News

  • 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...
  • 25.03.13 Two exciting internship possibilities at Culture Action Europe! 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...
  • 12.10.12 we are more campagin newsletter #10 Read more...
  • 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...
  • 24.05.12 VIVA IL LIVE! 4.0 and 2nd ARCI ReAL meeting Read more...
  • 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...
  • 30.04.12 'we are more' campaign newsletter #8 Read more...
  • 11.04.12 Banlieues d'Europe organizes a debate on the we are more campaign Read more...
  • 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...
  • 22.02.12 'we are more' newsletter #7 Read more...
  • 19.12.11 'we are more' newsletter #6 Read more...
  • 03.10.11 'we are more' newsletter #5 Read more...
  • 16.08.11 Job position at EBLIDA Read more...
  • 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...
  • 26.05.11 'we are more' newsletter #3 Read more...
  • 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...
  • 11.01.10 Our contribution to the EC consultation on financial regulation Read more...
  • 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...
glossary
glossary - Structural Funds Print
Page 5 of 9

Structural Funds


While Community programmes for culture are unable to meet the financial needs of the culture sector to develop and carry out transnational projects, culture has benefited considerably from other EU initiatives, in particular the Structural Funds. This amounts to over 80% of the Community’s expenditure for culture.

For the period 2007-2013, regional policies received a budget of 348 milliards euros including 278 for the structural funds and 70 for the cohesion fund. Regional policies are the second most important budget line of the EU after the agricultural policy.

Regional policies pursue three objectives:
  • convergence (European Regional development Fund, European Social Fund, Cohesion Fund);
  • regional competitivity and employment (European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund);
  • territorial cooperation (European Regional development Fund).

Compared to the period 2000-2006, the EU cohesion policy has been simplified a lot. Community programmes such as Leader +, Urban, Equal and Interreg have been absorbed by the Funds which now pursue the programmes’ objectives : Urban’s and Leader’s objectives were integrated in the ERDF, Equal’s by the ESF and the objective of territorial cooperation integrates the Interreg’s activities.

Funding for culture from the Structural Funds is mainly based on the recognition of the transversal quality of culture, that is that culture interrelates with a variety of other fields and almost every aspect of contemporary life and society, e.g. the cultural industries, media and new technologies, tourism and leisure, urban planning, regional development, education and training. It takes into account that the cultural sector generates employment and that it contributes to social cohesion, innovation, sustainable development and other common objectives in the EU. The otherwise rather limited legal framework for culture at EU level provides the basis for making available funding sources other than from specific cultural programmes in Clause 4 of Article 151, which stipulates that “the Community shall take cultural aspects into account in its action under other provisions of the Treaty”.

Since 1989 – hence already before the Treaty took effect in 1993 - a wide range of cultural projects were supported, mainly through ERDF and ESF, in the fields of museums, heritage, festivals, media, IT, education and training. Only in 1996, the European Commission started to consider the cultural dimension of its regional policies. As in other policy fields, the funding from the Structural Funds will play a crucial role with respect to culture in the new Member States of the EU after the enlargement.

Through the Structural Funds the cultural field has gained access to financial means that would never have been available within the framework of cultural programming. However, it should not be overlooked that these programmes are primarily an investment in the competitiveness of European industry, employment or development, but not in the cultural sector as such.

For more information on funding for culture through the EU regional policy: