EBLIDA comments on EU support programme "Creative Europe 2014-2020"

EBLIDA, the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations, welcomes the opportunity to comment on the EU Commission’s early proposal of an EU support programme “Creative Europe“ for 2014 to 2020, which is intended to replace the current cultural support programme Culture 2007 (2007 to 2013). EBLIDA hopes that the discussion stimulated by its publication will generate further ideas and evidence that will help improve the proposal. Our main concern is that the proposal is too narrowly focused on culture and its contribution to economic growth, ignoring broader social, political and educational aspects and culture as a public good in its own right. The proposal also lacks essential detail in many areas making informed comment difficult.

In our submission EBLIDA recommends that an amended proposal should:

• Consider the positive effect of Culture on the development of individuals;
• Focus foremost on developing and promoting a European cultural area that addresses all future needs in Europe and is not confined to economic ones;
• Promote European identity and support intercultural dialogue by celebrating diversity within the European community and strengthening the bonds of European citizenship;
• Support a European library policy, to be included as an integral element within an independent European cultural policy;
• Support the continuing development of the existing pan‐European network of libraries which help build European identity, enable intercultural dialogue and underpin democratic engagement;
• Support the digitisation of Europe’s cultural heritage held within libraries and other repositories and promote Europeana and other collaborative projects;
• Enable the public to access Europe’s cultural heritage through the work of libraries and other cultural institutions, providing them with the opportunity of new cultural experiences;
• Acknowledge libraries in their role as network hubs for cultural and creative production, providing essential support and a source of inspiration for artists and support this contribution through a simple and adequate funding system for creative professionals.

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