About: culture

Georgia’s growing soft power

Great wines, bohemian restaurants, breath-taking landscapes, fascinating architecture and vibrant cities are Georgia’s soft power, writes Fraser Cameron.

Europe’s ‘MIT’ wants to accelerate innovation and support creativity

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology often referred to as "Europe's MIT", is a little over ten years old and has already supported more than a hundred projects. It is now preparing to launch a branch to promote culture and the creative industries. EURACTIV France reports.

Quality wine consumption is best way to tackle binge drinking, wine sector says

Getting drunk is not the point of drinking wine, representatives from the wine sector said at a EURACTIV event to celebrate 10 years of an international programme that promotes a satisfactory and healthy approach to wine consumption.

A new Horizon for Europe’s Media, Cultural and Creative industries

Media and the Cultural and Creative Industries are underrepresented in policies and actions aimed at promoting research and innovation in the EU. Luciano Morganti and Heritiana Ranaivoson present their reflections and recommendations for the future of these sectors.

French government reshuffle propels three new ministers into European arena

France has new ministers for agriculture, culture and the interior after a government reshuffle. The new portfolio-holders will be at the forefront of reforms to the CAP, copyright law and the European asylum system. EURACTIV France reports.

Georgia’s culture boom

Many praise Georgia as being a good pupil in the Eastern Partnership class, but cementing contacts between Georgia and EU citizens is much more than signing political agreements, writes Mikheil Batiashvili.

Culture Zone in Katowice: Welcome world, farewell locals?

Over the past decade, Katowice – capital of Poland’s Silesia region – has transformed from a coal and steel city into a booming centre of business and culture. Its Culture Zone hosts major European and international music, cultural and business events and boasts unique architectural pearls.

EU cultural diplomacy must be used as a peace-building and soft power tool

International cultural relations have an enormous and untapped potential within the current global context, in which freedom of expression, human rights and mutual cooperation are under threat, writes Luca Jahier.

What future for Europe?

One of the European Union’s main problems is that we are not sure what it actually is. Žiga Turk asks, is it a free trade area, a giant NGO based in Brussels to do good for Europe and the World, or perhaps a country in the making?

Theatre lessons from Sri Lanka on post-conflict reconciliation at EU Dev Days

The first fruits of the EU’s new “cultural strategy” for external relations was on show at the Development Days conference in Brussels on Wednesday (15 June), as a theatre troupe from both warring sides in Sri Lanka showed how working together could aid in post-conflict resolution.  

The Great Recession novel: David Machado’s Average Happiness Index

SPECIAL REPORT / Economic crises might not be ideal for funding newspapers, but they’ve always inspired great fiction.

Bokova: UN agencies’ role will increase in the post-2015 agenda

SPECIAL REPORT / The role of the United Nations specialised agencies becomes more important under the post-2015 agenda, because they are universal, just like the Sustainable Development Goals, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

A Digital Single Market does not mean a single solution for the future

Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) is the leading platform for TV distribution in Europe and a major provider of jobs. It is time to take into account these dimensions in the Digital Single Market strategy, writes Olivier Huart. 

Where is the culture in the Digital Single Market?

A digital pact is a good idea. But Pascal Rogard asks what is being done to foster the diversity of our cultures.

Lucas Belvaux: ‘This copyright reform will impoverish culture’

The planned reform of EU copyright law has caused a wave of protest among rights holders, who fear the financing of the whole cultural sector will be put at risk. 

Copyright reform or cultural nightmare?

The European Commission sees copyright as an obstacle to the Digital Single Market, but the cultural world is gearing up to defend itself against what it perceives as a threat to an important source of its funding. EURACTIV France reports. 

The relevance of arts trafficking for international security

Over the past two centuries, abuse of antiquities and fine art has evolved from the “spoils of war” into a method of financing terrorism. Nowadays, both the US and UK are concerned about antiquities trafficking as a source of funding for ISIS, leading to calls for international cooperation to counter the market, writes Erik Nemeth.

Carole Tongue: ‘Funding for creative works is under threat in the digital age’

The European Commission is working on proposals to reform EU copyright law, leading some to fear for the protection of authors' rights and the future funding of the creative industries. Carole Tongue explains EURACTIV that a new association of European coalitions for cultural diversity will work to protect culture and copyrights in the EU.

Piracy, the quiet killer of the EU’s cultural industries

The European creative economy shrank between 2008 and 2011 due to inadequate measures to combat piracy. EURACTIV France reports. 

Navracsics sticks to script

Hot on the heels of the Hungarian premier Viktor Orbán having announced his preference for ‘illiberal democracy’, imposing punitive taxes on independent media, and withdrawing the tax status of leftwing NGOs, Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner-designate for Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship seemed especially problematic.

Mr Juncker: please do not undermine authors’ rights

When it comes to intellectual property, few debates have been as fierce as the status of film on the Internet. Filmmaker Bernard Tavernier takes to task Commission initiatives to harmonise author rights in the European Union.

French forum calls for increased funding for EU culture

The French minister of culture, Aurélie Filippetti, united her European counterparts to push for more public and private support to reap the benefits of digital technology. EURACTIV France reports.