Work Plan for Culture 2011-14

This second work plan, adopted under the European agenda for culture, sets out the national and EU level activities to be carried out in the field of culture during the period 2011-14. These activities focus on six priority areas: cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, cultural and creative industries, skills and mobility, cultural heritage, culture in external relations, and culture statistics.

ACT

Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the Work Plan for Culture 2011-2014 [Official Journal C 325 of 2.12.2010].

SUMMARY

Based on the strategic objectives set out in the European agenda for culture and drawing on the achievements of the Work Plan for Culture 2008-10, the current work plan provides six priority areas for the cultural field under which specific activities will be pursued.

Priority area A: Cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and accessible and inclusive culture

A working group composed of EU countries’ experts will identify policies and good practice manuals for public arts and cultural institutions to support:

• access to and participation in culture, especially by disadvantaged groups;
• cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, by underlining the intercultural aspect of heritage and by encouraging education in the arts and culture and the development of intercultural competences.

The working group will also draw up a good practice manual for national and European culture and education authorities on the development of the key competence “cultural awareness and expression”.

The Commission will support culturally inclusive cities by identifying good practices, as well as multilingualism by studying the role of subtitling in the learning of foreign languages.

Priority area B: Cultural and creative industries

A working group will develop a policy handbook and good practice manuals on:

• the use of EU support mechanisms to promote the role of culture in local and regional development;
• strategies for supporting the export and internalisation of cultural and creative industries;
• the financial mechanisms available for small and medium-sized enterprises in the field.

The Commission will evaluate the results of and propose follow-up to the Green Paper on the potential of cultural and creative industries, as well as set up the “European Creative Industries Alliance”. It will also promote the development of cultural tourism and its sustainable management for Europe’s social and economic development.

Priority area C: Skills and mobility

To identify barriers to mobility support programmes, a working group will screen and assess these programmes and aim at setting out good practices for overcoming the barriers. It will also identify types of successful creative partnerships as a basis for a policy handbook to promote such partnerships. In addition, the working group will draw up a good practice manual for all phases of artists’ residencies.

The Commission will examine the possibility of creating EU-level culture sector councils to support the identification and development of the skills needed in the sector. To promote media literacy, it will undertake a study on assessing levels in EU countries. The Commission will also make proposals for information and advice service content and standards for mobility. Furthermore, it will develop a good practice manual for national authorities on administrative practices relating to artists’ mobility.

Priority area D: Cultural heritage, including mobility of collections

To simplify the processes relating to the mobility of collections, a working group will identify good practices with a view to drawing up a toolkit.

The Commission, together with EU countries, will undertake follow-up work on the digitisation of cultural heritage. This includes work on film heritage and Europeana . Furthermore, they will implement the decision on the European Heritage Label by preparing the application form and guidelines for the selection and monitoring procedures.

Finally, the Commission will develop a toolkit on the fight against trafficking of cultural goods and will analyse the systems for valuing art works.

Priority area E: Culture and external relations

EU countries and the Commission will develop a strategic approach to culture in their external relations. They will also improve cooperation in this field, particularly through a common tool the Commission will provide for information sharing. Furthermore, they will continue to promote the ratification of the Unesco Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions by partner countries, as well as to implement it themselves by incorporating the convention’s objectives into relevant policies at national and EU level. When necessary, the Commission will also convene expert groups to support the development of cultural relations with non-EU countries.

Priority area F: Culture statistics

The Commission, together with EU countries, will undertake work to improve methodologies for and information on culture statistics, including the:

• development of a methodological framework;
• publication of a new edition of the Eurostat “pocket book”.

In addition, the Commission will convene an expert group to produce a toolkit on sampling of data on mobility of artists and culture professionals in order to improve statistics in this field.

Last updated: 17.02.2011