A chara, - I am writing in relation to today's (September 30th) article on Professor Brigid Laffan's critique of EU policies on culture. While I strongly agree with the need to develop and implement cultural policies and "cultural impact assessments", I would like to draw your attention to some work in progress which gives ground for optimism.
In July 1995 the first ever International cultural cooperation agency, Interarts Observatory, was set up in Barcelona, following ten years of cultural policy thinking and formulation between the Council of Europe and other international organisations such as CIRCLE (Cultural Information and Research Centres Liaison in Europe). The observatory was set up as an attempt to safeguard the cultural issues that were, and continue to be, at stake in the process of modernisation taking place within Europe.
One of the roles of the observatory is to build a new political consensus around cultural, objectives on a European level and to encourage innovation in urban and regional cultural policies through a number of purpose oriented partnership schemes, using local distribution links which already exist, or might be set up in the member countries.
There is a small level of Irish involvement in the projects coordinated by Interarts. However due to the lack of information in general on European cultural initiatives, it is impossible for artists, arts organisations, arts administrators etc, in Ireland to participate in the design and creation of the cultural Europe of the future. Finally, I find it ironic that, with all the emphasis on the need to place the cultural dimension in a more central position in the policy making deliberations of the EU, we do not even have an officer for European Cultural Affairs in our Arts Council. - Is mise le meas,
Glenbrook Park,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.