Culture: EU Publications

Today, the Council approved conclusions on enhancing the cultural and creative dimension of the European video games sector. The video games sector brings tangible benefits in terms of job creation (especially among young people), the contribution to GDP, creativity, research and development, and innovation. It also represents social diversity and plurality, promoting positive social changes.

The Council approved conclusions welcoming the EU Concept on cultural heritage in conflicts and crises, which enhances the EU's approach to peace, security and development. The conclusions recognise that cultural heritage can play a key role in promoting peace, democracy and sustainable development by fostering tolerance, inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogue and mutual understanding.

The audiovisual industry and the news media sector are important economic actors with an annual turnover of €193 billion according to European Commission estimates. Both sectors have suffered during the COVID-19 crisis. The Council has approved conclusions to support the recovery and transformation of the European media sector.

The conclusions on risk management in the area of cultural heritage recall the importance of protecting cultural heritage against the various types of risks threatening it (natural hazards, climate change and man-made disasters), and recognise that crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have a huge negative impact on the cultural and creative sectors.

The Council adopted conclusions on an EU strategic approach to international cultural relations and establishing a framework for action by the member states and the EU institutions. The conclusions establish the aim of strengthening the effectiveness and impact of EU foreign policy by integrating international cultural relations in the range of its foreign policy instruments.

On 23 May the Council adopted conclusions on culture in the European Union's external relations. They provide guidance on the EU's strategic approach to international cultural relations.

The Arts and Culture are strong agents of change, even more when they are interconnected to the broader concepts of well-being, mental health and inclusion. This policy brief discusses the societal value of the Arts and Culture, their impact on well-being, mental health and inclusion, as well as their role in opening up new policy avenues. A selection of most recent research findings from Horizon 2020 Framework Programme's projects highlights the new opportunities and translates them into concrete policy actions that can be further transferred and up-scaled by various stakeholders.

This report analyses the concrete link between democracy and culture. It maps out how citizens who participate in cultural activities are much more likely to engage in civic and democratic life. Inequalities persist throughout the EU when it comes to citizens’ participation in cultural activities, with a clear knock-on impact on democratic participation. And this is just another reason why it is crucial that cultural activities are inclusive and affordable.

European book publishing, in addition to contributing to cultural and linguistic diversity, makes a significant contribution to the economy in terms of turnover, employment and growth. Creative Europe is the only EU programme exclusively focused on supporting the cultural and audiovisual sectors. It supports the book sector through the following funding schemes: Cooperation Projects, European Platforms for emerging artists, European Cultural Networks, and Literary Translation.

This background analysis on the situation of artists and cultural workers and the post-COVID-19 cultural recovery in the European Union is prepared for the European Parliament. It provides an overview of key characteristics of artists' and cultural workers’status across Europe, their working conditions, precariousness and career paths. It outlines the justification for specific policy solutions and provides a mapping of key challenges for a European framework for working conditions in the cultural and creative sectors and industries.

The study concludes that the EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025 reflects the diversity of remedy measures identified in the specialist literature. Despite of the limited steering and monitoring within EU programmes of their contribution to the fight against racism, except for the CERV programme, there is a significant share of projects that are addressing racism related topics, also reflecting a diversity of remedy measures. There is a need for further building on existing good practices / incentives developed by programmes and implementing institutions.

L'UE s'emploie à préserver le patrimoine culturel commun de l'Europe et à le rendre accessible à tous. Elle soutient les arts et aide nos industries créatives et culturelles à prospérer, notamment grâce au programme Europe créative.

This report targets policy-makers at EU and national levels, local heritage communities, heritage organisations and institutions, heritage sites, the tourism industry and tourists themselves. The working group identified 55 recommendations.

This fourth edition presents a selection of indicators on culture pertaining to cultural employment, international trade in cultural goods, cultural enterprises, cultural participation and the use of the internet for cultural purposes, as well as household and government cultural expenditure.

Search documents, publications and other resources relating to EU culture policy.

What the EU does for culture and the responsible departments within the Commission.

Discovering cultural connections across the waves

The European Commission’s defined priorities for 2019-2024 are highly relevant for policy making in the field of culture at EU level and for the key themes of European cultural cooperation.

The EU supports actions to preserve cultural heritage, and promote cooperation and transnational exchanges between cultural institutions in member countries. A new funding programme ‘Creative Europe’ will run between 2014 and 2020. Other initiatives include Heritage Days (locally-based initiatives that allow access to sites not normally open to the public) and Capitals of Culture, both launched in 1985.