The European Commission wants to breathe new life into culture, whether within the EU or in relations between the EU and the outside world, particularly developing countries.

Following consultation with member states, the College of Commissioners has just adopted a policy statement on the role of culture and proposed the first European strategy for culture.

European Culture Commissioner Jan Figel said yesterday during a press conference in Brussels that Europe was far more defined by its culture of common values than by the world of business or geography.

While the EU's action in the culture field leaves most powers in the hands of the member states, the EU has to look after the common heritage, he explained.

The Commissioner said that the EU was prepared to contribute to ensure culture plays a greater role both in the EU and outside, wanting an organised dialogue with culture players, particularly through a new Cultural Forum.

The new culture policy statement, entitled A European Agenda For Culture In A Globalising World, affirms the central role of culture in the process of European integration and proposes a cultural agenda for Europe, and for its relations with third countries.

The policy statement presents three major objectives - the promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue; the promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy; and the promotion of culture as a vital element in the Union's international relations.

Under the proposed strategy, the member states and the Commission would have to agree on general targets and would assess progress every two years.

Asked about the nature of the objectives, Jan Figel quoted improving the quality of information on the contribution of creative industries to growth including information on the mobility of art, insurance conditions for artwork, taxation and the distribution of works of culture.

According to a study carried out by the Commission, the culture and creative industries accounted for 2.3 per cent of EU25 GDP in 2003, employing 5.8 million people or 3.1 per cent of the total population.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.