“Creative Europe“ - Culture is more than economic growth and job creation.

In these days organizes The Danish library association a major European conference. The theme is "Democracy Development in a New Media Environment"


It is the European organization EBLIDA, (the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations) annual meeting.

At the same time the EU Commission, has political consideration of proposals for “Creative Europe“ for 2014 to 2020.

EBLIDA have made a comment to the EU Commission. Our main concern is that the proposal is too narrowly focused on culture and its contribution to economic growth, ignoring broader social, political and educational aspects and culture as a public good in its own right. The proposal also lacks essential detail in many areas making informed comment difficult. 

EBLIDA recommends that an amended proposal should:

 Consider the positive effect of Culture on the development of individuals;

 Focus foremost on developing and promoting a European cultural area that addresses all

future needs in Europe and is not confined to economic ones;

 Promote European identity and support intercultural dialogue by celebrating diversity within

the European community and strengthening the bonds of European citizenship;

 Support a European library policy, to be included as an integral element within an

independent European cultural policy;

 Support the continuing development of the existing pan‐European network of libraries

which help build European identity, enable intercultural dialogue and underpin democratic

engagement;

 Support the digitisation of Europe’s cultural heritage held within libraries and other

repositories and promote Europeana and other collaborative projects;

 Enable the public to access Europe’s cultural heritage through the work of libraries and

other cultural institutions, providing them with the opportunity of new cultural experiences;

 Acknowledge libraries in their role as network hubs for cultural and creative production, providing essential support and a source of inspiration for artists and support this contribution through a simple and adequate funding system for creative professionals.


Culture cannot just be defined by its contribution to economic growth and job creation. I believes that this programme proposal, which focuses almost exclusively on the cultural and creative industries, is inadequate as it fails to embrace culture in its broader dimensions and address how cultural services and activity can meet the future needs of the citizens of Europe. The concept of a creativity‐driven Europe only partially addresses the objectives of the EU strategy set out in ‘Europe 2020’.


EBLIDA (EGCIS) comments on Creative Europe. 
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EBLIDA supports the idea of an independent European cultural policy that complements the cultural policies of member states. This would include a joint European library policy which EBLIDA advocated in its 2009 ‘Vienna Declaration’