Stockholm den 5 november 2006
1. Are art and culture linked to the process of European integration and how can
they contribute to it?
KLYS: Art and culture shall always be free and uncommitted powers in society.
This is stated in one of the national goals adopted by the Swedish Parliament
for Swedish cultural policy. Culture has values of its own and shall not
primarily serve other purposes. KLYS is critical to the instrumentalization of
culture; culture as a tool to obtain other goals in society such as regional
economic development or ‘European integration’. KLYS is sceptical to the term
‘European identity’ as Europe today is a multinational continent with influences
from many other countries. The cultural diversity in European countries is the
very strength of a dynamic Europe.
2. Which are in your view the most important cultural challenges for Europe and
for the European project in the 10 years ahead? Please explain briefly your
choice. Please rank the challenges in decreasing order of importance.
KLYS: Cultural diversity is most important. To protect and promote cultural
diversity inside and outside Europe is essential to offer a broad, diversified
choice of arts and culture in media, cinema, books, magazines etc and to
counteract standardization of culture. A true cultural diversity requires a
strong and well functioning copyright system.
3. Do you think that culture plays a role in individual personal development and
social cohesion in Europe? If so, please indicate how this role could be
supported at European level?
KLYS: Yes. Culture is as necessary for our minds as the air in for our lungs and
can be compared with ecological diversity. When the diversity is diminishing the
system is distorted and in the end collapses. What we see in Europe is a strong
popular reaction against policies to try to streamline nations, counties and
local communities, without consideration for people’s way of living. A rich and
vivid cultural life could not be imposed from above. This is one of the reasons
why the process with the UNESCO convention on cultural diversity started.
4. Do you see a role for culture as a stimulus for creativity in Europe and as a
catalyst for innovation and knowledge? If so, please indicate how this role
should be supported at European level?
KLYS: Yes. But we see it as a threat against the cultural life if culture should
be used as a tool for supporting trade and industry with creativity. The role of
culture could be supported at European level by protecting the cultural
diversity of Europe and the integrity of artists. To be able to maintain the
integrity and creativity of artists there is an urgent need to developing and
further harmonising the copyright (authors right) system(s) in Europe and by
building a cultural infrastructure, for instance a European public library
system as we have in the Northern countries.
1. Which are the most important challenges for the cultural sector in the
European Union in the 10 years ahead? Please rank the challenges in decreasing
order of importance.
KLYS:
1. Legal and regulatory environment; copyright regulation at international, EU
and national level, EU law and national law in other areas than culture that
affect the conditions for artists; VAT and other tax regulations, competition
law, regulation of services, social security schemes, trade liberalisations etc.
Simplification of cultural exchange, also with countries outside the EU.
2. National policies for culture; EU regulation can limit the possibilities for
EU member states to have national policies for culture, for example national
compensation schemes for authors writing in a certain language. The Swedish
compensation scheme for library loans is currently threatened by EU regulation
and will probably be tried in the EU Court of Justice quite. Article 151 in the
EU treaty and the UNESCO convention on cultural diversity are important in this
context, since the EU action in this case is a threat to cultural diversity.
3. Expression and representativity of the sector; the voice of the cultural
sector is weaker than the voice of commercial and industrial stakeholders due to
lack of lobbying resources. The European umbrella organisation for artists ECA –
European Council of Artists - did not receive money from the EU commission this
year which makes the voice of creative and performing artists in Europe even
weaker, which is a great difficulty and challenge. The EU institutions shall not
interfere in the cultural policy outlined by the independent cultural
organisations in Europe.
4. The increased concentration of media ownership; leading to decreased cultural
diversity in the media content both on line and in other media (TV, radio,
magazines, cinemas etc). We fear that the EU will continue to support a large
scale media sector for solely commercial reasons, something that affects both
cultural diversity and possibilities for artists to express themselves freely.
5. Organisation within the EU; the subsidiarity principle and the unanimity rule
in the cultural field are important to maintain. It is needed to clarify which
competence is national and which is EU competence in cultural issues.
6. Community policy for culture; EU must respect the integrity of the national
cultural policies carried out in the member states.
7. European agenda for culture; see above 4.
8. Financing of culture; in the Nordic countries we always refer to the ’arms
length principle’, i.e that the politicians should provide the means for the
cultural activities but not interfere in the content of the cultural actions and
projects that should be decided by the cultural actors themselves.
9. Community culture programmes; The decisions of the EU are far from
transparent in this and other cases (for instance the secret decisions for
Culture 2000 money). On what grounds is the money decided? By whom? KLYS has
negative experience of big emblematic EU arrangements, like cultural capital of
the year.
10. Cultural cooperation with third countries; KLYS is very much in favour of
supporting and promoting cultural cooperation with third countries.
2. In your opinion, which are the Community policies and their specific aspects
that have the greatest impact on the activities of the cultural sector at
European level or to which the cultural sector could make an important
contribution? How are you affected by these policies, which developments in
these policies could contribute to the development of your sector and its
cross-border activities, what might this contribution consist of, serving which
specific aims and with which partners? Have you identified any concerns or
difficulties in relation to these policies? Which European developments could
facilitate the involvement of your sector? Please rank the policies or policy
areas in decreasing order of priority and indicate, if necessary, their specific
aspects.
KLYS:
Audiovisual and media; EU copyright regulation should be protected and
developed so that the copyright system can function as a true basis of income to
creative and performing artists. Copyright gives hese artists a possibility to
keep control over their works and to get fair conditions and compensations for
the use of their works. The increased concentration of ownership in the media
and audiovisual sector is leading to decreased cultural diversity in the media
content both on line and in other media (TV, radio, magazines, cinemas etc)
Competition; EU competition policies can be a threat to cultural activities such
as public service Tv and radio, state support to national film, collecting
societies for creating and performing artists.
Employment and social affairs; EU should promote mobility for artists and reduce
the obstacles.
Education and training; see Employment and social affairs
Enterprice and Industry; it should be made easier to act as a selfemployed
artist in Europe
Freedom, security and justice; a strong freedom of expression is essential for
artists
Information society; cross border regulation necessary
Internal market; EU directive for service – the cultural and audiovisual sector
should be excluded from the rules of the directive, the recommendation of the EU
commission on collective management of on line music
Taxation; the VAT directive, the possibility for member states to have a low VAT
on culture should be kept
External trade; WTO/GATS - important to take cultural issues into consideration
and apply the UNESCO convention on cultural diversity in these trade
negotiations
Foreign policies;
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3. In addition to the Community policies and areas mentioned above, have you
identified other fields in which coordination or cooperation at European level
could significantly contribute to the fostering of the cultural sector? If so,
which one(s)? What should such coordination/cooperation consist of and what
would be the added value?
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1. What is the scope of your activities and/or co-operation with and/or in third
countries (outside the EU)? In which geographical areas and in which cultural
sector(s)? Which should in your view be the objectives of the European Union in
its relations with third countries in the field of culture? Which types of
action(s) would contribute to these objectives?
KLYS: Within the ECA – the European Council of Artists – KLYS participates in
activities with many European countries outside the EU. In 2007 the ECA Annual
congress will take place in Roumania. Georgia is an important member country as
well as Turkey. The member organisations of ECA consist of national artist
organisations, normally umbrella organisations representing several art
disciplines. Both creative and performing artist organisations are represented
in ECA.
Within the INCD – the International Network for Cultural Diversity – KLYS keep
contact with many countries throughout the world for example Canada, Mexico,
Brazil, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, South Africa. Since 1998 KLYS has had a close
cooperation with the Canadian organisation the Canadian Conference of the Arts
(the CCA). Together KLYS and CCA took the initiative to create an international
network for organisations in arts and culture with the main task to promote the
creation of a legally binding instrument to protect cultural diversity for
example in free trade negotiations within WTO and GATS.
In the development aid to the third world countries the EU should be careful to
protect and support local cultures and not impose European values.
2. What is your experience of relations/cooperation with other international or
regional organisations active in the cultural sphere, such as UNESCO or the
Council of Europe? How do you see the relationship between action at EU level
and within the framework of those organisations?
KLYS: KLYS has been closely monitoring the process within the UNESCO in its work
with the creation of the convention on cultural diversity, which was adopted by
the general assembly on its session in October 2005. KLYS has also strongly
supported the creation of international cultural meeting places like the Baltic
Centre for Writers and Translators in Gotland (Sweden) and the International
Centre for Writers and Translators of Rhodes (Greece).
1. Do you think there are particular difficulties in the framework of the
dialogue between the cultural sector and the European institutions? If so, what
are they? How do you think this dialogue should develop, both with regard to the
cultural sector and the European institutions in order to make it more
structured and sustainable?
KLYS: KLYS experience is that some DGs within the EU commission such as DG
Internal Market and DG Competition do not take cultural aspects into
consideration when they issue papers such as directives and recommendations in
their own areas. An obvious example of that is the work of the Commission on the
Recommendation on collective management of rights to on line distribution of
music. The Commission must listen to all stakeholders, not only the loudest and
richest, but also to the artists and their organisations, when they deal with
matters that can affect the conditions for creative and performing artists.
2. What could be in your opinion the objectives common to the whole of the
cultural sector at European level?
KLYS: The protection and promotion of cultural diversity in Europe. The EU
institutions shall always consider the cultural aspects when acting according to
other regulations in the treaty.
3. Among the areas of action in which more advanced coordination between Member
States of the EU might be feasible, which are the ones with significant European
value added for the world of culture? Should this coordination involve all
Member States or could it be developed by a group of interested countries?
Please present the areas in decreasing order of importance.
KLYS: KLYS is very sceptical to the term ‘European added value’. What is that
exactly?