cities  and  villages.  Environmental  issues  –  such  as  the  embodied 
energy  of  heritage  buildings  –  will  also  be  addressed.  Local  and  regional  decision-
makers  will  be  reached  through  Eurocities,  the  European  Committee  of  Regions,  the 
Urban Group of the European Parliament, the EU Rural Networks and partners of EU 
projects.  

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EYCH Initiative 5 – Tourism and heritage 

WHY? - Objectives 

There  is  much  debate  around  the  concept  of  ‘sustainable  tourism’.  The  word  sustainable 
suggests a state that can be maintained and perhaps even unchanging, whereas tourism implies 
constant adaptation to consumer demands. The Year is an opportunity to examine this concept, 
focusing on the sustainability of cultural heritage along with the economic benefits of tourism.  

The combination of culture and tourism can be a powerful driver of economic activity, but only 
if managed in a sustainable way so that communities and the actual essence of cultural heritage 
remains intact. 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

Policy makers, cultural heritage professionals, research communities, tourism organisations. 

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I  

II  

III  

IV 

Towards policy recommendations on sustainable cultural tourism 
An  Open  Method  of  Coordination  (OMC)  expert  group  is  examining  sustainable 
cultural  tourism  practices  across  Europe.  The  group  is  identifying  good  and  poor 
practices with a view to mapping methods and tools to make Europe's cultural heritage 
accessible  to  and  interoperable  with  a  sustainable  system  of  tourism  promotion  and 
marketing. 

Natural heritage and Natura 2000 
Synergies with the Natura 2000 network are being developed for EYCH, including: 
 (1) Evaluation of spatial overlaps between Natura 2000 and cultural heritage areas and 
development and dissemination of good practices and case studies31 
(2) Links with the pan-European Natura 2000 Awards32, which recognise excellence in 
the management and conservation of Natura 2000 sites  

Promoting Europe's Cultural Routes 
Sustainable cultural routes will receive a new boost in 2018, for long-term outreach and 
sustainability aspects. Notably:  
(1) Cultural routes with the Council of Europe  
(2) UNESCO World Heritage Journeys in the EU:  
 (3) The Balkans itineraries 

Awarding excellence - European Destination of Excellence Award 
The 2017/2018 edition of the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) focuses on 
Cultural  Tourism.  EDEN  is  a  Commission  initiative  that  awards  and  promotes 
sustainable  tourism  development  models  across  the  EU  and  Candidate  Countries.  A 
total of 140 destinations from 27 participating countries have been awarded the EDEN 
prize  since  2007.  The  winners  are  emerging,  little-known  destinations  committed  to 
social, cultural and environmental sustainability of tourism.  

31  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/links_natural_cultural_heritage_en.htm 
32  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/awards/index_en.htm 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
EYCH Initiative 6 – Cherishing heritage: quality principles 

WHY? - Objectives 

The Year aims to promote debate, research and exchange of good practices on the  quality of 
conservation  and  of  contemporary  interventions  on  cultural  heritage.  Interventions  on 
cultural heritage are actions that impact, or have potential to impact, structures, places or sites 
of heritage interest, causing any physical change or alteration.  

The EU supports cultural heritage through several programmes, including the structural funds. 
But investments can also put heritage in danger, especially when, in the attempt to give heritage 
a “second life”, issues of reconstruction and authenticity are not properly addressed, wiping 
off centuries of history and cultural values. 

This  initiative  aims  at  finding  the  right  balance  between  on  the  one  hand  quality  in 
conservation and safeguarding, and on the other hand dynamic approaches to restoration and 
maintenance, innovative re-use and enhancement of cultural heritage. 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

Policy makers, cultural heritage professionals, heritage organisations, civil society.   

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I  

II  

Research and sharing good practice  
Building on the "Venice Charter ", the most influential document on conservation since 
1964, an expert group coordinated by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments 
and Sites), in close collaboration with the European Commission, is working to produce 
an updated document on quality principles for cultural heritage interventions in Europe. 
The aim is to ensure that decisions on any major changes in the historical environment 
are based on proper assessment of its values.  
A  workshop  (50-60  participants)  will  feed  the  work  of  the  group  with  lessons  from 
practical examples/cases of good and bad practices in interventions on heritage through 
EU funds. 

Consultation and consensus building 
The Commission services will consult an enlarged group of key stakeholders (Including 
UNESCO,  ICCROM,  ICOM  and  Europa  Nostra  and  other  members  of  the  EYCH 
Stakeholders  Committee)  to  build  broad  consensus  on  key  quality  principles  for 
interventions on cultural heritage. 
The  final  document  would  guide  future  discussion  on  the  use  of  EU  funds  for 
interventions on cultural heritage, and possibly be mentioned in next regulations. Links 
will be  ensured with  the work of the Technical Committee on European standards for 
cultural heritage CEN/TC346 of the European committee for standardisation. 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EYCH Initiative 7 – Heritage at risk: fighting illicit trade, managing heritage site risks 

WHY? - Objectives 

The  Year  aims  to  encourage  synergies  between  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  to  strengthen 
initiatives to prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural goods. This initiative aims, on the one 
hand,  at  enhancing  cooperation  on  risk  management  for  cultural  heritage  in  Europe  and,  on 
the other hand, at raising awareness about the implications of illicit trade in cultural goods – 
both within and outside of the EU. 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

National authorities competent for heritage protection, policy makers, enforcement authorities, 
art market, research communities.   

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I  

II  

III 

IV 

Regulatory measures   
In  July  2017  the  Commission  adopted  a  proposal  for  a  regulation  on  the  import  of 
cultural  goods.  Adoption  by  the  legislator  will  lead  to  the  strengthening  of  the  EU 
legislative  framework  on  combatting  illicit  trade  in  cultural  goods.  The  Commission 
services  will  support  its  implementation  through  an  Action  Plan  which  includes  the 
initiatives below. 

Awareness raising and capacity building activities 
Two joint projects with UNESCO will be implemented: 
(1)  "Engaging  the  European  art  market  in  the  fight  against  the  illicit  trafficking  of 
cultural property" will focus on reinforcing due diligence in the European art trade and 
sensitizing relevant stakeholders to the implications of illicit trade in cultural property.  
(2)  "Training  to  enforcement  authorities"  will  train  Member  States'  authorities  on  the 
legal framework and practical ways of investigating heritage related crimes 

Improving evidence and sharing experience 
1.  An  EC  Study  on  'Safeguarding  Cultural  Heritage  from  Natural  and  Man-Made 
Disasters' will facilitate sharing experience between Member States on effective ways to 
protect cultural heritage at risk and pave the way for future cooperation. 
2. An EC study on the dimensions of illicit trade in cultural goods in the EU and on the 
use of new technologies to combat it will improve understanding of the routes, volumes 
and operational modes of traffickers in the EU. 
3.  The  award  of  a  grant  for  a  social  platform  on  cultural  heritage  in  danger  to  bring 
together  the  research  community,  public  and  private  actors,  and  policy  makers  at 
national and international levels working on issues related to the illicit trade of cultural 
goods and on the protection, preservation or reconstruction of cultural heritage. 

Cooperation with third countries 
The  EU  will  cooperate  with  third  countries  to  protect  their  cultural  heritage  against 
trafficking,  looting  and  destruction.  In  particular,  a  joint  project  with  UNESCO  will 
provide  for rapid  assessments  and  immediate  safeguarding  measures  of  cultural assets 
affected  by  conflict  or  disaster  in  Iraq,  Libya,  Syria  and  Yemen;  and  the  on-going 
project on safeguarding Syrian cultural heritage will be continued. The EU will reflect 
on  how  to  contribute  to  the  protection  of  cultural  heritage  in  the  context  of  fragile 
countries or crisis situations, notably through its Common Security and Defence Policy 
(CSDP) instruments. 

27 

 
 
EYCH Initiative 8 – Skills for heritage: for traditional and new professions 

WHY? - Objectives 

Europe  is  renowned  for  its  exceptional  skills  in  the  field  of  cultural  heritage.  But  European 
excellence in heritage preservation and conservation is jeopardised by the combined effect of 
the  age  pyramid  and  cuts  in  public  budgets;  this  affects  the  transmission  of  heritage 
knowledge  and  skills  to  younger  generations.  A  lack  of  high-level  professionals  in 
"traditional" heritage occupations is already predictable. 

This initiative aims to support the development of  specialised skills and improve knowledge 
transfer in the cultural heritage sector, attracting young people to heritage-related jobs, while 
accompanying the adaptation of heritage-related professions to the digital world. 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

Cultural heritage training professionals, young people.   

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I  

Experience sharing and policy recommendations   
Under the Agenda for Culture, 26 Experts from EU Member States have already started 
working to exchange good practices and design policy recommendations for Ministries 
of  Culture  and  Education.  Their  discussions  will  be  enriched  by  the  contribution  of  a 
group  of  35  relevant  stakeholders,  under  the  'Voices  of  Culture''  structured  dialogue, 
which has produced a Brainstorming report on skills for Heritage. 

II  

Opportunities for cultural heritage professionals and young people   

-  Promotion  of  Erasmus  +  and  Horizon  2020  funding  possibilities  for  cultural  heritage 

professional skills and training needs.  

-  Opportunities  for  training  for  young  people  available  through  Erasmus  +,  Erasmus 
Mundus masters and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions will be promoted, increasing 
synergies  with  the  EU  Heritage  Prize/Europa  Nostra  Awards  winners  in  the  category 
"Education and training".  

-  The Erasmus+-funded Mu.SA project (Museum Sector Skills Alliance) is investigating 
necessary  skills  and  competences  to  support  museum  professionals  in  their  digital 
transformation  journey.  The  project  will  inform  the  development  of  specific  training 
programmes for developing both hard/digital and transferable skills for ICT related jobs 
for museum professionals. 

-  The value of heritage-related professions will be promoted in large-scale events such as 
the 2018 European Vocational Skills Week (VET Week) and the Leipzig Denkmal Fair.  

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EYCH Initiative 9 – Heritage for all: citizen participation and social innovation 

WHY? - Objectives 

Objects, places and traditions are important not by themselves, but because of the meanings and 
uses that  people attach  to them and  the values they represent.  Heritage is  a common good, it 
does not only belong to professionals, but to communities and people in general. 

In the spirit of the Faro convention of the Council of Europe, this initiative promotes a wider 
understanding of heritage, placing people and communities at the centre and involving them in 
making  decisions  about  heritage.  Research,  experimentation  and  practice  will  engage  and 
empower a large number of actors to care for heritage. New models of participatory governance 
and  management  of  cultural  heritage  will  be  tested;  social  innovation  and  links  with  other 
sectors are also being encouraged. 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

Heritage professionals, development bodies, tourism agencies, cultural and creative industries, 
experts  and  practitioners,  associations  and  interest  groups  representative  of  non-professionals 
and local societies, and policy-makers in local, regional and national authorities.   

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

The  "Heritage  for  all"  initiative  draws  inspiration  from  the  work  of  the  Open  Method  of 
Coordination expert group on participative governance. The group investigated the concept of 
participatory governance, identified best cases, and published a report in 2017. 

I  

II  

Improving evidence, research and exchange of good practice 
Two  Horizon  2020  projects  will  contribute  to  develop,  test  and  promote  innovative 
models of participatory governance: 
-  The  Horizon  2020  social  platform  "REACH"  (worth  EUR  1.5  million)  will  map 
research and practice, evaluate bottle-necks and create European networks in this field 
-  A  larger  Horizon  2020  research  project  (worth  EUR  2,5  million)  will  assess  the 
current  state  of  cultural  institutions  and  focus  on  how  to  support  them  to  become 
cultural service providers and hubs of social innovation.  
The  initiative  will  also  showcase  successful  people-centred  approaches  to  heritage  in 
existing EU schemes, such as the European Capitals of Culture, the European Heritage 
Awards, the European Heritage Label and the European Heritage Days. 

Testing and policy recommendations 
In cooperation with the Council of Europe, the Commission services will implement the 
pilot project STEPS, which engages communities in Lisbon and Rijeka, in the heritage 
mapping  of  their  neighbourhoods,  creating,  testing  and  evaluating  a  methodology  for 
participative governance. Four other pilot  projects  of the social  platform REACH  will 
target  minority  (Roma)  heritage,  institutional  heritage,  rural  heritage  and  small  towns' 
heritage.    Tests  will  result  in  policy  recommendations  to  be  presented  and  discussed 
with national and regional policymakers, in several conferences throughout 2018. 

29 

 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
EYCH Initiative 10 – Science for heritage: research, innovation, science and technology 

WHY? - Objectives 

From  providing  digital  access  to  physically  inaccessible  sites,  to  helping  preserve  priceless 
artefacts,  Research  and  Innovation  (R&I)  can  nurture  smart  and  technologically  advanced 
solutions to the challenges Europe is facing in trying to protect its cultural heritage.  The Year 
is  an  opportunity  to  showcase  and  intensify  the  investments  that  the  EU  has  made  in  the 
development  of  a  worldly-known  European  expertise  the  field,  through  the  EU  Research and 
Innovation programme 'Horizon 2020' and the Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). 

FOR WHOM? - Target groups 

Researchers, innovators, academics, heritage professionals and experts, public authorities.  

WHAT? - Content of the initiative 

I   Promoting excellence 
-  Policy  Review  showcasing  results  and  good  practices  of  EU-funded  research  on  cultural 

heritage, presented at a March 2018 event in Brussels. 

-  Horizon 2020 research actions in 2018-19 have the following indicative budgets: 

  EUR  18  million  for  cost-effective  technologies  to  increase  resilience  or  reconstruct 

damaged historic areas after disasters  

  EUR 12 million for "Collaborative approaches to cultural heritage for social cohesion"  
  EUR 10 million for "Curation of digital assets and advanced digitisation"  
  EUR 9 million for "innovative approaches to urban and regional development through 

cultural tourism"  

  EUR 9 million for "The societal value of culture and the impact of cultural policies in 

Europe" 

  EUR  9  million  for  "Digitisation,  digital  single  market  and  European  culture:  new 

challenges for creativity, intellectual property rights and copyright" 

  EUR  7.5  million  for  "inclusive  and  sustainable  growth  through  cultural  and  creative 

industries and the arts"  

  Horizon 2020 initiatives will also be launched in the following areas: 
  "Innovative and affordable solutions for preventive conservation of cultural heritage" 
  "Transforming  historic  urban  areas  and  cultural 
entrepreneurship and social and cultural integration" 

landscapes 

into  hubs  of 

-  JRC innovations to benefit the cultural heritage sector: 
o  Testing  smart  materials  on  historic  masonry  to  improve  seismic  resistance,  and  to  allow 

post-earthquake structural assessment 

o  3D laser scanning for damage assessment and reconstruction planning 

II  Generating expertise 
In  2018,  two  research  communities  will  be  established:  1)  a  Community  of  Innovators  on 
Cultural  Heritage  and  2)  the  EU  R&I  Ambassadors  on  Cultural  Heritage.  These  will  each 
gather around 300 universities, research centres, municipalities, industries and SMEs, cultural 
heritage  organizations  and  practitioners  to  promote  the  uptake  of  R&I  successful  results  and 
encourage international cooperation on the field.  
In addition, two Horizon 2020 networks will be established: 1) A Network to promote heritage-
led  innovation  and  diplomacy  and  to  provide  expertise  in  EU  and  beyond,  and  2)  A  'Social 

30 

 
 
 
 
platform  on  endangered  cultural  heritage  and  on  illicit  trafficking  of  cultural  goods'  (see 
factsheet n°7). 

31 

 
 
 
 
3. 

Digital4Culture 

The digital revolution and modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) offer 
many new possibilities and opportunities for the cultural and creative sectors to make content 
accessible,  preserve  it  digitally  for  future  generations,  and  engage  with  audiences  and  online 
visitors via different channels.  

The  Commission  services  are  preparing  a  Digital4Culture  strategy  aiming  to  support  the 
cultural and creative sectors in overcoming the challenges brought by the digital transformation 
and globalisation and to help them make better use of the opportunities provided by the digital 
shift.   

Digital4Culture  will  be  a  cross-cutting  strategy,  which  especially  supports  the  citizenship 
dimension of the Digital Single Market. Its aim will be to enable cultural and creative sectors to 
reach out to new audiences, adapt to the digital era, and thrive in the connected Digital Single 
Market.   

The  strategy  will  be  based  on  the  premise  that  digital  means  allow  broader  and  more 
democratic  access  to  culture,  helping  to  overcome  geographical  and  linguistic  borders,  and 
storing  and  making  available  huge  amounts  of  data.  The  digital  revolution  also  enables  the 
creation of new and innovative artistic creations, as well as innovative ways of presenting and 
consuming cultural content (e.g. via virtual reality or social media). 

The Commission services are developing the following initiatives as part of the Digital4Culture 
strategy. 

32 

 
 
 
 
 
Digital4Culture Initiative 1 –  
Europeana: an enabler of digital transformation for cultural heritage 

Europeana is Europe's digital platform for cultural heritage. It currently provides access to over 
51 million items, (including image, text, sound, video and 3D material) from the collections of 
over 3,700 libraries, archives, museums, galleries  and audio-visual collections across  Europe. 
The  Europeana  Network  of  cultural  heritage,  creative  and  technology  professionals  exchange 
and promote best practice on digitisation and metadata standardisation, and stimulate capacity 
building in the cultural heritage community. 

The action aims at increasing Europeana's significance as the unique pan-European initiative, 
empowering  cultural  heritage  institutions  to  take  advantage  of  the  digital  transformation  to 
broaden  access  to  and  preservation  of  their  collections.  It  can  also  act  as  a  showcase  of  the 
benefits  stemming  from  sharing  and  using  high  quality  digital  cultural  heritage  material, 
democratizing  access  to  culture.  The  digital  platform  can  strengthen  its  position  as  a 
comprehensive  multilingual  record  of  the  richness  of  Europe's  cultural  identities  and  the 
diversity  of  its  people,  underpinning  a  sense  of  shared  history  and  identity  among  European 
citizens.  Advanced  forms  of  content  –  3D  and  virtual  reality  content,  curated  multilingual 
content, smart content – can enhance the platform’s offering. 

Europeana  can  lead  the  digital  transformation  of  the  cultural  heritage  sector,  fostering  cross-
border  collaboration  and  standardisation  activities  in  Europe.  Europeana  can  also  act  as  a 
catalyst  and  innovator  for  cultural  heritage  institutions,  supporting  EU  Member  States  to 
address challenges faced in the digital transformation of access to culture. It can also act as a 
showcase  for  leveraging  digital  opportunities  to  maximise  the  impact  of  cultural  heritage 
institutions’  activities  and  outreach,  including  the  research  and  innovation  activities  funded 
under Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 6 and under its successor programme post-2020.  The 
initiative is backed by an independent evaluation of Europeana, carried out by the Commission 
in  response  to  Council  Conclusions  (CC)  on  the  role  of  Europeana  for  the  digital  access, 
visibility and use of European cultural heritage33, adopted by the Education, Culture, Youth and 
Sports Council in May 2016, with expected completion at the end of Q2 2018.  

Target groups: 

Cultural heritage institutions and professionals;  
European citizens;  
Cross-sectors: including education and research. 

Content of the initiative 

The Commission services will: 
  Put  forward  a  vision  on  the  way  forward  for  Europeana,  Europe's  digital  platform  for 
cultural  heritage,  as  a  pan-European  enabler  of  the  digital  transformation  of  cultural 
heritage and a key initiative regarding democratic access to culture, by the end of 2018.  
Implement the vision post-2020 under the new Digital Programme. 

 

33  Council Conclusions on the role of Europeana for the digital access, visibility and use of European cultural 

heritage of 31 May 2016 

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Digital4Culture Initiative 2 – Digitization centres for monuments and sites   

The increasing occurrence of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, fires, and pollution 
can cause irreversible damage to cultural heritage sites or even destroy entire areas. According 
to the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG, 2006), the cost of disaster damage is 
rising and the number of natural disaster events grew by 400% between 1975 and 200534. If this 
trend  continues,  Europe’s  352  UNESCO  cultural  heritage  sites35  and  many  more  monuments 
and historic buildings across the Member States are in danger. Apart from losing our heritage, 
the  culture  and  creative  sectors,  and  related  industries  such  as  tourism  and  hospitality  rely 
heavily  on  the  appeal  and  conservation  of  cultural  heritage  sites  and  monuments.  Digital 
technology can  help  preserve  the  knowledge  of  threatened  heritage  monuments  and  sites  and 
make them accessible for citizens across Europe and for future generations. In addition, online 
access  to  high  quality  digital  replicas  of  a  site  and  monument  may  increase  the  appeal  and 
promotion of a place, city or Member State, thus supporting the local tourism and hospitality 
industries.  

Target groups: 

Social dimension: citizens – democratisation of access to cultural heritage and preservation for 
the future.  
Economic dimension: potential increased visits/activities for the culture and creative sectors, as 
well as associated industries such as tourism and hospitality. 
International  dimension:  tourism,  promotion  and  increased  appeal  of  sites  or  monuments  can 
play a strong role in diplomacy and enhancing the soft power of the Union. 

Content of the initiative 

A  large-scale  action  to  digitise  endangered  monuments  and  sites  is  proposed  in  order  to 
ensure  their  preservation  and  transmission  to  future  generations,  implemented  through 
digitisation centres.  

This initiative will connect digitisation centres across the European Union with the objective of 
fostering an ecosystem for preserving cultural heritage monuments and sites, and making them 
accessible for the future.  

The core objective of the digitisation centres will be to safeguard the knowledge of endangered 
heritage monuments. These digitisation centres also have the potential to act as multipliers in 
the  cultural  heritage  sector  by  promoting  the  digital  transformation  of  the  cultural  heritage 
institutions  and  the  upskilling  of  their  workforce.  Cultural heritage  institutions  would  receive 
support to fully leverage new state of the art digital technologies by sharing best practices on 
technical, legal, and online publishing requirements, etc. as well as to increase cooperation in 
the sector and to avoid duplication of work.  

The initiative will be launched in an initial phase under Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 6 and 
then at scale under the Digital Programme. 

34  https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/ 
35  Statistic as of 2017, does not include natural or mixed sites. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list 

34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Digital4culture Initiative 3 – Digital Creative & Innovation Hubs 

Engaged in fierce worldwide competition and dominated by micro-enterprises, averaging only 
1.8 FTE per enterprise, Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI’s) in Europe provide more than 
12  million  full-time  jobs,  which  amounts  to  7.5  %  of  the  EU’s  work  force,  creating 
approximately EUR 509 billion in value added to GDP.   

Through  a  versatile  approach  of  coordination,  access  to  finance,  ecosystem  and  skill 
development,  the  Commission  may  establish  a  pan-European  network  of  Digital  Creative  & 
Innovation Hubs to offer one-stop shops that strengthen the Cultural and Creative Industries’ 
ability to compete in the transcending digitization of their sector. 

Target groups: 
Creative enterprises, cultural enterprises, professionals in CCI’s, creative micro-enterprises and 
entrepreneurial ecosystems.   

Content of the initiative 
The objective is to establish a pan-European network of Digital Creative & Innovation Hubs, 
providing  one-stop  shops  for  the  cultural  and  creative  industries.  This  initiative  will 
complement  the  actions  of  the  Knowledge  and  Innovation  Community  (KIC)  initiative  on 
creative industries, through: 

Digital Innovation and Creative Learning Labs  
CCIs operate within highly versatile markets and technologies. Maintaining the required skill-
sets is a major challenge for small and medium sized structures alike. The initiative will offer 
digital lab facilities for CCI’s. 

Funding and Business support 
Digital  transformation  is  characterised  by  rapid  and  radical  changes,  which  require  the 
application  of  new  and  adaptable  business  models  in  the  CCI’s  as  well  as  access  to  the 
appropriate level of risk and funding. The initiative will offer guidance on funding in view of 
supporting  an  innovation  friendly  and  supportive  legal  environment  for  the  creation  and 
experimentation of new business models, products and services through strategic partnerships 
between  producers,  distributors  and  promoters  and  for  support  for  the  activities  of  business 
incubators. 

Technology take-up and acceleration 
It  is  crucial  for  the  CCIs  to  be  on  the  forefront  of  paradigms  such  as  high  performance 
computing (HPC),  cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) or the Internet of things  (IoT) 
which  impact  each  part  of  the  value  chain  from  creation  and  production  to  distribution  and 
exploitation.  The  initiative  will  support  accelerated  testing,  experimentation,  deployment  and 
take-up of technologies with application potential in CCI’s.    

Coordination   
Lifting the CCI’s at EU level additionally requires strong coordination activities.  The initiative 
will apply a cross-sectoral approach fostering interaction between micro-, small, medium and 
large enterprises and between non-profit organisations and commercial companies in the CCIs 

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Digital4culture Initiative 4 - Enhancing the availability and visibility of EU films 

In order to foster creativity and cultural diversity in Europe's audiovisual works, the European 
audiovisual  sector  needs  to  take  full  advantage  of  the  access  and  distribution  opportunities 
offered  by  the  digital  revolution.  Young  people,  in  particular,  should  be  able  to  enjoy  the 
diversity of European audiovisual content, which has the potential of promoting EU values and 
creating a sense of belonging, especially for the younger generation. 

Target groups: 

Directory of European films: professionals of the audiovisual sector (distributors, sales agents, 
producers) and potential audiences  
EU Film Week: school pupils, students   

Content of the initiative  

In order to foster creativity and cultural diversity in Europe's audiovisual works, the European 
audiovisual  sector  needs  to  take  full  advantage  of  the  access  and  distribution  opportunities 
offered  by  the  digital  revolution.  Young  people,  in  particular,  should  be  able  to  enjoy  the 
diversity of European audiovisual content, which has the potential of promoting EU values and 
creating a sense of belonging, especially for the younger generation. 

In  order  to  enhance  the  availability  and  visibility  of  EU  films,  the  Commission  services  will 
implement two parallel initiatives: the creation of an online directory of European films and the 
"EU Film Week". 

Directory of European films 

In order for the directory to be created, the Commission is considering a two-step action plan. 
In  a  first  phase,  we  would  facilitate  the  creation  of  a  directory  of  European  films  providing 
constantly updated and reliable information on the availability of European films online in the 
different Member States. In a second phase, building on the results of the first phase and on the 
continuous discussions with the stakeholders, the possibility of creating an online tool building 
on such data and providing access to the films could be explored. 
A prototype of a business-to-business database of European films covering a sample of films to 
be selected could be launched in October 2018. This is particularly pertinent because 2018 is 
the European Year of Cultural Heritage, which includes film heritage. 
This  project  would  contribute  to  complement  the  Commission's  efforts  in  strengthening  the 
position of European works through its proposed legislation for the audiovisual sector. 

EU Film Week 

Furthermore, an initiative named “EU Film Week” will be implemented with MEDIA funding 
in 2019. The initiative will make available a catalogue of EU heritage films in schools across 
all  Member  States  during  the  same  week.  This  would  help  raise  the  young  generation's 
awareness about Europe’s common history, culture and values. 
The objective of this action is to constitute an online catalogue of major European classic films 
to be made available to schools across Europe. A dedicated call for proposals will be published 
in the last quarter of 2018. 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Digital4culture Initiative 5 - New mentoring schemes for audiovisual professionals  

New  mentoring  schemes  could  be  introduced  by  experienced  professionals  in  the  field  of 
audiovisual  to  bring  new  talent  on  stage,  e.g.  mentoring  schemes  run  by  experienced  film-
makers and  directed towards young film professionals. Feedback  from industry  indicates that 
this type of professional support can be an effective way of sharing knowledge and experience. 

Target groups: 

Such  schemes  should  in  particular  be  focused  on  women  and  groups  that  are  currently 
underrepresented in film crews. 

Content of the initiative 

The schemes would strengthen digital skills in particular, as digital is transforming all parts of 
the industry, and also use digital technology as a tool for delivering the mentoring. 

Within the MEDIA 2019 Work Programme, mentoring activities will be encouraged as part of 
the Training scheme. A call for proposals may be launched as of end 2018. 

Digital4culture Initiative 6 –  
Stimulating cross-overs from culture to innovation in society and industry  

The  2015  Latvian  presidency  Council  Conclusions36  on  ‘Creative  crossovers  to  stimulate 
innovation  in  society  and  business'    recommend  ‘...combining  knowledge  and  skills  of  the 
cultural/creative sectors with [technological] sectors in order to generate innovative solutions 
for  today’s  societal  challenges’.  This  action  will  help  implement  these  recommendations.  It 
will  build  on  first  steps  made  in  H2020  under  the  heading  of  S+T+ARTS  =  STARTS, 
innovation at the nexus of science, technology and the Arts.  

Target groups: 

All  industry  sectors  and  technology  organisations  interested  in  crossovers  from  art  to 
innovation, Cultural/creative sector companies, professionals in CCI’s, creative SMSs, artists   

Content of the initiative 

The initiative aims at helping to set up centres across Europe that actively enable collaboration 
between art and technology to achieve sustainable innovation on a local (urban) and regional 
level. It will leverage the contribution of culture to the competitiveness of European industry by 
including  the  creativity  and  critical  thinking  of  artists  (and  more  generally  culture)  in  the 
process of converting technological and scientific knowledge into products and services. 

36  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52015XG0527(03)&qid=1442927546088&from=EN 

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
 
4. Stakeholder Views 
4.1  Stakeholder meeting summary 

PREPARING A NEW EUROPEAN AGENDA FOR CULTURE 
Stakeholder Consultation Meeting, 19 February 2018, Brussels 

1.  Introduction.  The  Commission  welcomed  participants,  thanked  them  for  their  attendance 
and contributions to date, and set out the aim of the meeting: gathering stakeholders' views to 
inform  a  Commission  proposal  for  a  New  Agenda  for  European  Culture.  This  was  a  time  of 
unprecedented political momentum on culture policy at EU level, on the agenda of leaders at 
November's  Gothenburg  Summit  and  December  European  Council,  and  in  the  context  of 
EYCH 2018. Commissioner Navracsics hoped to present a New European Agenda for Culture 
in May as part of a package of measures, also on education and youth, and language learning. 

2. Policy framework. The 2007 Agenda had three overarching objectives: 1) cultural diversity 
and intercultural dialogue, 2) culture as a catalyst of creativity, 3) culture as a vital element of 
external relations. Most felt these remained relevant, but would also prioritise the following: 

- culture as a vehicle for social cohesion, especially in light of migration and diasporas 
- arts education, non-formal education, civic education through arts 
- mobility of artists and artworks an area of clear added value at European level 
- more ambition, more funding, stressing culture and heritage as strategic resource 
- diversity of cultural expressions: multilingualism, improving choice, access, discoverability 
- better linkage of external and internal policies, especially with neighbouring countries 
- better digital access, with more 3D and AV content,  
- copyright law more conducive to digitisation, balanced for sustainable remuneration 
- better connection of centre and periphery; urban and rural; city, regional and local authorities 
- more support to small cultural centres as first point of access for young creative talent 
- reprioritisation of artistic freedom, which is sadly starting to be challenged in parts of EU. 
- more attention to gender equality, combating bullying and harassment 
- fairer contractual conditions and remuneration for artists, greater professional recognition 
- ongoing importance of UNESCO 2005 Convention, for gender, youth, artistic freedom. 
- promotion of CoE Faro Convention with a view to adoption by all EU27 

3.  European  added  value.    The  Agenda  aims  to  add  value  to  culture  policy-making  and 
actions at national/regional/local levels, by promoting collaboration among and within MS, and 
by informing and supporting policymaking, implementation and evaluation. Key points: 

-  EU added value on culture underestimated: key to participation, democracy, circulation of ideas.  
-  EU could be more assertive about culture's role promoting belonging while supporting diversity. 
-  And more ambitious: call on MS to adapt national policies, eg arts education, funding 
-  But EU culture agenda and programmes also valued because not mediated by MS institutions. 
-  In some MS EU level is only opportunity for stakeholder input/influence, none at national level 
-  Need to influence MS on input of culture to other policies (eg SDGs), EU values (democracy) 
-  Build understanding and capacity in non-culture Ministries & EC DGs, culture in all policies 
-  EU should lead more on evidence-gathering: qualitative as well as quantitative impacts. 
-  Do more to reach grass roots, eg through regions networking small and large orgs 
-  Project-based programmes not sustainable, longer-term networks add value 
-  Promote European interpretations of heritage, not just local/national. 
-  Lead by example in EU programmes eg requiring fair conditions for artists in selection criteria 
-  Informing is key: EU heritage mapping great example, shows all relevant policies/programmes 
-  EU collaboration with UNESCO and CoE also adds value 
-  EU support to mobility and infrastructures is main added value, promoting access 
-  Europeana impact framework and playbook could be used to assess European agenda 

38 

 
 
4.  Working  methods.    The  Agenda  set  out  two  main  working  methods:  structured  dialogue 
(SD) with the cultural sector, currently Voices of Culture (VoC) and European Culture Forum, 
(ECF), and open method of coordination (OMC) among Member States.  

Key points  

on Voices of Culture: 

- generally appreciated, allows cultural sectors to be heard, to network and influence policy 
- framing of discussions is important; the questions sent beforehand are very helpful 
- challenges include diversity/representativeness of participants and sectors, short timelines 
- need to reach out to other actors and sectors, eg researchers, and involve artists themselves 
- webstreaming meetings could be useful, allowing questions from outside the room 
- thematic approach was developed to have timely policy impact eg in relation to OMC topics 
- some preferred previous SD platform approach, to current thematic approach in VoC 
- compromise might be sectors bringing own themes as well as contributing to OMC topics 
- no external relations theme yet; could be useful, but hard to involve external stakeholders. 

on the European Culture Forum: 

- increase diversity of attendees: ethnicities, artists, grassroots, private sector, researchers. 
- use more diverse methods to hear more people, and increase interaction, eg 'speed dating' 
- more controversial topics could be chosen, more challenges posed to cultural sector and EU 
- could allow participants to help set / influence agenda (like European Development Days) 
- fewer formal presentations, more workshops / specific themes (like Education Summit) 
- possible to complement with an online platform to allow debate online in between Forums 
- venues outside Brussels appreciated, allows different organizations to participate 

5. Key actors. Key actors are MS culture officials / experts, cultural and creative organizations 
and networks, and EC. Should others participate? If so how? 

- other govt/EC departments, eg economy/research/health – on thematic, ad-hoc basis 
- other EU institutions: EP, CoR, EESC (to reach employers and unions). 
- UN agencies eg for culture in conflict prevention / crisis management 
- regional/city/local authorities, including smaller cities, perhaps through peer-learning, UCLG, 
or dialogues with mayors. [EC recalls need to respect MS constitutional order, very disparate] 
- should be EU-wide commitment to geodemographic inclusion, for people outside big cities 
- educational authorities and schools 
- foundations and banks, many of who struggle to engage with EU projects 
- research institutions 
- civil society organizations, including those involved in SDGs 
- already hard for cultural sector to be represented, others should only be involved if needed 
- could be scope for webstreaming and online platforms allowing questions from others 

6. Strengthening policy-programme links. Discussion on if/how to strengthen links between 
EU-funded project outcomes (under Creative Europe – CE - or other EU programmes and their 
successors)  and  culture  policy  collaboration.  Timely,  as  consultation  on  policy  priorities  for 
Agenda will inform funding priorities for future programme(s).  Public consultation on Multi-
Annual  Financial  Framework  is  currently  open,  deadline  8  March,  covering  programmes  and 
actions  on  cultural  diversity,  creativity,  European  values,  mobility,  education,  historical 
memory.  

Key points: 

- CE is a very important ecosystem, allowing small organizations to work on long-term projects 
-  arguably  a  victim  of  its  own  success,  bidding  starts  to  feel  like  a  lottery  as  there  are  not 
enough funds 

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- culture-specific programme should remain, and other EU programmes should be more open to 
culture 
- Agenda policy objectives should be reflected in programme(s): eg on mobility, for individual 
artists 
-  access  to  CE  strands  could  be  widened,  eg  to  make  literary  translation  funds  available  for 
theatre texts 
-  support  should  be  available  to  small  organizations,  for  small  amounts,  and/or  partner  with 
larger orgs 
-  funding  mechanisms  are  currently  limited  to  grants  &  procurements,  would  be  good  to 
consider others 
- EC:  sympathetic  to  many of these  points but  EU  financial  regulations are strict and closely 
supervised 
- we as culture sector have a responsibility to lobby nationally and at EU parliament 
- culture funds should be more flexible, less rigid, linked to other programmes eg Horizon 2020 
-  better  links  needed  between  tech  innovation  and  creative  content  production  eg  STARTS 
project. 
- EAC/EACEA could help more with disseminating project outcomes 
- ESIF (INTERREG, LEADER) supports infrastructure and buildings, could be used more for 
culture [EC agrees in principle but recalls that MS and regions define their own priorities for 
structural funds] 
- should be possible to adjust EU programmes more often than every 7 years, eg to respond to 
events such as migrant crisis. EC: Oettinger aiming for this but there are constraints. 
- when project applications dramatically exceed funding available (eg for CE call on refugees) 
would be useful if EC could consider alternative / complementary project funding in parallel 
-  key  policy  challenge  for  publishers  is  discoverability  of  books  (eg  promoting  choice  via 
smaller  online  providers).  Issue  apparently  too  big  for  Creative  Europe,  too  small  for 
Connected Europe. 
- CE funding for literary translation has arguably failed; intended to diffuse books from smaller 
to bigger mediator languages, but has mostly subsidised translations from major languages to 
smaller languages.  Must give added value in terms of promoting diversity, and true European 
value, not sector in itself. 

7. Sector-specific work/themes.  To date, EU collaboration under the Agenda for Culture has 
tended  not  to  address  individual  cultural  or  creative  sectors  -  with  the  clear  exceptions  of 
heritage  and  film,  and  arguably  publishing/literature  (OMC  subgroup).  Is  it  desirable  to  have 
sector-specific work/themes  in  future  Agenda  - if so, which sector(s)/theme(s)  of clear added 
value at EU level in next 2-5 years? 

-  a    majority  of  stakeholders  opposed  sectoral  approaches  and  argued  for  transversal  funding 
schemes,  on  the  grounds  that  culture  is  increasingly  multi-disciplinary,  overarching  themes 
such as participation, diversity and freedom of expression should be preferred, and introducing 
sector-specific themes might create unnecessary conflict. 
- others thought there should be room for both trans-sectoral and sector-specific approaches, in 
cases of clear EU added value 
- museum and live performance organizations strongly preferred multidisciplinary approaches, 
supporting  all  content  creation.  Sectoral  approaches  might  leave  live  arts  particularly 
underrepresented. 
- division of EU media and culture programmes may have made sense at the time, but growth 
in screen-based activity in all cultural genres argues for culture and media to be reunited. 

40 

 
 
 
- music and publishing organizations felt that while many issues are transversal, in their sectors 
there  are  issues  calling  for  sector-specific  dialogue  at  EU  level,  including  in  areas  of  EU 
regulatory competence. 
- heritage organizations called for multi-disciplinary approach breaking down silos of heritage 
professionals,  but  with  particular  focus  on  adaptive  re-use  of  heritage,  and  illicit  trade  in 
cultural goods. 
- mapping of culture professions was mentioned as useful for the heritage sector. It was recalled 
that DG EMPL (ESCO) had conducted such a mapping involving many culture experts. 
- visual arts received little attention at EU level, and promoting mobility of artworks (via a pan-
European public guarantee scheme) would merit more attention. 
- if sectors and themes are to be considered in the future EU Agenda, it’s necessary to convince 
MS and demonstrate EU added-value, focussing on cross-border aspects and cooperation. 

8.  Your  top  priority  for  the  New  European  Agenda  for  Culture.  Stakeholders  were  asked  if 
they could emphasise or change just one aspect of current EU policy collaboration on culture, 
what would it be? 

Points mentioned by more than one stakeholder: 
- support mobility of artists and artworks including repertoire and performances 
- support smaller organizations and community arts: funding, capacity-building, dissemination 
- link culture and education, capacity-building and lifelong arts education for pros and amateurs 
- balance the intrinsic value of culture with instrumental role of culture for social inclusion 

Points mentioned by one stakeholder each: 
- culture in all policies 
- achieve a clear legacy for EYCH in policy and funding 
- create safer conditions for artists 
- support creation 
- defend artistic freedom 
- strengthen "meaning-making" to foster understanding of EU values and social cohesion 
- conduct a mapping of heritage professionals  
- address threats: global monopolies, homogenous markets, diversity (including linguistic) 
- improve evidence of impact – create a gold standard for cultural impact studies across Europe 
- create sustainable communities through cross-border cooperation 
- create an industrial policy for culture, incorporating access to finance 
- promote critical thinking 
- promote independence, integrity and professionalism of cultural institutions 
- translate new EU strategy on culture in external relations into concrete actions, with CSOs. 
- maintain effective structured dialogue, ensure clear link to policy and programmes. 
- connect internal and external EU policies to address issues of migration/post-colonialism 
- keep European audiovisual content as world-leading, through cross-sectoral collaboration 
- integrating true learning into Agenda processes so outcomes don’t end up on a shelf 
- include more stakeholders, civil society, and culture in other sectors: academia, economy 
- promote synergies between culture, education and research. 
- continue to support UNESCO 2005 Convention. 
- put arts and culture at heart of local development, and external relations. 
- put heritage online to improve access 
- promote private heritage and landscapes. 
- remove regulatory exceptions which hinder art and artists, and create new ones which help. 
- create better partnerships between cities and CCIs including through non-financial support. 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
4.2  EUSurvey – summary of MS and Stakeholder responses 

Following  the  19  February  stakeholder  meeting,  an  online  questionnaire  was  published  on 
EUSurvey  and  shared  widely  with  stakeholders,  including  Member  State  representatives  in 
Council.    142  responses  were  received  in  time  to  be  reflected  in  this  document,  including 
submissions from organizations or individuals in every EU Member State. 

The type of respondents were categorised as follows: 

Respondents  were  asked  how  relevant  they  feel  the  three  objectives  of  the  2007  European 
Agenda currently are. 

42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
43 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
45 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. 

Summary and Main Results of the 2007 European Agenda for Culture 

5.1 Objectives 

The  "European  Agenda  for  Culture  in  a  globalizing  world"  is  a  Commission  Communication 
adopted on 10 May 2007. It proposed to establish an Open Method of Coordination in culture 
around  three  strategic  objectives.  The  Council  in  a  subsequent  Resolution  endorsed  the 
strategic objectives and specified that the Agenda was to be implemented through Work Plans 
covering priorities determined by the Council as suited for the Open Method of Coordination.  
The objectives of the 2007 European Agenda are as follows: 

A. 

As regards Promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue: 

— 
— 

— 

encouraging the mobility of artists and other professionals in the culture field, 
promoting  cultural  heritage,  namely  by  facilitating  the  mobility  of  collections  and 
fostering  the  process  of  digitisation,  with  a  view  to  improving  public  access  to 
different forms of cultural and linguistic expressions, 
promoting  intercultural dialogue  as a  sustainable  process contributing  to  European 
identity,  citizenship  and  social  cohesion,  including  by  the  development  of  the 
intercultural competences of citizens; 

B. 

As regards Promoting culture as a catalyst of creativity: 

— 

— 

— 

promoting  better  use  of  synergies  between  culture  and  education,  in  particular  by 
encouraging art education and active participation in cultural activities with a view 
to developing creativity and innovation, 
promoting  the  availability  of  managerial,  business  and  entrepreneurial  training 
capacities specifically tailored to professionals in the cultural and creative fields, 
fostering  a  favourable  environment  for  the  development  of  cultural  and  creative 
industries,  including  the  audiovisual  sector,  thus  maximizing  their  potential,  in 
particular that of SMEs, namely by making better use of existing programmes and 
initiatives  and by stimulating creative partnerships  between the cultural sector and 
other sectors, including in the context of local and regional development; 

C. 

As regards culture as a vital element of international cultural relations: 

— 
— 

— 

— 

enhancing the role of culture in the EU's external relations and development policy, 
promoting the Unesco Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity 
of Cultural Expressions and contributing to its implementation at international level, 
fostering  intercultural  dialogue  and  interaction  between  civil  societies  of  EU 
Member States and third countries, 
encouraging further cooperation between cultural institutions of EU Member States, 
including  cultural  institutes,  in  third  countries  and  with  their  counterparts  in  those 
countries 

46 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.2 Implementation 

The Commission reviewed the implementation of the European Agenda for Culture in 201037.  
It found the OMC and structured dialogue frameworks were generally working well, and were 
influencing  policy  in  many  areas,  citing  examples  from  18  Member  States.    The  report 
suggested adjustments to both processes.  

On the OMC: 
- moving to a 4-year perspective for OMC topics (through Council Work Plans for Culture) 
- limiting the number of topics to 4 or 5 
- supporting OMC work with other activities such as peer learning hosted by Member States 
- providing funding from the Culture Programme for peer learning and dissemination activities. 

On the Structured Dialogue 
- adjusting thematic platforms to "mirror" and connect to OMC topics, for greater policy focus 
- supplementing the biennial European Culture Forum with smaller-scale events 

The Commission also produces reports on the implementation of the OMC process, including a 
2014  report  on  the  relevance  and  efficiency  of  the  2011-2014  Work  Plan38.    The  2015-2018 
Work Plan was also subject to a mid-term review in 2016, which was discussed in the Council 
Cultural Affairs Committee, and did not give rise to significant changes. 

37  COM(2010)390: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0390:FIN:EN:PDF  
38  COM(2014)535: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0535  

47 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
5.3  Outputs – Council Work Plans for Culture 

The table below summarises outputs of the 2007 European Agenda for Culture under the three Council Work Plans for Culture, 2008-10, 2011-
14 and 2015-18.  OMC refers to Open Method of Coordination working groups of Member State experts.  Those listed in italics are ongoing. 

For more details about the OMC process see https://ec.europa.eu/culture/policy/strategic-framework/european-coop_en.   

Copies of OMC reports are available here: https://ec.europa.eu/culture/library_en.  

Priority 

2015-2018 

2011-2014 

2008-2010 

Access to culture 
intercultural 
& 
dialogue 

OMC:  Contribution  of  culture  to  social 
inclusion (2017-2018) 

OMC:  Promotion  of  creative 
partnerships (2012 – 2013) 

Council 
Conclusions: 
competences (May 2008) 

Intercultural 

European  Year  of  intercultural  Dialogue 
2008 

OMC: The  role of public arts and 
cultural 
the 
institutions 
promotion  of  cultural  diversity 
and  intercultural  Dialogue  (2012-
2013) 

in 

OMC:  Better  access to and wider 
participation 
in  culture  (2011-
2012) 

Council  Conclusions:  Promoting  access 
to  culture  via  digital  means  (November 
2017) 

Study on audience development - How to 
place  audiences  at  the  centre  of  cultural 
Organisation (2017) 

OMC:  Promoting  access  to  culture  via 
digital  means  with  a  focus  on  audience 
development (2015-2016) 

the 
Intercultural  Dialogue 
OMC: 
context  of  the  migratory  and  refugee 
crisis (2016) 

in 

OMC:  Promoting  reading  in  the  digital 
environment (2015) 

48 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Priority 

2015-2018 

2011-2014 

2008-2010 

Culture 
education 

and 

the 
OMC:  Development 
competence 
awareness 
cultural 
expression (2014-2015)                    

of 

key 
and 

OMC:  Development  of  the  key 
competence  cultural  awareness 
and expression (2014-2015) 

Cultural 
heritage 

European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 

Council  conclusions:  The  need  to  bring 
fore  across 
to 
cultural  heritage 
policies in the EU (May 2018) 

the 

COM:  Risk  assessment  and  prevention 
for  safeguarding  cultural  heritage  from 
the effects of natural disasters and threats 
caused by human action (2018) 

OMC:  Skills,  training  and  knowledge 
transfer:  Traditional  and 
emerging 
heritage professions (2017-2018) 

OMC:  Participatory  governance  of 
cultural heritage (2016 -2017) 

Council 
Participatory 
cultural 
2014) 

governance 

Conclusions: 
of 
(November 

heritage 

COM  Communication:  Towards 
an integrated approach to cultural 
heritage for Europe (July 2014) 

Council  Conclusions:  Cultural 
heritage as a strategic resource for 
a sustainable Europe (May 2014) 

the 
Council  Conclusions:  Developing 
creativity  and 
innovative  capacity  of 
children and young people through cultural 
expression and access to culture (November 
2009) 

OMC:  Developing 
synergies  with 
education,  especially  arts  education  (2008-
2010) 

COM  Study:  Access  of  young  people  to 
culture (2008) 

Council  Conclusions:  Creation  of 
a 
European  heritage  label  by  the  European 
Union (November 2008) 

COM  Proposal:  Establishing  a  European 
Union  action  for  the  European  Heritage 
Label (March 2010) 

COM  Communication: Online  access 
Europe’s cultural heritage (August 2008) 

to 

49 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Priority 

2015-2018 

2011-2014 

2008-2010 

Cultural 
creative sectors 

and 

Council conclusions: Cultural and media 
sectors  in  the  digital  world  [working 
title] (November 2018)  

Export 

OMC: 
Internationalisation 
strategies (2012 -2013) 

and 
support 

COM Green Paper: Unlocking the potential 
of cultural and creative industries (2010) 

OMC:  Sustainable 
(2017-2018) 

cultural 

tourism 

OMC:  Developing  entrepreneurial  and 
innovation  potential  of  the  cultural  and 
creative sectors (2016-2017) 

COM  Study:  Creative  Value  Chains 
(2017) 

Study: 

COM 
the 
competitiveness  of  cultural  and  creative 
industries for growth and jobs (2016) 

Boosting 

OMC:  Access to  finance  for cultural  and 
creative sectors (2014 -2015) 

and 
Council  Conclusions:  Cultural 
creative 
stimulate 
cross-overs 
innovation,  economic  sustainability  and 
social inclusion (May 2015) 

to 

COM  Study 
Crowdfunding4culture (2017) 

/  Project 

/  Website: 

COM Communication: Promoting 
cultural  and  creative  sectors  for 
the  EU 
jobs 
growth  and 
(September 2012) 

in 

OMC: Culture & Structural Funds 
(2011-2012) 

OMC:  Access 
to  finance  for 
cultural and creative sectors (2014 
-2015) 

COM Study: The entrepreneurial dimension 
of 
industries 
(2010) 

the  cultural  and  creative 

COM Study: The Contribution of Culture to 
Local and Regional Development (2010)  

Council  Conclusions:  Contribution  of 
culture  to  regional  and  local  development 
(May 2010) 

OMC: Maximising the potential of creative 
and  cultural  industries,  in  particular  that  of 
SMEs (2008-2010) 

COM  Study:  The  impact  of  culture  on 
creativity (2009) 

50 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Priority 

2015-2018 

2011-2014 

2008-2010 

Preparatory  Action  ‘Culture  in 
EU  External  Relations’  (2012-
2014) 

Joint  informal  meetings  between 
senior  officials  of  Ministries  of 
of 
Cultures 
Foreign Affairs (5 meetings 2011-
2014) 

and  Ministries 

and 
Expert  Group:  Culture 
External Relations – China (2012) 

UNESCO    -  promotion  of  the  ratification 
and implementation of the Convention  

Conclusions  of  the  Council  and  of  the 
Representatives  of  the  Governments  of  the 
Member  States:  Promotion  of  cultural 
diversity  and  intercultural  dialogue  in  the 
external  relations  of  the  Union  and  its 
Member States (November 2008) 

Culture 
external 
relations 

in  EU 

Friends  of  Presidency  Group  (2017-
2018) 

Council  Conclusions:  EU 
approach 
international 
relations (May 2017) 

to 

strategic 
cultural 

Joint Commission/EEAS Communication 
“Towards an EU strategy for international 
cultural relations” (June 2016) 

Ad-hoc 
development cooperation (2017-2018) 

task  group  on  culture  and 

COM Mapping: EU funding for culture in 
the ENP (April 2017) 

Joint  informal  meetings  between  senior 
officials  of  Ministries  of  Cultures  and 
Ministries of Foreign Affairs (2 meetings 
in 2015-2017) 

Council Conclusions: Culture in the EU's 
external relations with a focus on culture 
in  development  cooperation  (November 
2015) 

51 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Priority 

2015-2018 

2011-2014 

2008-2010 

Mobility 
artists 

of 

Stocktaking  Meeting:  Mobility  of  artists 
and cultural professionals (May 2016) 

OMC:  Artists’  residencies  (2013-
2014) 

OMC: 
programmes (2011-2012) 

Mobility 

support 

Council  Conclusions:  Mobility 
information  services  for  artists 
and 
for  culture  professionals 
(May 2011) 

Mobility 
collections 

of 

Stocktaking Meeting (2018) 

OMC:  Mobility  of  Collections  – 
Practical Ways  to reduce  the cost 
lending  and  borrowing  of 
of 
cultural objects (2011-2012) 

COM study: Information systems to support 
the  mobility 
other 
professionals  in  the  culture  field  (March 
2009) 

artists 

and 

of 

study:  Mobility  Matters 

COM 
- 
Programmes  and  Schemes  to  Support  the 
Mobility 
and  Cultural 
Professionals (October 2008) 

of  Artists 

OMC:  Improving  the  conditions  for  the 
mobility  of  artists  &  culture  professionals 
(2008-2010) 

OMC: Mobility of Collections (2008-2010) 

52 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Priority 

2015-2018 

2011-2014 

2008-2010 

Illicit  trafficking 
of cultural goods 

COM  proposal:  Regulation  of 
the 
European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council 
on  the  Import  of  Cultural  Goods  (July 
2017)  

COM study: Fighting illicit trafficking in 
cultural  goods  and  analysis  of  customs 
issues in the EU (June 2017) 

COM:  Brainstorming  Meeting  on 
creation  of  a  tool  kit  on  fight 
in 
against 
cultural goods (18 October 2013) 

trafficking 

illicit 

CULTNET: 

EU 
Council 
Resolution  on  the  creation  of  an 
law 
informal 
network 
enforcement 
and 
expertise competent in the field of 
cultural goods (October 2012) 

of 
authorities 

COM  Study:  Preventing  and 
in 
fighting 
cultural  goods  in  the  European 
Union (2011) 

trafficking 

illicit 

Eurostat  publication:  "Culture  statistics" 
(2016): 
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-
statistical-books/-/KS-04-15-737 ; 

Several  articles  on  Eurostat  website  
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php/Culture ; 

Eurostat  publication: 
Statistics" (2011) 

"Culture 

COM  project:  ESSnet  Culture 
(2009-2011) 

Cultural 
statistics 

Seven  domains  under  "Culture" 
Eurostat 
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database 
Culture 

available 

database 

in 
online 
-

53 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Feasibility  study:  Data  collection  and 
analysis  in  the  cultural  and  creative 
sectors in the EU (2016) 

Film policy  

OMC: Improving circulation of European 
films (2017-2018) 

5.4 Outputs - structured dialogue 

The  table  below  lists  outputs  of  the  Commission's  structured  dialogue  with  the  cultural  sector  under  the  2007  European  Agenda  for  Culture.       
In  addition  to  the  thematic  activities  described,  the  Commission  held  biennial  European  Culture  Forums  as  part  of  the  structured  dialogue.    
These took place in Milan in December 2017, and in Brussels in April 2016 (postponed from 2015), November 2013 and October 2011. 

For information about the structured dialogue please see https://ec.europa.eu/culture/policy/strategic-framework/stakeholder-dialogue_en    

For information about the Voices of Culture dialogue (since 2015) please see www.voicesofculture.eu  

Theme 

2015-2018 

2007-2014 

Social 
intercultural dialogue 

inclusion 

/  

Culture for social inclusion – partnering with other sectors 
- Brainstorming meeting: April 2018, Brussels 
- Dialogue meeting: September 2018, Brussels 
- Brainstorming report to follow 
Will present to OMC on Fostering the contribution of culture to social 
inclusion 

Platform for Intercultural Europe 

Developed  in  response  to  2008  European 
Year of Intercultural Dialogue. 

Active from 2008-2013, with annual reports 

54 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Promoting  intercultural  dialogue  and  bringing  communities  together 
through culture in shared public spaces 
- Brainstorming meeting: March 2016, Barcelona 
- Dialogue meeting: April 2016, Brussels 
- Brainstorming report 
Presented  to  OMC  on  Intercultural  dialogue  in  the  context  of  the 
migratory and refugee crisis. 

The inclusion of refugees and migrants through culture  
- Brainstorming meeting: June 2016, Brussels 
- Dialogue meeting: September 2016, Brussels 
- Brainstorming report 
Presented  to  OMC  on  Intercultural  dialogue  in  the  context  of  the 
migratory and refugee crisis. 
Developing the entrepreneurial and innovation potential of the cultural 
and creative sectors 
- Brainstorming meeting: February 2016, Berlin 
- Dialogue meeting: April 2016, Brussels 
- Brainstorming report 
Presented to the OMC group on the same topic 

Promoting  access  to  culture  via  digital  means:  policies  and  strategies 
for audience development 
- Brainstorming meeting: June 2015, Amsterdam 
- Dialogue meeting: October 2015, Brussels 
- Brainstorming report 
Presented to the OMC group on the same topic 

available for each year. 

Financed  by  operating  grants  from  EU 
Culture Programme, 2009-2013. 

Platform  on  the  Potential  of  Cultural  and 
Creative Industries. 
Active  from  2008-2013,  supported  by  the 
EU Culture Programme. 

Platform on Access to Culture. 
Active  from  2008-2013,  supported  by  the 
EU Culture Programme. 

Cultural  and  creative 
sectors 

Accessible 
Inclusive culture 

and 

55 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cultural heritage 

Participatory governance for cultural heritage 
- Brainstorming meeting: July 2015, Florence 
- Dialogue meeting: September 2015, Brussels 
- Brainstorming report 
Presented to the OMC group on the same topic 

Skills,  training  and  knowledge  transfer:  traditional  and  emerging 
heritage 
- Brainstorming meeting: June 2017, Brussels 
- Dialogue meeting: September 2017, Brussels 
- Brainstorming report 
Presented to the OMC group on the same topic 

European Year of Cultural Heritage - Stakeholders Committee 
- 2017 meetings: April, September (Brussels), December  (Milan) 
- 2018 meetings: March, June, November (tbc) 

56 

 
 
 
 
 
6. 

Statistics 

6.1 Eurostat 

Under the European Agenda for Culture, the EU's statistical office, Eurostat, has stepped up the 
collection  of  culture  statistics.  In  addition  to  the  data  available  online  in  Eurobase  under  the 
domain  “Culture”,  there  are  several  articles  on  the  Eurostat  website  devoted  to  culture:  - 
cultural employment 
- cultural enterprises 
- cultural participation by socioeconomic background 
- frequency and obstacles in participation 
- international trade in cultural goods 
- private cultural expenditure 
- use of ICT for cultural purposes  
- government expenditure on recreation, culture and religion 
- tourism and culture in cities 

In this section we present a few of the key statistics cited in the accompanying Communication. 

Cultural  participation,  by  cultural  activity,  2015  -  %  of  population  aged  16  and  over. 
(Eurostat, 2017) 

57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Cultural employment over time (Eurostat, 2018) 

58 

 
 
 
Extra-EU trade in cultural goods, EU-28, 2011 and 2016 (Eurostat, 2018) 

59 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
List of all ISCO-08 and NACE Rev.2 codes included in the scope of cultural employment (revised 
in 2016) 

NACE Rev.2 codes: 

181 Printing and service activities related to printing 

182 Reproduction of recorded media 

322 Manufacture of musical instruments 

581 Publishing of books, periodicals and other publishing activities 

59 Motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing 
activities 

60 Programming and broadcasting activities 

741 Specialised design activities 

742 Photographic activities 

90 Creative, arts and entertainment activities 

91 Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities 

ISCO-08 codes: 

2161 Building architects 

2162 Landscape architects 

2163 Product and garment designers 

2164 Town and traffic planners 

2165 Cartographers and surveyors 

2166 Graphic and multimedia designers 

2353 Language teachers 

2354 Other music teachers 

2355 Other arts teachers 

262 Librarians, archivists and curators 

264 Authors, journalists and linguists 

265 Creative and performing artists 

3431 Photographers 

3432 Interior designers and decorators 

3433 Gallery, museum and library technicians 

3435 Other artistic and cultural associate professionals 

3521 Broadcasting and audiovisual technicians 

4411 Library clerks 

7312 Musical instrument makers and tuners 

7313 Jewellery and precious-metal workers 

7314 Potters and related workers 

7315 Glass makers, cutters, grinders and finishers 

7316 Sign writers, decorative painters, engravers and etchers 

7317 Handicraft workers in wood, basketry and related materials 

7318 Handicraft workers in textile, leather and related materials 

7319 Handicraft workers not elsewhere classified 

60 

 
 
 
 
6.2 Eurobarometer 

Key findings on shared values and the role of culture  

From Standard Eurobarometer 87, May 2017: 
http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/Survey/getSurveyDetail/instrume
nts/STANDARD/surveyKy/2142 

61 

 
 
 
62 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Key findings on cultural heritage 

From the 2017 Special Eurobarometer on cultural heritage http://europa.eu/cultural-
heritage/toolkits/special-eurobarometer-europeans-and-cultural-heritage_en  

The  majority  of  Europeans  say  they  live  close  to  historic  monuments  or  sites,  and  just 
over half have some personal involvement in cultural heritage 

▪  More  than  seven  in  ten  respondents  (73%)  live  near  some  form  of  cultural  heritage.  In 
particular 60% say they live close to historical monuments or sites, 37% live close to traditional 
events or festivals and 32% live near works of art, for example in museums or galleries. 

▪  Just  over  half  (51%)  are  personally  involved  in  cultural  heritage,  with  the  most  likely 
involvement  being  regular  visits  to  sites  or  going  to  events  such  as  monuments,  museums, 
festivals,  concerts  and  so  on  (31%)  or  living  in  a  historic  environment,  area,  city  or  building 
that is considered as being of cultural heritage value (17%). 

▪ More than half (55%) have used the Internet in the last 12 months for at least one of a range 
of cultural heritage purposes. The most common activities were looking up general information 
related to cultural heritage, such as the accessibility, facilities and main features of a museum, 
historical monument, or traditional event in preparation for a visit or a holiday (31%). 

▪ More than two thirds (68%) agree the presence of cultural heritage can have an influence on 
their holiday destination, and the majority of respondents in each EU Member State agrees. 

Large  majorities  think  cultural  heritage  is  important  to  them  personally,  as  well  as  to 
their community, region, country and the EU as a whole 

▪  More  than  eight  in  ten  (84%)  think  cultural  heritage  is  important  to  them  personally.  The 
same  proportion  of  respondents  (84%)  think  cultural  heritage  is  important  for  their  local 
community,  87%  think  it  is  important  for  their  region  and  91%  think  cultural  heritage  is 
important for their country. 

▪ Eight in ten (80%) think cultural heritage is important for the European Union. 

▪  More  than  two  thirds  of  respondents  would  like  to  know  more  about  Europe’s  cultural 
heritage (68%). 

Large majorities take pride in cultural heritage, and agree it can improve quality of life 
and a sense of belonging to Europe 

▪ A large majority (82%) agree they feel pride in a historical monument or site, work of art or 
tradition from their region or country. 

▪ Seven in  ten agree they feel pride in  a historical monument  or  site, work  of art  or tradition 
from a European country other than their own, or that living close to places related to Europe's 
cultural heritage can give people a sense of belonging to Europe (both 70%). 

▪ More than seven in ten agree living close to places related to Europe's cultural heritage can 
improve people's quality of life (71%). 

▪  Eight  in  ten  (80%)  say  their  view  corresponds  well  to  the  idea  that  it  is  the  diversity  of 
European culture that sets it apart and gives it its particular value. 

63 

 
 
 
 
 
 
▪  More  than  six  in  ten  (62%)  say  their  view  corresponds  well  to  the  idea  that  through 
globalisation, European culture will become more dynamic and widespread in the world. Just 
over half (54%) say their view corresponds well to the idea that there is no common European 
culture because European countries are too different from one another. 

▪ Just over one third (35%) say their view corresponds well to the idea that there is no specific 
European culture, only a global western culture which is, for example, the same in Europe and 
the US. 

Respondents have accessed a wide range of cultural heritage in the last 12 months yet lack 
of time is the most common barrier to access cultural heritage sites or activities, followed 
by cost and lack of interest 

▪  In  the last  12  months,  61%  of  respondents  have  visited  a historical  monument  or  site,  52% 
have attended a traditional event and 50% have visited a museum or gallery. 

▪ More than four in ten have seen a traditional or classical performing arts event (43%), while 
three in ten have visited a traditional craft workplace or visited a library or archive (both 30%). 
Just  over  one  quarter  have  been  to  the  cinema  or  a  film  heritage  festival  to  see  a  classic 
European film produced at least 10 years ago. 

▪ Participation in cultural heritage activities varies widely across countries. 

▪ A lack of time is the most common barrier to access cultural heritage sites or activities (37%), 
followed by cost (34%), a lack of interest (31%) or a lack of information (25%). 

A large majority think cultural heritage and related activities create jobs 

▪ Almost eight in ten respondents agree  Europe’s cultural heritage or cultural heritage-related 
activities create jobs in the EU (79%). 

▪ The majority (56%) disagree that Europe’s cultural heritage is more for visitors from outside 
the EU than for EU citizens, but almost four in ten (38%) respondents agree. 

Most  respondents  think  public  authorities  should  allocate  more  resources  to  cultural 
heritage,  and  that  public  authorities  including  the  EU  should  do  the  most  to  protect 
cultural heritage 

▪  A  large  majority  of  respondents  (88%)  agree  Europe's  cultural  heritage  should  be  taught  in 
schools,  as  it  tells  us  about  our  history  and  culture.  More  than  three  quarters  in  each  EU 
Member State agrees. 

▪  Almost  three  quarters  of  respondents  (74%)  agree  public  authorities  should  allocate  more 
resources to Europe’s cultural heritage. 

▪  When  it  comes  to  actors  that  should  do  the  most  to  protect  Europe’s  cultural  heritage, 
respondents mentioned national authorities (46%), the EU (40%), local and regional authorities 
(39%) or citizens themselves (34%). 

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