PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY
Name: Network of European Museum Organisations - NEMO
Contact details:
Address: In der Halde 1
Phone number: +49/30/84109517
E-mail:
Country of residence: Germany
Language of your contribution: English
Type of organisation:
Member State
Public authority
Registered organisation
Registered company
Individual citizen
Non-registered organisation/company
x Other, please specify: Network (NGO)
Main area(s) covered by your contribution:
Economic and financial affairs
Competitiveness
Industry
Single market
Employment
Research, development and innovation
Digital economy
Climate, energy and resource efficiency
Education
Poverty/social exclusion
x Other, please specify: CULTURE (Museums)
Register ID number (if you/your organisation is registered in the Transparency register): 435166212247-84
Your reply:
x can be published with your personal information
can be published in an anonymous way
cannot be published
A) Background for the public consultation:
The Europe 2020 strategy was launched in March 2010 as the EU's strategy for promoting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It aims to achieve a knowledge-based, competitive European economy while preserving the EU's social market economy model and improving resource efficiency. It was thus conceived as a partnership between the EU and its Member States driven by the promotion of growth and jobs.
The Europe 2020 strategy is built around five headline targets in the areas of employment, research and development, climate and energy[1], education and the fight against poverty and social exclusion. The strategy also set out a series of action programmes, called "flagship initiatives", in seven fields considered to be key drivers for growth, namely innovation, the digital economy, employment and youth, industrial policy, poverty and resource efficiency. The objectives of the strategy are also supported by action at EU level in areas such as the single market, the EU budget and the EU external agenda.
The Europe 2020 strategy is implemented and monitored in the context of the European Semester, the yearly cycle of coordination of economic and budgetary policies at EU level. The European Semester involves discussion among EU institutions on broad priorities, annual commitments by the Member States and country-specific recommendations prepared by the Commission and endorsed at the highest level by leaders in the European Council. These recommendations should then be taken on board in the Member States' policies and budgets. As such, together with the EU budget, the country-specific recommendations are key instruments for the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.
After four years, the Commission has proposed, and the European Council of 20-21 March 2014 has agreed, to initiate a review of the Europe 2020 strategy. On 5 March 2014, the Commission adopted a Communication "Taking stock of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth" (Communication and Annexes ). drawing preliminary lessons on the first years of implementation of the strategy. Building on these first outcomes and in a context of a gradual recovery of the European economies, it is time to reflect on the design of the strategy for the coming years.
Through these questions, we are seeking your views on the lessons learned from the early years of the Europe 2020 strategy and on the elements to be taken into account in its further development, in order to build the post-crisis growth strategy of the EU.
B) Questions:
1) Taking stock: the Europe 2020 strategy over 2010-2014
Content and implementation
· For you, what does the Europe 2020 strategy mean? What are the main elements that you associate with the strategy?
The strategy is an agenda for growth that is mostly considered economic growth, based on
1. smart growth (developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation promotion of know-how; innovation, education, digital community);
2. sustainable development (the "green" economy; low carbon emissions; efficiency of resources; competitiveness);
3. inclusive growth (enlarged labour market, specialisation; fight against poverty high-employment economy delivering social and territorial cohesion).
The indicators by which the strategy is monitored are:
Employment –raising the employment rate for women and men aged 20-64 to 75%, including through the greater participation of young people;
Education - improving education levels, in particular by aiming to reduce school drop-out rates to less than 10% and by increasing the share of 30-34 years old having completed tertiary or equivalent education to at least 40%;
Sustainability - reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 1990 levels, increasing the share of renewables in final energy consumption to 20% and moving towards a 20% increase in energy efficiency;
Research and development -raising combined public and private investment levels in this sector to 3% of the EU's GDP;
Social inclusion - Lifting at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty or exclusion.
· Overall, do you think that the Europe 2020 strategy has made a difference? Please explain.
In general terms, the strategy has had the effect of focusing the attention (and the efforts) on well defined targets, i.e. the ones listed above. The comparison between average EU performance with regard to these targets and national performance and the benchmarking exercise can prove beneficial and effective in stimulating national performances. In other words, one could say that the EU 2020 Strategy has provided national economies/Member States with useful benchmarks against which to measure their performance.
A good step has been done in prioritising a sustainable and socially responsible growth that is based on Europe’s knowledge capital. However, the role of culture as a development resource is not sufficiently acknowledged in Europe’s strategic vision for the future and, therefore its potential remains largely untapped. Most tellingly, the word “culture” is not mentioned in the EU 2020 Strategy at all, even though the Cultural and Creative Sectors are a significant driver of growth and jobs in Europe. They offer a key source of creativity and innovation, while also contributing significantly to social cohesion and well-being.
The 2012 EC Communication on the promotion of CCS for growth and jobs in the EU and most recently, the Council Conclusions on “Cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe” constitute good steps towards the recognition of the contribution of culture, and in particular cultural heritage, to Europe’s development agenda. They both acknowledge the contribution of the sector to the achievement of an economically viable, creating jobs, socially and environmentally sustainable and ultimately, internationally competitive Europe, while at the same time admitting that this dynamic deserves to be more strategically exploited. It is thus necessary to take culture in general, and heritage in particular, into account when readjusting the means to reach the goals of the 2020 strategy.
· Has the knowledge of what other EU countries are doing in Europe 2020 areas impacted on the approach followed in your country? Please give examples.
There is a growing concern over the assessment of the cultural sector’s economic impact shared by most European countries. The constant demand for evidence to prove the contribution of culture in the creation of jobs and growth is connected with the need to make the case for culture stronger and thus justify public expenditure for the sector. Although this is understandable in times of diminishing public financial resources, development policies and strategies at national and EU level need not overlook the social and educational values of culture and heritage, including museums.
Future planning requires a holistic approach to development whereby culture is an integral part. This approach is constantly gaining ground in research (e.g. COST Action) and voiced by international organisations (e.g. UNESCO) or civil society umbrella organisations (e.g. Culture Action Europe).
· Has there been sufficient involvement of stakeholders in the Europe 2020 strategy? Are you involved in the Europe 2020 strategy? Would you like to be more involved? If yes, how?
Civil society should be more involved in shaping the strategy and its immediate implications. This review is a good step towards opening the discussion.
As NEMO represents museum organisations and their museums across Europe, has expert knowledge of their common problems and voices their concerns, we believe that a more active involvement in consultations on future EU policies which also affect the cultural fields would be of benefit to all parties. NEMO could particularly share insights on the way the museum sector in Europe contributes to the goals of the EU strategy, in particular in the fields of cultural tourism, digitisation, innovation and the creative economy.
Museums being part of the culture sector in Europe regard culture as one of the drivers for Europe’s growth, a sustainable and social one on which a cohesive Europe builds upon.
This consultation might prove more effective if organised through experts groups or civil society platforms. Although a discussion about the strategy’s goals is necessary, online consultations tend to be one-way information exchanges.
Tools
· Do the current targets for 2020 respond to the strategy's objectives of fostering growth and jobs? [Targets: to have at least 75% of people aged 20-64 in employment; to invest 3% of GDP in research and development; to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20%, increase the share of renewables to 20% and improve energy efficiency by 20%; to reduce school drop-out rates to below 10% and increase the share of young people with a third-level degree or diploma to at least 40%; to ensure at least 20 million fewer people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion].
The current targets exclude museums’ (and in the wider context heritage and culture’s) potential to respond to a growing Europe. Especially in the socially connected targets (social exclusion, education, job growth) museums have a considerable potential that remains not fully tapped and visible at EU policy level. The creative and the cultural sectors have been growing, even despite the financial crisis, and represent the most promising sectors for job growth in Europe. Museums and culture at large have a strong standpoint in both sectors. They should be taken into account when reviewing the targets.
· Among current targets, do you consider that some are more important than others? Please explain.
The reduction of poverty and social exclusion; the raising of educational levels. In general, the effort to have more and better educated citizens in Europe with a better “cultural capital” to spend should prove its value in the medium/long run.
· We consider the question of sustainability, its incorporation into all areas of government and society, and how progress towards sustainability can be made and measured, is an increasingly important aspect, especially with regard to culture.
In a difficult economic context, Europe faces growing social problems: hyper nationalism, interreligious problems, social tensions, political polarism, and xenophobia. Europe needs more support in reaching social cohesion and active intercultural dialogue. This can be achieved through investing in Europe’s social capital that is nourished by a vital and healthy culture.
· Do you find it useful that EU-level targets are broken down into national targets? If so, what is, in your view, the best way to set national targets? So far, have the national targets been set appropriately/too ambitiously/not ambitiously enough?
National situations differ considerably, this has to be reflected in the targets set at national context. Consultation with all stakeholders (all tiers of government, cultural operators, and civil society) would help to set targets in a more realistic, pragmatic manner to address the specific context.
· What has been the added value of the seven action programmes for growth? Do you have concrete examples of the impact of such programmes? ["Flagship initiatives": "Digital agenda for Europe", "Innovation Union", "Youth on the move", "Resource efficient Europe", "An industrial policy for the globalisation era", "Agenda for new skills and jobs", "European platform against poverty"].
The Digital Agenda has supported the digitisation of cultural heritage has a means for democratization, access and creative economy support, which has had an immense added value not only for museums but for society. In this connection, Europeana has established itself as driver to better access cultural heritage and as facilitator and incubator for unleashing creative potential in Europe.
Within the agenda for new skills and jobs museums have established themselves as learning environments in a lifelong learning perspective and can engage hard to reach audiences with their informal learning potential.
2) Adapting the Europe 2020 strategy: the growth strategy for a post-crisis Europe
Content and implementation
· Does the EU need a comprehensive and overarching medium-term strategy for growth and jobs for the coming years?
EU needs a comprehensive and overarching medium-term strategy not only for growth and jobs, but for a socially sustainable, more equitable and inclusive Europe, a policy for Cultural Development. In this regard, the museums and culture sector at large can play an important role and should be consulted and made use of.
This strategy should also take into account the importance for Europe to position itself in the international context with its rich culture capital, its creative potential and make use of the culture potential in environmental and touristic matters.
It should be stressed that culture is a comparative advantage for Europe and should be given special attention in a strategy aimed to increase international competitiveness.
· What are the most important and relevant areas to be addressed in order to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth?
The reviewed and updated EU 2020 Strategy should recognize that Europe is first of all a cultural and political project whose base is a healthy European cultural identity. In this regard, museums are very important actors and contribute to the shaping and understanding of each individual and collective identity offering interpretation of our history, present and future.
With regard to the areas to be addressed, NEMO fully supports the “Council conclusions on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe” from 21 May 2014, stating that: “cultural heritage plays an important role in creating and enhancing social capital and contribution to economic growth.”
In order to validate, streamline and enhance the culture potential, the Council conclusions invite the Commission to: “improve the collection and analysis of qualitative evidence and quantitative data, including statistics, on cultural heritage;”