What next for EU International Cultural Relations: Questions for the Commissioners-designate for Culture, International Partnerships and Foreign Affairs
By Elise Cuny and Damien Helly
Following the European elections in June 2024, the European Parliament has scheduled the confirmation hearings of the 26 Commissioners-designate. culture Solutions poses key questions to the three Commissioners-designate directly related to International Cultural Relations: Glenn Micallef, Jozef Síkela and Kaja Kallas, as well as to other EU services.
culture Solutions works towards the recognition of the central role of culture in the European Union’s external relations and promoting International Cultural Relations at large. We monitor and advise EU policy making on ICR and CCIs to foster its potential of promoting trust-based partnerships between Europe and external partners.
Glenn Micallef: Commissioner-designate for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, hearing on 4 November
How will you foster smooth processes for non-EU artists’ mobility and visas’ granting as part of Creative Europe’s programming?
Mobility is a crucial factor in the work and lives of artists and cultural practitioners. Creative Europe funding for 2021-2027 announced a mobility scheme for artists and professionals. Already in June 2010, the OMC working group on the mobility of culture professionals recommended that “The European Commission and Member States should strive to enhance cooperation on visa issues with European non-Schengen countries as regards artists and other culture professionals.” 14 years later and in a context of securitisation and hardening of EU’s borders, the Commission should foster cooperation with and among EU Member States to ensure that artists supported through EU projects across the world benefit from that mobility to strengthen ties and connections among European and non-European artists and cultural professionals.
On June 27th, 2023 at the European Parliament in Brussels, culture Solutions held a roundtable on “Policy Directions in EU International Cultural Relations, towards 2024” in collaboration with MEP Mrs Salima Yenbou, rapporteur on the implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations for the CULT Committee. During this event, it was emphasised that “mobility implies greater coordination between culture and borders’ management, concretely raising awareness among DG HOME and Member States’ embassies for the need for visas for greater cultural cooperation, a field where presence in-person makes a difference.”
How will you ensure good coordination between DG EAC, EEAS and EU Delegations to foster EU’s International Cultural Relations?
The mission letter addressed by President Ursula von der Leyen mentions that “When engaging with our international partners”, the Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport “will also be supported by our network of EU delegations around the world.” In practice, how can we make sure this coordination and support is meaningful?
The EU could benefit from a more coordinated approach on International Cultural Relations and high awareness of the weight and potential of culture in its external relations. Cultural cooperation and support to Cultural and Creative Industries in partner countries worldwide hold great potential in strengthening the EU’s place in the world and contributing to global economic development and societies’ wellbeing, while enriching the EU’s own cultural diversity. Therefore, a robust international component is warranted in the next Council Work Plan on culture in 2026.
This has been proven by the richness and efficiency of the support of the European Commission to the Ukrainian arts and culture. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the European Commission has deployed considerable efforts in support of the Ukrainian artistic and cultural sector, through the work and funding of DG NEAR, DG EAC, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Service for Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI) and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). This confirms the vital role of culture, even more so in the times of conflict, as, in the words of Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission it “brings people together, fosters resilience, understanding, and unity”.
For instance, while the EU is focusing on preserving its cultural heritage, it must as well acknowledge that it shares a World Heritage with non-EU countries, and that support in this field is both greatly needed and beneficial to diplomatic relations. The EU benefits from trust building through cultural cooperation with non-EU countries and ensuring preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. The EU can support young generations of artists and cultural professionals and create lasting relations between civil societies and businesses thanks to a coordinated approach with Delegations, Member States and cultural institutes.
Moreover, culture is not only impacted by, but also has the capacity to address and raise awareness on major crises and paradigm changes, such as climate change, digitalisation and AI. culture Solutions’ roundtable of June 2023 emphasised how “cultural relations have the potential to promote mutual understanding and trust-building, and citizens should be the first beneficiaries of these policies. Drawing a parallel with climate justice, local – and sometimes traditional – knowledge should be promoted as a guide in policy-design with non-European partners.”
Jozef Síkela: Commissioner-designate for International Partnerships, hearing on 6 November
What will you do concretely to ensure culture and International Cultural Relations benefit from financing under the Global Gateway investment agenda?
“The respect for human rights and the rule of law should be the foundations for our international cooperation” (Mission letter to Jutta Urpilainen, 2019) has turned into “measuring impact and results of investments, notably when it comes to human rights and political freedoms” (Mission letter to Jozef Síkela, 2024).
The paradigm shift brought by Global Gateway has led to a complete rebranding of all activities of DG INTPA (aptly illustrated by the change of its name from DG DEVCO). We warn of the risk that the focus on investment of the Global Gateway in the 5 priority sectors disregard human development (any project needs to demonstrate its alignment with the investment strategy), and loses sight of the crucial contribution EU external action can make (e.g. the Union takes pride in being the largest donor of development aid for years).
Culture has been neglected under the Global Gateway. Yet, culture and creativity have an intrinsic value (just to mention the African audiovisual sector, the forecasts provided by Pan African Federation of Film makers and quoted by UNESCO are 20 million jobs and 20 billion USD revenue annually), which is not limited to their economic share or support for other policy priorities like climate change, digitalisation or health. Culture and intercultural exchanges are central to individual and collective rights, inclusivity and social cohesion, freedom of expression and dialogue, trust building and peace. This has been recognised in EU’s support programmes to Ukrainian art and cultural sector, notably the project House of Europe that “ensures that Ukrainian professionals and civil society are more resilient, internationally connected, aware of values, more capable and impactful”.
It is important that Global Gateway investment and blending projects maintain a link with civil society, and notably with cultural professionals and independent artists, that already face significant difficulties in accessing funding and measuring their tangible impact. Otherwise, the EU risks disregarding local contexts and needs and discrediting its foreign policy. This can be done in harmony with Global Gateway’s spirit by supporting SMEs in the cultural and creative sectors on finance, training and market aspects. Furthermore, new external investment initiatives such as EFSD+, as part of Global Gateway, potentially offer significant financing opportunities to culture and creative professionals and businesses, via a myriad of funding mechanisms (loans, guarantees, technical assistance). Explicit prioritisation by INTPA and Member States of support to culture and creative sectors within some EFSD+ envelopes and programmes would certainly be a game changer in EU’s global image and perceptions by partner societies.[1]
With the view of increasing both the financing of EU ICR and the human resources to effectively manage ICR programmes, the Commissioner for International Partnerships can negotiate an EU ICR and CCI-focused window within the Global Gateway budget. This could include opening up the access for non-EU citizens and organisations to EU programmes that enable cross-border exchange, such as Creative Europe and Erasmus+. The Commissioner for International Partnerships, should also closely coordinate with the HR/VP to eliminate silos within EU Delegations, and facilitate a whole-of-delegation approach to cultural relations. In this regard, Global Gateway incipient efforts towards coordination with all EU institutions, EU Member States and private sector could be a stepping stone for a Team Europe communities of practice on cultural relations.
Are you going to continue the innovative emphasis on youth in external action, and if yes, in what way?
The Youth Action Plan and the Youth Sounding Boards, established under the previous Commission, have laid a solid foundation for empowerment of young people around the globe. They have allowed youth to both have a voice in EU policies (going beyond the Youth Policy Dialogues) and increase their actorness on the local level through development of skills and networks as well as funding of projects (though limited). Crucially, it has facilitated International Cultural Relations through the engagement between the EU Delegations and local young leaders, and the facilitation of connections between youth of different countries. Considering that those young activists are the leaders of tomorrow, fostering good relations with the EU and building their capacities will be beneficial to addressing global challenges such as the triple crisis or digitalisation.
It is therefore imperative to renew the mandates of the already-existing youth Sounding Boards, as well as incentivise the remaining EU Delegations to establish such. In addition, providing in-person opportunities for interaction and exchange, both at global and regional levels, is key to youth leadership and motivation. Bestowing a higher budget to the Global Youth Mobilisation Fund is equally important for empowering innovative and locally-targeted youth-led initiatives, with a special focus on culture and intercultural exchange. At the same time, renewing the AU-EU Youth cooperation hub’s ArtXChange project and replicating it in other regions will boost co-creation of art and of a community of young artists and cultural practitioners that believes in common values and imagines a shared future. Youth, especially those coming from marginalised communities, such as women, rural or indigenous ones, should enjoy additional access to other EU programmes like Creative Europe and Erasmus+.
[1] As an example, the initial EFSD programme funded 3 notable programmes implemented by Member States’ agencies: 1) CREA Fund by Proparco with 6.47 million euros contribution from the EU, 2) the Regional MSME investment fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (Regmifa) – a multilayered fund structured to attract both, public and private investors, looking to promote impact with a risk adjusted return allied with an independent Technical Assistance Facility and 3) Fashionomics Africa, an initiative of the African Development Bank.
Kaja Kallas: designated High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, hearing on 12 November
How are you going to ensure a high level of coordination and funding for International Cultural Relations as part of a more strategic approach to EU neighbourhood and partnerships?
In an era of geostrategic rivalries, the designated HR/VP has been tasked by the Commission President with “deepen[ing] our mutually beneficial partnerships and promot[ing] our values and interests around the world”. What place is culture going to have in the revamped regional strategies and on-the ground relations?
Culture has a unique potential that allows building mutual understanding, engaging in dialogue over difficult topics, creating trust between partners, and ultimately inspiring behavioural change and co-creation of solutions. However, the rise of conflict, polarisation, and authoritarian regimes pose a threat to the multilateral order and the EU’s role in it, while also forgoing the intrinsic value of culture in favour of instrumentalisation. To match global challenges and to follow up on the European Parliament’s review of the implementation of the 2016 Joint Communication “Towards an EU strategy for International Cultural Relations”, it is imperative to scale up EU cultural action abroad.
In 2016, EU Delegations received a joint letter from headquarters (EEAS and then DG DEVCO) encouraging them to programme and implement culture-related initiatives. This trend seems to have vanished and as to our knowledge no new guidance has been sent to EUDs that are usually understaffed to deal with culture and CCIs.
In order to maintain some cultural relevance worldwide, the Union needs to drastically increase the financial and human resources it allocates to external actions with a cultural component. A first step would be to ensure a cultural focal point in each EU Delegation and providing EU diplomats, including Ambassadors, with hands-on training on International Cultural Relations. Next, a Team Europe community of practice could embed culture across the EU external action.
Effectively facilitating and capitalising on International Cultural Relations is dependent on strong coordination among the different EU actors involved: from EEAS and EU Delegations, through DG INTPA, FPI and DG EAC, to all Member States and their cultural institutions both in Brussels and around the globe, as well as civil society organisations and businesses. Culture is the prime area for putting into practice the “United in diversity” motto in external action.
Success stories, such as the coordinated efforts in support to Ukrainian artistic and cultural sector, ACP-EU Culture programme or the EU-UNESCO collaboration, hold great promise for replication in other regions and thematic areas. On the other hand, the European spaces of culture, under the leadership of EUNIC, are still in need of being instituted as a permanent initiative. In addition Public and Cultural diplomacy projects (previously EUPOP) are to be extended beyond a list of few strategic partners, as a supplement to the limited budget of EU Delegations.
Amid the lack of a stand-along budget line for International Cultural Relations and CCIs, funds can be mobilised through tapping into global and thematic initiatives, in particular by acknowledging the intertwining of internal and external policies, such as the Global Gateway, the European Green Deal or Digital Europe. Considering the focus of the upcoming European Commission on security and defence, it is worth taking stock of the invaluable contribution of culture towards cultural heritage protection and peacebuilding, not least in Ukraine.
Recognising the transformational potential of cultural action and artistic creation in external action will support both EU strategic goals as well as local needs in partner countries.
Other EU services
What are the concrete prospects of international cooperation of the EIT for the Cultural and Creative Sectors, notably in line with Global Gateway’s digital priority?
In 2024, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) launched its 9th Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) dedicated to Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries, known as EIT Culture & Creativity.
The 2021 EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda mentions that “it shall ensure that the KICs develop and implement a strategy to collaborate and create interfaces and synergies with relevant European Partnerships, missions and the EIC, as well as with other relevant Union and international initiatives and programmes” and that “the EIT shall seek to ensure that its activities have a greater impact through international cooperation and shall coordinate international EIT-funded activities by the KICs. Its focus shall be to align closely with relevant policy objectives of the Union as well as its research and innovation priorities, and to ensure Union added value.” Accordingly, the 2024-2027 Strategic agenda reaffirms that EIT CC will “collaborate with various types of stakeholders at local, regional, national, European, international, and EIT RIS levels.”
Innovation is central to the development of CCIs not only inside the EU, but also in partner countries as well as for the strengthening of relations.
What about the international dimensions of the New European Bauhaus?
The green transition is a central piece of the EU’s international partnerships (Global Gateway counts climate and energy among its priority sectors). Yet, the potential of the international dimensions of the New European Bauhaus has not been fully realised.
Launched in 2021, the NEB fosters sustainable solutions for transforming the built environment and lifestyles under the green transition. This holds great potential to develop new areas of cooperation and new economic sectors in partner countries, while positioning the EU on the forefront of the transition economy.
What has been done in Ukraine, where the NEB community has actively helped with the emergency situation, can inform and inspire future actions in other parts of the world.
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The views expressed in this article are personal and are not the official position of culture Solutions as an organisation.
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