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The new European Parliament - Perspectives, challenges and opportunities - By Ferdinand Richard Print

The recent European elections and the joyful result of the Greens might change the cultural order within the European institutions.


In particular, the new shape of the Parliament and the possible adoption of the Lisbon Treaty might hopefully mean that decisions on cultural issues would be taken at qualified majority, finally putting an end to the almost permanent stalemate caused by the unanimity requirement, virtually impossible to reach when 27 Member States have a say. Back in 1994, the European cultural networks had already attempted to break down this barrier, but in vain.

 
The ever more likely possibility of a Green president in the EP Culture Committee also contributes to strengthening the hopes of the European cultural world.

Yet, for having represented my party in the polling station in Marseilles' working-class area, I could painfully assess once more the divide separating Europe's middle and upper classes (so-called "cultured") from the working classes, ever more vulnerable, excluded from qualifying processes, easy preys for populism and television. Today, it seems to me that the foremost objective of cultural action is no longer to support creativity, but to fiercely resist a dangerous berlusconisation that, if it were to overcome us, would take artists as its first target.

Considering the above, three comments are to be made:


- The possibility of a Green president chairing the Culture Committee should not make us forget that the word "culture" was not even mentioned in the Manifesto written by the European Greens on the occasion of the recent elections. More than a mere lack of interest from the Green candidates towards Culture (I believe all the opposing groups from all over Europe have been just as much cautious), this is to be interpreted as a negative positioning: Culture is not "expedient" in terms of personal political career, since it is doomed from the start by the unanimity requirement. Culture is therefore trapped into a vicious circle, since without spokesperson or champion to defend it, it was even less likely to go over to qualified majority voting... Also, and to clean up our own backyard, this harshly shows how absent we were with the candidates during the preparation of the campaign.

- In a longer-term perspective, it seems essential to also compare in detail how the cultural competence is being distributed among the various European territorial levels. Though such diversity in mechanisms can, to some extent, be considered an asset in terms of experiences, it will require Culture Action Europe, and the cultural civil society in general, to make coherent and viable recommendations throughout the continent, in order to provide culture with the highest possible level of efficiency, democracy and ascendancy in the EU's general policies (I am particularly referring to the mainstreaming of culture into European programmes of all kinds). This is a huge project to be started on without delay with the European institutions.

- The hope of finally being able to set out a common basis of a cultural policy at European level will reinforce the legitimacy and missions of European cultural networks, that should more than ever and from now on, position itself as the main interlocutor for the European institutions, and especially the Parliament. However (as I had already emphasized several times when I was President of EFAH), a lobby can only be efficient if it is also prepared from a doctrine point of view, which necessarily needs to be set out before implementing the plea.

In other words, are we sure we all want the same thing? And what is it that we want?

As we seem to be facing a change in paradigm, time has come for us to make choices.


Ferdinand Richard, 13 June 2009