12th Assembly of Experts of the Council of Europe -CEG 3 Regional Cultural Policy Issues
Summary of work stream
Why Regions
Regions are important cultural policy drivers and have led many of Europe’s most innovative cultural developments. Regions also experience pressures for change to cultural policy, such as austerity funding or market conditions, more directly than nations and national institutions. Research at the regional level is relatively underdeveloped. Where studies do exist they often purely advocacy focused.
Definitions
Regions take many shapes and forms and are defined by different combinations of factors. The Group will not look to define a common approach to what comprises a region and will engage with a variety of types, that may include, for example, a Leader Region, a City Region, a cultural entity or an emerging nation. Regions may be economically determined, politically determined, geo-demographically determined, or culturally or linguistically determined.
Approach
The members of the Group will adopt a performative approach, each identify a case study that they consider will be of interest to the work of the Compendium and a wider constituency of interests. A common methodology will be applied to each case study.
Outcomes
The project will look to demonstrate the value of regional cultural policy in the European context and to identify common themes impacting on policy development at the regional level. The intention, maybe aspiration, is to present the findings to the EU Committee of the Regions and the Assembly of European Regions.
The Process
The first step is for members to refresh their knowledge, beginning with two key publications: Culture in Europe: regions and cultural decentralisation, M.d’Angelo & P. Vesperini ( and Culture and Regions in Europe, R. Palmer.
We will try to organise a group meeting in the Spring to establish the detail of the work stream. The next step is to agree a standard method for each case study that is flexible enough to respond to the differences between each region. The method will establish:
-why is the area defined as a region, what are the key defining characteristics
-what are the regional and local cultural policies
-what are the local, national, international and region to region relationships
-what drives cultural policy at the regional level
-how do we create a picture of each region, bearing in mind the comments in yesterdays presentations about the need for pragmatism, but also some ambition to have an impact
-what are the competencies
-what are the resources, including budgets for culture
-what are the cultural issues and debates, and priorities
-what defines the cultural activities: broadcasting; devolved cultural expenditure; heritage; religion; language etc.
-how national, or international developments and trends are impacting on the region
Our ambition
That we can identify common themes and trends effecting regional cultural policy, and develop understanding of how regional cultural policy impacts on the national and transnational levels. We will also create case studies that regions may find useful in considering their own policy development.