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  • 23.05.13 MEPs vote to protect the cultural exception in the EU-USA free trade agreement Read more...
  • 23.05.13 Join Culture Action Europe in the first European Citizens’ Summit ever organised by a cross-sectoral coalition of NGO actors Read more...
  • 16.05.13 The Chair of the EP CULT committee answers to our call in defense of the ‘Creative Europe’ budget Read more...
  • 02.05.13 President of the 'S&D' group in the EP Hannes Swoboda answers to the cultural and creative sectors' concerns about the future budget of Creative Europe Read more...
  • 23.04.13 CAE member VVC celebrates 40 years of cultural centres in Flanders! Read more...
  • 11.04.13 NEMO publishes letter of concern regarding PSI directive on re-use of public sector information Read more...
  • 08.04.13 Letter to President Barroso signed by more than 250 cultural organisations and artists Read more...
  • 05.04.13 URGENT - Funding for Creative Europe needs your action Read more...
  • 19.03.13 CAE reacts to the EC communication on Rethinking Education jointly with the Access to Culture Platform and EUCIS-LLL Read more...
  • 12.03.13 Internships at Platform for Intercultural Europe Read more...
  • 08.03.13 we are more campaign newsletter #12 Read more...
  • 01.03.13 COMIX4 Project Read more...
  • 12.02.13 Culture Action Europe reacts to Council agreement on future EU budget Read more...
  • 05.02.13 Second Letter to EU Heads of State or government Read more...
  • 25.01.13 The Creative Clash Final Conference will take place on 19 March 2013 at the Goethe Institut in Brussels Read more...
  • 20.12.12 we are more campaign #11 Read more...
  • 30.11.12 CAE joined forces with the CSCG in a letter to EU leaders Read more...
  • 21.11.12 Letter to EU Heads of State and Governments on the occasion of the extraordinary EU summit 22-23 November 2012 Read more...
  • 08.11.12 Culture Action Europe values Ms Silvia Costa’s report on Creative Europe and calls on the EU institutions to support the proposed budget increase and to reach a first-reading agreement Read more...
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  • 10.10.12 Launch of BOZAR and CAE collaboration Read more...
  • 03.10.12 Culture Action Europe’s Conference and General Assembly ‘Act for culture, act for Europe’ – Brussels 9-11 November 2012 Read more...
  • 03.10.12 New EC communication on "Promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs in the EU" Read more...
  • 04.09.12 CAE is looking for a new intern Read more...
  • 30.07.12 EFA and its partners of the Access to Culture Platform’s Working Group on Audience Participation call for contributions Read more...
  • 24.07.12 Tandem – Moldova-European Union-Ukraine video now available online! Read more...
  • 23.07.12 we are more campaign newsletter #9 Read more...
  • 18.06.12 Sostenuto – Culture as a factor of economic and social innovation: final press conference Read more...
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  • 22.05.12 European Year of Citizens 2013 Alliance - Manifesto published Read more...
  • 22.05.12 Culture Action Europe values the position adopted by the EU Council of Culture Ministers on the Creative Europe programme Read more...
  • 21.05.12 Festival «art links/l’art crée du lien», on thursday 24th and Friday 25 th in Brussels Read more...
  • 10.05.12 Civil society voices reached the EU Council of Culture Ministers Read more...
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  • 03.04.12 Conference on the role of culture in the inclusion of Roma minorities Read more...
  • 22.03.12 Sign petition to save the only public institution for contemporary dance in Slovenia! Read more...
  • 01.03.12 Warm welcome to our new Secretary General Luca Bergamo! Read more...
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  • 07.07.11 'we are more' campagin newsletter #4 2011 special edition on budget is now online Read more...
  • 14.06.11 Artists and social inclusion: A Greens/EFA conference Read more...
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  • 31.03.11 Summary of the position paper on the Culture Programme Read more...
  • 22.03.11 Remix the docks! Read more...
  • 10.02.11 'we are more' newsletter #2 Read more...
  • 16.12.10 Call for organisations to participate in Cultural Cooperation with Moldova and Ukraine Read more...
  • 09.12.10 'we are more' campaign: demands on the Culture Programme Read more...
  • 09.12.10 'we are more' newsletter #1 Read more...
  • 18.10.10 Culture's contribution to social inclusion Read more...
  • 12.10.10 'we are more' campaign launched! Read more...
  • 22.09.10 Culture Action Europe Newsletter #4 2010 Read more...
  • 22.09.10 Reflections on the challenges facing society today and how culture may offer answers to them Read more...
  • 06.09.10 LabforCulture reports live from the 'Culture and Policies of Change' conference in Brussels Read more...
  • 04.08.10 Members General Assembly and Culture Action Europe Conference 7-9 October 2010 in Brussels Read more...
  • 14.07.10 OMC working group reports have been published Read more...
  • 17.06.10 Culture Action Europe Newsletter #3 2010 Read more...
  • 06.05.10 The Platform for Intercultural Europe is recruting Read more...
  • 14.04.10 Culture Action Europe Newsletter #2 2010 Read more...
  • 12.04.10 The EU 2020 strategy: analysis and perspectives Read more...
  • 31.03.10 Culture Action Europe is looking for a translation intern Read more...
  • 29.03.10 Members’ meetings and policy consultation Read more...
  • 17.03.10 Already 6 new members in 2010! Read more...
  • 10.02.10 Culture Action Europe Newsletter #1 2010 Read more...
  • 10.02.10 Renewed EU commitmment to combating poverty and social exclusion – what perspectives for the Year? Read more...
  • 08.02.10 EP Hearing – Androulla Vassiliou Commisioner-Desginate for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Read more...
  • 14.01.10 Our contribution to the EC consultation on the future EU 2020 strategy Read more...
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  • 07.12.09 Culture Action Europe Newsletter #8 Read more...
  • 18.08.09 Post elections analysis – to know more about the composition of the new European Parliament and of the new Culture Committee Read more...

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glossary
glossary - Subsidiarity Principle Print
Page 6 of 9

Subsidiarity Principle


The principle of subsidiarity was established in European Union (EU) law by the Maastricht Treaty. It covers areas, which do not fall within the EU’s exclusive competence. Article 5(2) declares that “the Community shall take action, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, only if and insofar as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of scale and effects of the proposed action, be better achieved by the Community”. One of these policy areas is culture.

Hence, the Member States and the EU have shared competences in the field of culture. The Community can only intervene, if certain objectives set out for cannot be reached by the Member States and if it can guarantee greater efficiency. The EU has no mandate to lead or control policies in the cultural sector, but - as laid out in Article 151 - is only required to encourage cultural cooperation and exchange, and to supplement the actions of Member States “if necessary”.

However, the Treaty lacks a clear division of competences between the Member States and the EU, and a constraint understanding of the principle have served for some all too well to avoid a serious debate about possible EU policies regarding culture. Together with the constant and severe under-funding of culture and the requirement for unanimity voting in the Council, those principles acted for the last 15 years as a brake on European cultural action.

Without limiting or infringing the division of competences as defined by the subsidiarity principle, it is still possible for the EU to play an active role in the cultural field as it has been recently demonstrated with the adoption of a European Agenda for Culture which shall open the way to more and better cultural actions at EU level.


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