News

Opportunity for Action on the Communication on Culture

16 August 2007

Ask your Ministry to engage actively with the future European Agenda for Culture and to involve national cultural operators in the process! Following their regular updates and briefing notes informing you on the progress of the EC’s Communication, EFAH would like to ask you to take this opportunity to contact your national authorities and politicians to make sure they engage actively in the debate and involve cultural operators in the process. The EC’s Communication on a European agenda for culture in a globalising world has been welcomed by EFAH, as by many cultural associations and organizations across Europe. However the success of the EC’s initiative will now depend on national Member States adopting the text and agreeing to an ambitious common work plan and objectives for the future. EFAH, IETM (International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts) and the EMC (European Music Council) are therefore working together this summer to urgently raise awareness on the Communication and to make sure that national governments consult the cultural sector before taking any important decisions at the November Culture Council. Have you already been contacted or consulted by your national government? If so, let them know at efah@efah.org! If no consultations have been set up so far, proactively contacting your national authorities and/or MEPs can be a great opportunity to connect with them and let them know that you are active in European affairs and wish to be consulted on their approach. In order to help with this, please see attached a standard letter that you can adapt and/or translate and then send to your Ministry and/or MePs. In addition we are attaching a briefing on the Communication, and contact details by Country for national ministries, Culture Committee MEPs, and the National Permanent Representations to the EU. Key decisions and positions of the ministries should already be decided in September, in time for the Cultural Forum and Informal Ministers meeting of the 26th and 27th. Ideally, EFAH should be in touch with the ministries prior to this date to inform and influence their approaches to the Communication as much as we can. If you have any other suggestions on how you might get in touch with your national authorities, or any other way to communicate what you would like to see this Communication achieve, please let them know. Let them know as well if you do decide to contact your Ministry, MEPs or Permanent Representation so that the EFAH can coordinate its actions as efficiently as possible.