EU agreements (culture)

European Union takes into account various aspects of activity, from economics and trade to health and culture. More of the areas are properly regulated by special law. The situation was different in case of culture. Although cultural aspects were taken into account in other EU actions, there was no specific cultural policy. The main change appeared when the Maastricht Treaty was introduced on 1 November 1993. It allows the European Union to organize cultural activities. Its aim is to contribute to "the flowering of the cultures of the Member States". Two articles in the Treaty refer to culture. One constitutes the legal basis allowing various cultural actions to be taken, and the other takes account of cultural characteristics in the context of European trade.

The Maastricht Treaty authorizes the European Union to make use of instruments supporting cultural initiatives, such as the Culture 2000 programme and the European City of Culture and European Cultural Month actions. Its objective is twofold: to contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity, and at the same time to bring their common cultural heritage to the fore. The European Union promotes measures involving cooperation between cultural operators from the various Member States and supports their initiatives but does not require them to harmonize their cultural policies. Cooperation is encouraged with third countries, international organisations and in particular the Council of Europe.


Culture 2000 programme

The Culture 2000 programme is a single programming and financing instrument for Community measures in the field of culture for the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2006.
The aim of the Culture 2000 programme, which combines the old "Raphal", "Kaleidoscope" and "Ariane" programmes , is to develop a common cultural area by promoting cultural dialogue, knowledge of the history, creation and dissemination of culture, the mobility of artists and their works, European cultural heritage, new forms of cultural expression and the socio-economic role of culture. "Culture 2000" supports transnational cooperation projects which involve cooperation between creative artists, cultural operators and the cultural institutions of the countries participating in the programme.
The programme's objectives are achieved by the following actions:
· specific innovative and/or experimental actions involving operators from at least three participating countries.
These actions aim mainly to encourage the emergence and spread of new forms of cultural expression, improve access to culture, in particular for young people and the underprivileged, and promote live broadcasting of cultural events using the new technologies of the information society;
· integrated actions covered by structured, multiannual cultural cooperation agreements.
These agreements are between cultural operators from at least five participating countries and their aim is to create, within a period of up to three years, structured cultural actions which help to achieve an objective of cultural interest which has been set in advance. The cooperation agreements relate either to enhancing a cultural field or to integrating several cultural sectors;
· special cultural events with a European and/or international dimension
These events must be substantial in scale and scope and must help to increase the sense of belonging to the same community (such as the "European Capital of Culture" initiative).
Operators from 30 European countries are currently participating in the "Culture 2000" Programme: the 25 Member States of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom), the three countries of the European Economic Area (EEA - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and the candidate countries (Bulgaria and Romania).
By 31 December 2005 at the latest, the Commission will present to the European Parliament and the Council a detailed assessment of the results obtained by the "Culture 2000" Programme. This will allow Parliament and the Council to consider the proposal for a new framework programme, announced for 2004 and planned to start in 2007.


European City of Culture programme

European City of Culture programme was introduced to highlight the richness and diversity of European cultures. The nomination must include a cultural project of European dimension. Each year, starting from 2005, under a special procedure, a city will be chosen as “European Capital of Culture”. The city is then to organise a programme of cultural events highlighting the city's own culture and cultural heritage as well as its place in the common cultural heritage, and involving people concerned with cultural activities from other European countries with a view to establishing lasting cooperation.
The aims of such activity:
· to highlight artistic movements and styles shared by Europeans which it has inspired or to which it has made a significant contribution
· to promote events involving people active in culture from other cities in Member States of the European Union and leading to lasting cultural cooperation, and to foster their movement within the European Union;
· to ensure the mobilisation and participation of large sections of the population;
· to encourage the reception of citizens of the European Union and reach as wide an audience as possible by employing a multimedia, multilingual approach;
· to promote dialogue between European cultures and those from other parts of the world;
· to exploit the historic heritage, urban architecture and quality of life in the city.
Cork has been designated European Capital of Culture for 2005.
The Greek town of Patras has been designated European Capital of Culture for 2006.


Other programmes

Various aspects of culture are taken into account in the development of the European Union's activities relating to audiovisual policy, regional development, employment and training, agriculture, environment.

Culture and audiovisual media
The European Commission runs the Media Plus programme (2001 - 2005) with the objective of making the European audiovisual industry more competitive
and of improving development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works.

Culture and regional development
In order to achieve maximum economic and social cohesion, the European Union takes action using the Structural Funds. The funds available for regional development are also used for culture. The European Commission asks Member States to promote cultural development with a view to job creation potential, as culture not only allows a region to assert its identity but also to develop its tourism potential. Moreover, job creation in the cultural sector is not insignificant and it helps to develop certain activities such as online services and the media.

Culture and human resources
Many social programmes and actions to promote education and training are available in this area:
- the European Social Fund finances employee training
- programme promoting equal opportunities in the world of work
- the European Union's education and training measures are available to teachers, pupils and students from all disciplines and other professionals interested in culture

Culture and agriculture
Although the Treaty provisions on implementing the common agricultural policy (CAP) do not explicitly relate to cultural activities, it must be remembered that agriculture is an integral part of European culture. Moreover, the provisions promote traditional forms of production, preservation of the cultural heritage and the creation of jobs relating to culture. Some regulatory provisions promote the geographical protection of traditional forms of production which preserve older methods of production, and a policy supporting agricultural markets, particularly the wine and olive oil sectors, takes into account the traditional dimension of such production.

Culture and environment
The preservation of natural habitats as cultural heritage is encouraged by the environmental financial instrument LIFE III and by European environmental regulations.

Moreover, every year since 1989, on the initiative of the European Parliament, the European Commission has provided funding for town twinning , in order to develop exchanges between citizens and hold seminars and conferences. These exchanges may be cultural in nature .