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PAPER OUTLINE FOR THE GROUP THEME: GOVERNANCE AND

CITIZENSHIP IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: THE INFLUENCE OF
CULTURE

The Impact of EU’s Cultural Activities on Establishing a

European Identity

Dr. Kyriakos Kouveliotis

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION - CULTURE: A NEW RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION...................................................................................................3
THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................3
THE CULTURAL PROGRAMMES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND
THEIR ACTIVITIES ..................................................................................................5
KALEIDOSCOPE .....................................................................................................5
1) OBJECTIVE.......................................................................................................5
2) POLICY ACTION ..............................................................................................6
ARIANE ....................................................................................................................6
1) OBJECTIVE.......................................................................................................6
2) POLICY ACTION ..............................................................................................6
RAPHAEL .................................................................................................................8
1) OBJECTIVE.......................................................................................................8
2) POLICY ACTION ..............................................................................................8
"EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE" .............................................................10
1) OBJECTIVE.....................................................................................................10
2) POLICY ACTION ............................................................................................10
PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE..........................................................................12
PROGRAMME "CULTURE 2000"............................................................................12
1) OBJECTIVE.....................................................................................................12
2) POLICY ACTION ............................................................................................13
3) PRIORITIES AND PERSPECTIVES ...............................................................14
THE EU’S CULTURAL IDENTITY AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP....................................................................................15
NOTES ........................................................................................................................17

2
 INTRODUCTION - CULTURE: A NEW RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION

European integration has historically been concerned with economic and commercial
benefits, but now the aim is to take it further, starting with a broader base capable of
involving citizens to a greater degree and strengthening the feeling of belonging to the
European Union, while respecting the diversity of national and regional traditions and
cultures.
This development is reflected in the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty
signed on 7 February 1992), which designates new areas of Community responsibility
(education, youth, culture, etc.).
The main aim of this paper is to attempt to explore the features, capabilities and
prospects of EU’s Cultural Activities in order to present a different approach to the
institutional development of the European identity. It is also an attempt to spell out
some of the practical political implications of the cultural diversity of states within the
European Union framework.
Therefore, the main task of this attempt is to explore and access the cultural activities
of the European Union. The paper first examines the institutional framework for
cultural activities then, the analysis shall focus upon the specific policies ,
programmes and measures that promote the establishment of the so-called “European
Identity”, which will boost the European citizenship.

THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

Increased awareness by Europeans about their common cultural heritage has led the
Member States to confer on the European Union a specific competence in the field of
cultural affairs. By including provisions for cultural policies in the Treaty on
European Union, the Member States demonstrated their resolve to mark a new stage
in the process of European integration", to "deepen the solidarity between their
peoples while respecting their history, their culture and their traditions", and to
"establish a citizenship common to nationals of their countries".

3
Cultural cooperation has therefore become a recognised aim of community action,
with an appropriate legal basis. It is also at the heart of the "ever closer union among
the peoples of Europe" that the Member States have resolved to construct.

Article 3 of the EC Treaty states that one of the objectives of Community action is to
make "a contribution to education and training of quality and to the flowering of the
cultures of the Member States".

Article 151 defined three major objectives for community action in the cultural field:1

• to contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while

respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing
the common cultural heritage to the fore;
• to encourage contemporary cultural creation;
• to foster cooperation between the Member States and with third countries and
the competent international organisations

The scope for Community action can be seen from the aims, areas of intervention,
type of action, and procedures for Community intervention and decision-making. The
specific aims and fields of intervention listed in Article 151 cover all aspects of
culture and open up a broad range of activities to Community action. On the other
hand, there are limits to the type of action specified, the instruments available and the
procedure to be followed.
In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, any act of harmonisation of legal and
regulatory provisions of the Member States is excluded from the scope of Article 151.
Paragraph 4 of Article 151 requires the Community to take cultural aspects into
account in its action under other provisions of the Treaty and to promote cultural
diversity. Culture must therefore also be taken into consideration when developing
Community action in its various forms, and especially when defining activities and
policies. More specifically, and by way of example, culture must contribute to
European citizenship, to personal and human development (through education), to
economic and social cohesion among Member States, to job creation in Europe, to
eliminating exclusion, and generally to enriching the quality of life in Europe.

4
Community action is based on cooperation and respects cultural diversity and the
principle of subsidiarity. Its role is to supplement and support Member States' action
in order to:

• improve the knowledge and dissemination of the culture and history of the
European peoples;
• conserve and safeguard cultural heritage of European significance;
• support cultural exchanges and artistic and literary creation.

In concrete terms, these new competencies were translated into the implementation of
three cultural programmes between 1996 and 1999.

• Kaleidoscope (1996-1999) which aimed to encourage artistic and cultural

creation and cooperation of a European dimension.
• Ariane (1997-1999) for support in the field of books and reading, including by
means of translation.
• Raphaël (1997-1999) had the aim of supplementing Member State policies in
the field of cultural heritage of European importance.
• The continuation of the “European Capital of Culture”.

THE CULTURAL PROGRAMMES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND

THEIR ACTIVITIES

KALEIDOSCOPE2

1) OBJECTIVE

Kaleidoscope’s objective is to encourage artistic creation and to promote awareness

and dissemination of the culture of the peoples of Europe, particularly in the fields of
the arts, the performing arts, visual or spatial arts, projects involving multimedia as a
form of artistic expression, and the applied arts, by means of exchanges and cultural
cooperation.

5
2) POLICY ACTION3

The specific objectives of this programme are:

• to encourage artistic and cultural creation in Europe in the fields of the arts,
the performing arts, visual or spatial arts, multimedia as a form of artistic
expression, and the applied arts, by means of exchanges and cultural
cooperation allowing greater public access to culture in Europe;
• to support innovative cultural projects of professional quality and of European
interest involving genuine European cooperation;
• to promote cultural exchanges in order to contribute to improved mutual
knowledge and thus promote the access of the least-favoured citizens to
culture;
• to encourage the development and projection of culture in Europe;
• to promote the sphere of the arts and culture to maximize the potential for job
creation in this sector, especially for young people.

ARIANE4

1) OBJECTIVE

Ariane’s main objective is the promotion of knowledge and dissemination of

European literary works, by means of translation in particular.

2) POLICY ACTION5

Ariane’s action programme, for the period 1 January to 31 December 1998, had to
increase the knowledge and dissemination of literary works and the history of the
European peoples as well as access by the European citizen thereto, notably through
support for the translation of literary works, plays and reference works, through
support for cooperation projects on books and reading carried out in partnership as
well as through the improvement of the skills of professionals working in this field.

6
This programme would encourage cooperation at European level between the
Member States in the field of culture. It would support and supplement their action in
accordance with the principle of subsidiarity by contributing to the flowering of their
cultures while respecting their national and regional diversity. The aims of his
programme are as follows:

• to encourage, by means of translation, wider dissemination of works of

contemporary literature that are representative of the culture of the Member
States, giving priority to translations of works in the lesser-known languages
of the Community and promoting them through emblematic measures.
• to contribute, by means of translation, to the dissemination of contemporary
drama in order to offer European audiences a varied repertoire that is
representative of the cultures of the Member States.
• to foster the dissemination of reference works with a view to promoting
knowledge of the culture and history of the European peoples, particularly in
the areas referred to in Article 128(2) and (4) of the Treaty.
• to support and complement efforts at national and regional level with a series
of measures at Community level relating in particular to cooperation in the
form of networks and partnerships, initial and further training, and research.

This programme is open to participation by the associated countries of central and

eastern Europe(ACCEE), to Cyprus and Malta and to other third countries which have
concluded association or cooperation agreements containing cultural clauses.
The Union and the Member States have to promote cooperation with the Council of
Europe and with other relevant international organisations in the cultural sector
(e.g.UNESCO) by ensuring, with due regard for the individual identity and autonomy
of each institution, that the instruments adopted are complementary.
The Commission, in collaboration with the Member States, would seek to ensure that
the Actions provided for in this programme and the other cultural programmes such as
Kaleidoscope and Raphael, on the one hand, and Community action programmes, in
particular, concerning education, such as Socrates, and training such as Leonardo da
Vinci, on the other, are complementary.

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 RAPHAEL6

1) OBJECTIVE

Rafael’s main objective is to support and supplement, through cooperation, action

taken by the Member States in the field of cultural heritage of European importance.

2) POLICY ACTION7

The Raphael programme in the field of cultural heritage established for the period
from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2000.
The programme encourages cooperation at European level between Member States in
the field of cultural heritage. It would support and supplement their action in
accordance with the principle of subsidiarity by contributing to the flowering of their
cultures, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time
bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore. To that end and in accordance with
the general aim set out above, the following are the specific objectives of the
programme:

• to encourage the conservation and restoration of aspects of the cultural

heritage which are of European importance by helping to develop and promote
them;
• to encourage the development of networks and the establishment of
partnerships in order to strengthen transnational cooperation between
institutions and/or operators in the cultural heritage and pooling skills and the
development of best practice in the preservation of the European cultural
heritage;
• to improve access to the cultural heritage in its European dimension and
encourage the active participation of the general public, in particular children,
young people, the underprivileged and those living in outlying and rural areas
of the Union, in the safeguarding and development of the European cultural
heritage;

8
 • to encourage transnational cooperation in developing new technologies for
application in the various heritage categories and disciplines and in preserving
traditional cultural heritage trades and techniques;
• to have account taken of the heritage dimension in other EU programmes and
policies;
• to encourage cooperation with third countries and the relevant international
organisations.

In order to achieve the objectives set out in the preceding paragraph, the projects
developed pursuant to the programme would have to have a European dimension and
offer value-added compared with actions carried out in the Member States and meet
the following criteria:

• contribute to the promotion of the cultural heritage including the provisions of

information on it,
• present interest at Community level because of their exemplary, innovative or
informative nature,
• deal with problems posed by the preservation of the cultural heritage and
contribute to the development of the best preservation practices,
• be likely to produce a multiplier effect in cultural, educative or socio-
economic terms.

As with the Ariane programme, the programme is open to participation by the

countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus and Malta and to cooperation with
other third countries which have concluded association or cooperation agreements
containing cultural clauses.
The Community and the Member States would promote cooperation with the Council
of Europe and with other relevant international organisations in the cultural heritage
sector (e.g. UNESCO), while ensuring that the instruments adopted are
complementary and respect the individual identity and autonomy of each institution
and organisation.
After the programme has been in operation for two years and six months, and within
six months of the end of that period, the Commission, after having consulted the
committee, would present a detailed evaluation report on the results achieved to the

9
European Parliament and the Council, accompanied, where necessary, by appropriate
proposals.

"EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE"8

1) OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this institution is to highlight the richness and diversity of
European cultures and the features they share and promote greater mutual
acquaintance between European Union citizens.

2) POLICY ACTION9

Under the Decision, a city will be chosen every year from 2005 onward as "European
Capital of Culture"; the procedure reads as follows (Article 2):

• four years before the event is due to begin, the Member State whose turn it is
will send a nomination or nominations, possibly accompanied by a
recommendation, to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission
and the Committee of the Regions;
• the Commission will each year form a selection panel which will issue a report
on the nomination or nominations. Parliament may forward an opinion to the
Commission not later than three months after receipt of the report;
• on a recommendation from the Commission drawn up in the light of
Parliament's opinion and of the selection panel's report, the Council will
designate a European Capital of Culture for the year in question.

The nomination must include a cultural project of European dimension, based

principally on cultural cooperation in accordance with the objectives and action
provided for by Article 151 of the Treaty (formerly Article 128). The project may be
organised in association with other European cities.
The application must specify how, within the scope allowed by the theme, the
applicant city intends (Article 3):

10
 • 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.

The initiative is also open to non-member countries in Europe. Any such country may
nominate one city and notify the nomination to Parliament, the Council, the
Commission and the Committee of the Regions. The Council, acting unanimously on
a recommendation from the Commission, will officially designate one of these
nominated cities as a European Capital of Culture for each year, bearing in mind the
desirability of four years' preparation time (Article 4).
Each city is 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 (Article 5).
The Commission will be responsible for implementing this initiative. Each year it
must produce a report evaluating the results of the previous year's event, and present it
to the European Parliament, the Council and the Committee of the Regions. The
Commission may also make any proposals for the revision of the Decision which it
judges necessary for the smooth operation of the initiative and, in particular, with a
view to the future enlargement of the Union (Article 6).

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 PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

PROGRAMME "Culture 2000"10

Since the beginning of the year 2000, the "Culture 2000" framework programme has
replaced the previous actions over a period of 5years. (2000-2004). Equipped with
this new programme, the Union aims to implement a new approach to cultural action.
It seeks to encourage the creation of a cultural area common to Europeans and to
promote cooperation between cultural operators in order to develop intercultural
dialogue, knowledge about history and culture, the transnational dissemination of
culture, cultural diversity, artistic creation, the promotion of heritage and socio-
economic and social integration.
In addition to these aims and areas for action, it has been clearly stipulated that the
European Union must henceforth take cultural aspects into account in the definition
and implementation of its policies as a whole.

Culture 2000 is a Community programme established for a period of 5 years (2000-

2004), with a total budget of 167 million EUROS. This financial instrument will grant
support for cultural co-operation projects in all artistic and cultural sectors
(performing arts, visual and plastic arts, literature, heritage, cultural history, etc). The
objectives of the programme are the promotion of a common cultural area
characterised by both cultural diversity and a common cultural heritage. Culture 2000
looks to encourage creativity and mobility, public access to culture, the dissemination
of art and culture, inter-cultural dialogue and knowledge of the history of the peoples
of Europe. The programme also views culture as playing a role in social integration
and socio-economic development.

1) OBJECTIVE

The aim of the Culture 2000 programme, which will group together the old
"Raphaël", " Kaleidoscope " and " Ariane " programmes, is to encourage creative
activity and the knowledge and dissemination of the culture of the European peoples,
notably in the field of music, literature, the performing arts, the fixed and movable
heritage, and the new realms of culture, by fostering cooperation between cultural
organisations and operators and the cultural institutions of the Member States, and by

12
supporting measures which, by their European scope and character, promote the
spread of European culture both inside and outside the Union.

2) POLICY ACTION

For the European Union, the first framework programme (2000-2004) in support of
culture is an opportunity to implement a new approach to Community cultural action,
enabling it to respond to today's challenges and to meet the aspirations of both the
European public and the cultural sector itself.
The in-depth consultations undertaken by the Commission as part of the preparation
of the framework programme clarified the role and the place of culture in meeting the
great challenges now facing the European Union. A broad consensus emerged
between the Member States, Members of Parliament, the Commission, international
organisations (Council of Europe, UNESCO) and cultural organisations that the
concept of culture also covers popular culture, mass-produced culture, everyday
culture.
Culture is closely associated with the responses to major contemporary challenges
(Article 1):

• the acceleration of European integration;

• globalisation;
• the information society;
• employment;
• social cohesion.

Since the Treaty on European Union was signed, the Union has taken a number of
initiatives, through which it has attempted to:

• show that, apart from its achievements in the economic and monetary fields,
the European project extends to the entirety of European society and must
involve European citizens to a greater extent;
• start to integrate the cultural dimension into those of its decisions which have
an impact on culture;
• implement the three programmes encouraging cultural cooperation in the arts
(Kaleidoscope), literature (Ariane) and heritage (Raphael);

13
 • help develop relations between culture, the culture industries and employment,
on the basis of the Commission's work showing the importance of cultural
activities in society and the potential for job creation that they represent.

The Culture 2000 programme also aims to enhance the common cultural area by
promoting cooperation between creative artists, cultural operators and the cultural
institutions of the Member States . The specific objectives listed in Article 1 would be
achieved by the following means:

• integrated projects covered by structured, multiannual cultural cooperation

agreements,
• major projects with a European and/or international dimension,
• specific, innovative and/or experimental projects within the Community
and/or in non-member countries (Art. 2).

3) PRIORITIES AND PERSPECTIVES

Action 1 of the programme gives priority to concrete projects in the sectors of

architectural and cultural heritage, books, visual and performing arts which aim to
provide further training, improve the mobility and movement of artists and their
works, the exchange of best practice (on the restoration and promotion of
architectural heritage from the 19th and 20th centuries), highlight major literary trends,
translate literary works by European authors from the latter half of the 20th century,
assist the study of cultural and architectural heritage in schools and elsewhere, raise
awareness of art as well as improve access to artistic and cultural practices, in
particular by making use of new technologies.

Action 2 of the programme will give priority to cultural co-operation agreements

concluded in the music sector (either to develop musical heritage or to promote new
forms of musical expression). Priority will also be given to multidisciplinary cultural
co-operation agreements aimed at encouraging the study and the mutual knowledge
of the cultural history of the peoples of Europe.

Finally, for Action 3, priority will be given to the European Cities of Culture and to
European heritage laboratories – with particular attention being given to developing

14
projects situated in zones affected by natural catastrophes or damaged by
environmental pollution.

There are three aspects to the future of cultural policy:

First, the framework programme "Culture 2000" has been designed as a global
approach underlying Union’s action with a view to improving the coherence and
visibility of culture.
The second stage in the future of cultural policy will be the next intergovernmental
conference. Decision-making in the field of cultural policy could be changed by
extending qualified majority voting to Article 151 as the number of EU Member
States rises.
Finally, enlargement will enhance cultural and linguistic variety and diversity within
the EU. This will give rise to new requirements in terms of promoting and respecting
linguistic and cultural identity, a common heritage of cultural values and a common
European identity. The protection of cultural minorities will also become more
important in an enlarged Union.

THE EU’s CULTURAL IDENTITY AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A

EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP

No trend has marked the last 50 years of European history as much as the as the crisis
of cultural identity which plagues Europe. The identity of Europe is like never before
a question of identity-as-particularity. The break-up of the Soviet Union and the
Eastern Bloc, the reunification of Germany, the ethnic conflicts in ex-Yugoslavia, the
growing trends of racism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism in every European country
all to some degree appear as the signs of a problematisation of European identity and
a revaluation of the terms of cultural identity itself.

European cultural identity is thus a constellation of both rupture or discontinuity with

the past and a continuation, even an exemplification, of traditions as old as Europe
itself. Its ideological character is likewise double: For some, the radical reorganization
of much of European cultural self-consciousness falls under the sign of liberalism,
diverse kinds of liberty rediscovering the greater path of history; for others, there is no

15
precedent and no rule. At the limit, the crisis faced by Europe at the very moment,
takes the form of a radical questioning of ethnic and racial conventions, political
affiliation, historical origins, linguistic norms, official jurisdiction concerning political
borders, constitutional authority, representative capacity, general defence, and law
enforcement.

However, the Union’s cultural identity in order to enhance the efforts for the
establishment of a European citizenship has to be based on the respect of the cultural
diversity of its countries and regions taking into consideration its common heritage
and the progress achieved so far. The main influence of the EU’s cultural programmes
and activities has been first, the establishment of a common platform for co-operation,
free from the constraints of intergovernmentalism and second, the creation of a human
network that shares values that unite Europeans.

Any effort for establishment of a European citizenship should embody two

relationships. A vertical relationship runs between citizen and the Union,
circumscribing the group of humans who can exact the highest protection from the
Union and who owe it the most onerous duties. A horizontal relationship connects
citizens themselves, developing a community of people who share loyalties, civic
allegiance, and a “pan European” character. It is in this area that the EU’s cultural
programmes have the greater impact in trying to strengthen these relationships.

It is also important to note, as the discourse on citizenship practice in the early 1990s
showed, that although the historical element of belonging was continuously
addressed, the focus was shifted from creating a feeling of belonging to establishing
the legal ties of belonging. Thus, with the removal of internal frontiers, further
measures are required in a number of other areas that have a bearing on cultural
activities, for example authors’ rights, cross-border television, and the free movement
of cultural assets and services. The Union should also contribute to a deeper
understanding of the culture and history of the European peoples. The conservation
and safeguarding of the cultural heritage of European significance will thus be a
focus for future action.

16
 NOTES

1
Title XII, Article 151 of the EC Treaty.
2
European Parliament and Council Decision 719/96/EC of 29 March 1996 establishing a
programme to support artistic and cultural activities having a European dimension
(Kaleidoscope) for the period 1996-98. Amended by the following measure: Decision 477/99
of the European Parliament and the Council of 22 February 1999.

3
Official Journal L 99, 20.04.1996, Official Journal L 57, 05.03.1999.
4
Decision No 2085/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 October 1997
establishing a programme of support, including translation, in the field of books and reading
Ariane).Amended by the following measure: Decision 476/99/EC of the European Parliament
and the Council of 22 February 1999.

5
Official Journal L 291, 24.10.1997, Official Journal L 57, 05.03.1999.

6
Decision No 2228/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1997
establishing a Community action programme in the field of cultural heritage (the Raphael
programme).

7
Official Journal L 305, 08.11.1997.

8
Decision 1419/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999
establishing a Community action for the European Capital of Culture event for the years 2005
to 2019.

9
Official Journal L 166, 01.07.1999.

10
Commission Proposal COM(98) 266 final COD98/0165 Official Journal C 211, 07.07.1998
Amended Proposal COM(98) 673 final. Not yet published.
Opinion of the European Parliament First reading: Official Journal C 359, 23.11.1998 Second
reading: not yet published.
Common position of the Council Official Journal C 232, 19.08.1999.

17