The statement was issued on 12 October 2017, the last day of the <link http: ec.europa.eu regional_policy regions-and-cities index.cfm>European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels, Belgium.
NEMO endorses the statement in which the alliance welcomes the acknowledgment of the crucial role that regions and cities should play at the European policy level and the sessions focussed on culture held during the European Week.
"[...]culture and the arts are the basis and a powerful tool for urban regeneration, development and social cohesion."
Because culture has such a strong impact on the attractiveness of regions and cities, their economic and social deveopment, it is important to recognise this during the European Week of Regions and Cities and in the future European cohesion policy.
In this context, the alliance regrets that the 7th cohesion report of the European Commission, which was presented at the opening of the European Week of Regions and Cities, does not take into account culture and the arts in its findings related to the measuring of social progress, education, well-being, health and urban infrastructures and in general in the future shape of cohesion policy.
While the Committee of the Regions recognised the role of culture in several recent opinions on the future and social dimension of Europe, the European, regional and local policy makers are not yet supporting culture and the arts in the framework of the EU economic, social and territorial cohesion policy to unlock their untapped potential in regions and cities.
This statement is a call to policy makers to recognise culture and the arts as key contributors to the European Union's future cohesion policy.
Find the <link file:2880 download file>full statement here.
The <link https: allianceforculture.com external-link-new-window external link to website of european alliance for culture and the arts in new>European Alliance for Culture and the Arts is an initiative of 35 European cultural networks that aims to endorse the value of culture to respond to social, economic and religious tensions.
