Pressure on for new approach to financing European arts and culture

Date: 19/02/1998

By Leyla Linton

CULTURAL organisations are calling for a radical overhaul of the way the EU finances the arts.

The European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (EFAH), which represents more than 60 cultural organisations, and the French and Luxembourg culture ministries have joined forces to call for a new single European programme to end what they claim are arbitrary divisions between art forms and sectors.

The European Commission is currently drawing up proposals for replacing existing programmes, and is coming under intense pressure from cultural groups and the European Parliament to make more money available for the arts.

A working group set up by the EFAH and the two ministries argues that instead of the current system, there should be a single programme with general objectives.

Under this approach, financing for music, theatre, literature or heritage would not be considered separately.

The group argues there should be no sectoral or national quotas for support as political borders are artificial.

While the working group has stopped short of suggesting an overall budget for the new programme, it says that future financing should not be based on what is currently available, but instead reflect declarations by EU leaders that "culture should be one of the principle areas of economic progress".

The EFAH believes that the amount of funding for culture should not have to be justified in economic terms, but according to its "contribution to cultural vitality".

Report of comments from the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (EFAH).