blog by heidemarie rothe und axel rehfeld: Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the cultural sector

Mittwoch, 11. März 2015

Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the cultural sector

The Voice of Culture ‒ Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the cultural sector provides a framework for discussions between EU civil society stakeholders and the European Commission with regard to culture. It aims to strengthen the advocacy capacity of the cultural sector in policy debates on culture at European level, while encouraging it to work in a more collaborative way.

The Voice of Culture will focus on five themes until the end of 2016:

Two themes, ‘Audience development via digital means’ and ‘Participatory governance of cultural heritage’, will be discussed in 2015.
These first two topics have been selected in accordance with the four priorities of the Work Plan (WP) for Culture 2015-2018: Accessible and inclusive culture; Cultural heritage; Cultural and creative sectors: creative economy and innovation; and Promotion of cultural diversity, culture in EU external relations and mobility.
The WP sets out priorities for European cooperation in cultural policy-making. Through this strategic document, the Council also establishes working groups composed of Member States, to work on the priorities, within the framework of an Open Method of Coordination (OMC) process (a light but structured way for EU Member States to cooperate at a European level).
The discussions held during the 2015 Structured Dialogue with stakeholders will complement the work and dialogue between EU decision-makers, which is taking place through the OMC in 2015-2016 on exactly the same two themes.
Two more themes will be discussed with civil society in 2016 and details will be released in the coming months.
Stakeholders will have the opportunity to choose, in an online survey, the fifth and last theme to be discussed at some point during the project.
In addition to the five themes, online consultations will be carried out on additional themes. The results of these consultations will be made available in policy papers.