Noticias Cultura Europeia...

The Culture Council today agreed on a European Agenda for culture which introduces a more structured system of cooperation and concrete priorities, on the basis of the Commission's proposals presented in May 2007[1].
"This is the beginning of a new era in the way the Member States, the European Commission and cultural stakeholders work together. Joining our forces, we will be better equipped to respond to some of the major challenges that the cultural sector is facing," said Mr Ján Figel', European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth.

Indeed, the Council has endorsed three major objectives that will together form a common cultural strategy for the European Institutions, the Member States, and the cultural and creative sector:

-promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue;
-promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy for growth, employment, innovation and competitiveness; and
-promotion of culture as a vital element in the Union's international relations.

The Council resolution includes five specific priority areas of action for the 2008-2010 period:

-improve the conditions for the mobility of artists and other professionals in the cultural field;
-promote access to culture, especially by promoting cultural heritage, cultural tourism, multilingualism, digitisation, synergies with education (in particular arts education) and greater mobility of collections;
develop data, statistics and methodologies in the cultural sector and improve their comparability;
-maximise the potential of cultural and creative industries, in particular that of SMEs;
-promote and implement the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.