Activities of Vlad-Marius BOTOŞ related to 2022/2047(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations (debate)
Amendments (56)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to the Final Declaration approved on 28-30 September 2022 by the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development - MONDIACULT 2022,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the 2018 Commission communication on a new European agenda for culture (COM(2018)0267) and the 2016 Joint Communication towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations (JOIN(2016)0029) have played a decisive role in shaping the EU’s and Member States’ cultural policies, both in their national and international dimension;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage promoted culture and cultural heritage; as "a shared source of remembrance, understanding, identity, dialogue, cohesion and creativity for Europe"; whereas the general objectives of the Year were to “encourage and support the efforts of the Union, the Member States and regional and local authorities, in cooperation with the cultural heritage sector and broader civil society, to protect, safeguard, reuse, enhance, valorise and promote Europe's cultural heritage" 1a; _________________ 1a OJ L 131, 20.5.2017, p. 1
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic on the European CCSI has been dramatic but has been uneven across sectors; whereas site-based activities have been heavily affected by lockdowns, travel restrictions and other necessary sanitary measures, while sectors with a stronger digital capacity were in a better position to face the crisis;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas public support measures contributed to mitigating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, varying widely between Member States, but did not always take into account the specific nature of employment schemes in the CCSI; whereas different legislative systems deepened the already existing inequalities between CCSI across the EU, hindering cultural diversity and cultural collaboration across Member States;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas in its Resolution on the cultural recovery of Europe, the Parliament called for an investment of 2% of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in the CCSI and reiterated the importance of appropriate investments in the EU cultural agenda; whereas only 16 Member States have included culture in their National Recovery and Resilience Plans and in most cases the investments and reforms are insufficient; whereas the 2% target has been met on average at the EU level, but the majority of Member States stays well under this figure;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas cultural participation can be intended both as passive partaking and as active creation, regardless of the level - amateur or professional - to which the activity is undertaken; whereas both active and passive cultural participation have numerous economic, social and health benefits;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the arts and artistic disciplines are important components of education; and enablers of both formal, informal and non-formal education; whereas learning through and about arts and artistic disciplines contributes to the development of learners’ educational and social skills and competences, as well as developing creative thinking and transversal and transferrable skills;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas cultural relations are commonly defined3a as reciprocal, non- coercive, transnational interactions between two or more cultures, encompassing a range of activities that are conducted both by state and non-state actors; within the space of cultural and civil society; whereas the overall outcomes of cultural relations are greater connectivity, better mutual understanding, more and deeper relationships, mutually beneficial transactions and enhanced sustainable dialogue between states, peoples, non-state actors and cultures, building therefore more resilient societies; _________________ 3a British Council and Goethe Institut, Cultural Value - Cultural Relations in Societies in Transition: A Literature Review (2018), p. 7
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas cultural diplomacy relates to states liaising with other states or their peoples through the medium of culture, with a dominance of the governmental and one-way advocacy perspective; over the mutual benefits and dialogue perspective; whereas cultural diplomacy is influenced by the politics inherent in foreign policy, is accountable to relevant state institutions and can be instrumentalised to support policy objectives4a; _________________ 4a Rivera T., Distinguishing Cultural Relations From Cultural Diplomacy: The British Council’s Relationship With Her Majesty’s Government, Figueroa Press (2015), p. 9-10
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the strengthening of the Creative Europe 2021-2027 programme, notably the doubling of the budget compared to its predecessor, and the stronger emphasis on cultural diversity, inclusion, mobility, transnational creation and policy cooperation, and the digitalisation, greening and resilience of the CCSI; insists, though, on the need to ensure an adequate level of financing through a forthcoming revision of the MFF;
Amendment 104 #
3. Notes with satisfaction that synergies between different EU policies and programmes are being developed; encourages the Commission to continue harnessing these synergiespromoted, notably through Creative Europe, Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, the New European Bauhaus (NEB) and others; encourages the Commission to continue harnessing these synergies, with a view to maximising their positive effects, both in terms of substance and availability of funding; particularly, welcomes the mainstreaming of cultural heritage into other positions and policies of the EU;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Insists that freedom of artistic expression must remain guaranteed for all creators; invites the Commission to integrate freedom of artistic expression as self-standing indicator of the respect of the rule of law in its annual reports; invites the Commission and the EEAS to explore concrete paths to uphold the freedom of artistic expression of artists at risk, especially as consequences of wars and geopolitical instability;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the setting up of the Voices of Culture Structured Dialogue (SD); encourages more frequent and systematic exchanges between the SD and the OMC(SD), providing a platform for civil society organisations (CSOs) in the cultural sector to engage with the Commission and the OMC; encourages more frequent and systematic exchanges between the members of the SD and the OMC; calls on the Commission and the Member States to regularly follow-up on the recommendations put forward in final reports, conferences, workshops, and any other event organised within the OMC and SD structures; encourages the Member States to follow up on those recommendations with concrete policy changes and action plans;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. In line with the Parliament resolution on the European Year of Cultural Heritage6a, asks the Commission and the Member States to review and update the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage in order to ensure the protection of cultural heritage in post-pandemic Europe; stresses that it is important to continue building on this legacy with the appropriate resources; _________________ 6a OJ C 456, 10.11.2021, p. 24–33
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages the Member States to promote and invest in citizens’both active and passive participation of people in cultural and artistic activities, not only via communication and outreach campaigns, but also and predominantly via coherent, comprehensive policy measures and incentives, with a particular focus on sub- urban, rural and peripheral areas and marginalised socio-economic communities and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups; invites the Member States to integrate cultural participation objectives in policy-making beyond cultural policy;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that data collection should be considered as a key cross-cutting priorities in the new Council Work Plan for Culture; in this regard regrets that the latest available data collected by Eurostat on cultural participation date back to 2015; given the drastic change that CCSI have undergone since then, notably due to theCOVID-19 pandemic as well as innovative technological developments, invites the Commission to set up a Eurostat survey on cultural participation and trends in the EU, collecting and analysing statistical data at different territorial scales (national, regional, etc.), with special attention to participation in sub-urban, rural and peripheral areas and within marginalised socio-economic communities and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Acknowledges the work undertaken by the Commission to harness the power of culture and cultural diversity for social cohesion and well-being, such as the workshop for the experts of the EU Member States on culture for social cohesion in November2020; recommends building on the outcomes and lessons learned from all relevant projects and workshops;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the inclusion of the most disadvantaged groups in cultural activities and initiativemarginalised and underrepresented groups in cultural activities and initiatives, with the ultimate objective of fostering a sense of belonging among all people, particularly young people, and encouraging them to feel more European via their participation in cultural activities fostering their knowledge of EU values; welcomes in this regard the launch of an independent study entitled “The importance of citizens’ participation in culture for civic engagement and democracy - policy lessons from international research”, and looks forward to its publication in November2022; encourages the Commission to share the results of the study and take the appropriate follow-up actions;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages the Member States to recognise the role of the arts and culture in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and mental well-being, as well as in forming part of a complete psychosocial support for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and communities;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the fundamental importance of culture for the development of the individual’s identity and overall individual and societal well-being as well as in the education of children and young people, especially as it contributes to their understanding of society;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Expresses concern about the common narrowing of school curricula, which tend to relegate arts and artistic disciplines in a more marginal position compared to other subjects; urges Member States to allocate the appropriate financial and human resources and incentives to arts and artistic disciplines as curricular as well as extra-curricular activities; urges the Commission to move beyond a “STEM approach” and fully adopt a “STEAM approach” (Sciences, Technologies, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) instead;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls the importance of mutual recognition and cross-border portability of artistic competences and creative skills and qualifications to facilitate cross-border mobility of workers in the CCSI;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the establishment of the Culture Moves Europe mobility scheme for professionals in the CCSI under Creative Europe; regrets, however, that administrative and financial obstacles to mobility still remain; calls for the promotion of cross-border approaches to culture and the search for European partners for the creation of major European cultural co-productions and residencies programmes, with the objective of fostering the mobility of artists and creators by reinforcing cooperation of all involved actors and exchanges of best practices, including with non-EU countries;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen their efforts to provide quality information on mobility and exchange programmes for artists and other cultural professionals and practitioners, as well as material support to tackle all kinds of obstacles to mobility in the CCSI, including administrative, financial and linguistic obstacles, as well as obstacles linked to disability;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers that the professionalworkers in the CCSI, having been seriously hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, must benefit from a genuine European recovery, particularly given the fact that this atypical sector is composed mostly of individuals as well as micro and small sized organisations and companies, often depending on irregular income and lacking long-term financial predictability;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Recalls, however, that the heterogeneity of public investments leads to the CCSI recovering at different speeds, causing increased disparities within the EU’s cultural ecosystem and threatening Europe’s cultural diversity; underlines that the recovery of the CCSI must go hand-in-hand with the ongoing efforts towards increased sustainability and digitalisation;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes with regret that the procedures to apply for EU funding are often burdensome; calls on the Commission to further simplify these procedures, including those for the Creative Europe programme, are often still too burdensome and create unnecessarily obstacles for all potential beneficiaries, especially micro and small sized organisations in the CCSI, whose administrative capacities are limited, with regards to organisations both in Europe and in third countries; therefore calls on the Commission to further simplify these procedures to allow a wider pool and variety of organisations to have access to EU funding;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Asks the Commission to respect the principle of multilingualism when adapting these procedures, permitting applications in all 24 official languages of the EU in order to allow a fair chance to organisations and individuals who do not have the capacity or means to ensure translation into English;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the recent setting-up of ‘cascade funding’; invites the Commission to further develop such schemes; as a means to better reach all beneficiaries, especially individuals and small- and medium-sized organisations; invites the Commission to further develop such schemes in all programmes of relevance to the CCSI; advises the Commission to consider, when setting up such schemes involving intermediary organisations, the issues of potential conflict of interest between the intermediary and the final recipients, the overhead costs for intermediaries in the logistics and administration of the grants, the criteria for selection and final evaluations of the grants;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that EU and national cultural policies and initiatives are backed by sufficient funding and capacities, in order to move beyond a crisis-management approach and adopt instead a long-term strategy for cultural policies;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls the Commission’s key objective of accompanying the development of creative partnerships between the cultural and other sectors such as ICT, research and development, urban planning and sustainable tourism, to reinforce the social and economic impact of investments in culture and creativity, in particular towards the promotion of growth and jobs and the development and attractiveness of regions and cities; notes in particular the positive contribution of the EU Digital Innovation Hubs and the Creative Innovation Labs, which support European industries in their innovation capacity respectively in the digital and audiovisual areas;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights the success of the European Capitals of Culture initiative with respect to the development of cities and regions across the EU and associated countries; welcomes the Commission’s Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor, developed by the Joint Research Centre, which contributes to objectively assessing the cultural and natural assets of regions and cities, based on the link between culture and tourism; encourages the Commission to follow up on the Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities policy project, to promote cultural participation and social and urban regeneration;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Advises the Commission and the Member States to build on the recommendations of the OMC report on Sustainable Cultural Tourism to ensure the correct balance is achieved between safeguarding and conserving cultural heritage on the one hand and enhancing visitor access and facilities on the other; at the same time, urges the Member States to remain vigilant on the risks of mass tourism for cultural heritage as well as natural ecosystems;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Acknowledges the important contribution of the New European Bauhaus initiative, which aims to deliver the EU’s Green New Deal targets by bridging the worlds of science, technology, art and culture, mainstreaming environmental sustainability throughout all EU policies;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Highlights the vast contribution that the arts and culture make to raising awareness of environmental, climate and sustainability issues, and inspiring positive behavioural change; particularly, recalls that traditional knowledge, which constitutes part of cultural heritage, is key to enhancing climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Encourages the Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Member States to design their cultural programmes in line with the principles of environmental sustainability and the fight against the climate crisis; , and assess the environmental impact of all EU-funded projects throughout their life cycle; recommends stakeholders and beneficiaries of EU funding to seek the most environmentally-friendly methods and approaches in the design, planning and implementation of their projects;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Welcomes the OMC report on “Strengthening Cultural Heritage Resilience for Climate Change – Where the European Green Deal meets Cultural Heritage” and encourages the Commission and Member States to actively follow up on the recommendations and avail of the good practice examples;
Amendment 262 #
23b. Points out that special attention should be given to sustainability issues during the restoration of cultural heritage and traditional buildings; emphasises the need for further exchanges of best practices between Member States as well as with third countries on innovative measures to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings, while preserving their architectural interest or historic character;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23c. Welcomes the inclusion of the “Culture, Creative & Inclusive Society” cluster within Horizon Europe and the increase of calls on research and innovation in the field of cultural heritage and the CCSI, and welcomes the recent launch of the new European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)’s Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on Culture and Creativity; looks forward to the results of these calls for proposals, particularly the contribution that research and innovation can make to developing European ICR;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Acknowledges digitalisation as a means of maximising the benefits of cultural heritage; stresses the challenges imposed by digitalisation on the CCSI and their need for constant rethinking and reshaping business models; emphasises the importance of guaranteed funding for digitalisation, preservation and online availability of cultural and creative content and our European cultural heritage; Recalls the importance of investing in digital literacy for all, including as a means to enjoy culture;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers that culture makes a key contribution to fostering mutual understanding and restoring communication on the international stage in challenging global contexts; highlights the role of the EU in promoting a continuous dialogue on cultural policies between its Member States and third countries;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Points out the difference in terms of decision-making processes, programme design and implementation, and overall philosophy between ‘cultural relations’ and ‘cultural diplomacy’; underlines that both approaches can coexist and complement each other but that each ultimately serves a different purpose;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Regrets the lack of a clear and coherent strategy for iInternational cCultural rRelations (ICR); strongly encourages the Commission and the EEAS to develop coherent strateg, in collaboration with the EUNIC Clusters and CSOs in third countries, coherent strategies, including defining a common shared understanding of what constitutes ICR and steps towards their implementation, to be endorsed by the Member States and to be implemented by the EU Delegations in third countries;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. UWelcomes the recommendations published by the Voices for Culture SD on ICR and invites the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to take these into due account when developing their ICR strategies; particularly, urges the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to apply a bottom- up, human rights, and a people-to-people approach when building their cultural relations with third countries outside the EU; , and to design and implement their ICR strategy and project programming taking into account the needs and demands of their partner countries and local communities, while treating them as equal partners; stresses that such strategies should answer to the needs and specific political and socio-economic situation of each partner country or region, rather than being the product of a ‘one size fits all’ approach;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29b. Praises the work done by the Member States’ cultural institutes and organisations and by the EUNIC Clusters in third countries; encourages further cooperation between them and the development of their network with local CSOs, with a particular attention to be given to smaller Member States and Member States with limited or no cultural visibility abroad, and to their cultural representation needs;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes the fact that several Commission and EEAS units are engaging in cross-cutting work on ICR; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to improve the coordination mechanisms between the entities concerned, including through the creation of more coherent and streamlined working methods, in order to maximise efficiency, avoid overlapping actions and ensure institutional memory;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the creation of cultural focal points in EU dDelegations; encourages the EU dDelegations to strengthen their role and integrate them under their political teams, rather than their communications and events teams; calls for the allocation of the necessary budgetary and personnel resources to the EU’s ICR and cultural diplomacy teams in the Commission and EEAS headquarters, as well as in the EU delegationDelegations, in order to facilitate cultural cooperation with local actors and academia in third countries;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Encourages the Member States and the EEAS to integrate coaching on cultural policies, ICR and cultural diplomacy in the training of all their diplomatic staff, in order to raise awareness amongst diplomats of ICR as a key, independent field within public diplomacy, and build the appropriate political and policy competences in the field of ICR and cultural diplomacy; looks forward to the results of the newly launched European Diplomatic Academy based on a European Parliament pilot project and to the publication in November of the feasibility study commissioned by the EEAS;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Welcomes the initialfirst results of the Preparatory Action European Spaces of Culture; invites the Commission to continue funding itEuropean Spaces of Culture Preparatory Action; underlines the positive outcomes of the innovative collaboration models undertaken by the project partners, based on a call for ideas co-created with local stakeholders in the spirit of equal partnership; invites the Commission to continue funding this highly successful action; encourages cultural actors in the EU and third countries to explore further modalities of collaboration, such as co- creation of joint works of art, to foster mutual understanding;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Insists on the need to step up the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural goods; welcomes the recent Commission consultation in preparation of a new Action Plan to provide a clear, comprehensive and effective framework to the EU contribution to fight illicit trafficking of cultural goods, aiming at disrupting criminal activities and protecting cultural heritage in the internal market, as part of the EU strategy on organised crime;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Recalls the importance of promoting culture as a facilitator of sustainable development, which brings high potential for social and economic growth; calls on the Commission to facilitate the contribution of cultural actors to sustainable development through their active participation in regular dialogue, professional networks and multi-stakeholder partnerships, as well as through NDICI-funded actions in the area of culture;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Recalls that, within the SDGs, promoting and safeguarding culture is both an end in itself and, notably as enshrined in targets 4.7, 8.9 and 11.4, as well as a key contributor to the implementation of the UN 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development; highlights the transversal nature of culture and cultural projects, which enables them to contribute positively to the achievement of all SDGs; invites the Commission, EU Delegations to third countries and the Member States to explore further the interlinkages between culture and cultural policies and the achievement of all SDGs;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Highlights the potential of culture and tangible and intangible cultural heritage as a vector of peace, reconciliation and conflict prevention; recalls that the destruction of cultural heritage may constitute a war crime, and in this respect recalls the Responsibility to Protect commitments undertaken by the Member States including in respect of protection of cultural heritage in the aftermath of as well as during armed conflicts;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)