Exit Europe is an international conference focusing on European cultural polices, with a particular emphasis on new cultural practices in the former Yugoslav countries and a critical reassessment of the EU enlargement process from the perspective of emerging political and social geographies.

Recommendations listed here are a product of meetings and discussions that took place during Exit Europe conference and pre-conference events (Skopje, Sarajevo and Zagreb, October-November 2009), with contributions from previous meetings of Clubture’s regional policy group.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

• EU and it’s institutions, as well as other international associations, need to acknowledge the territory of former Yugoslavia as a space of social and cultural integrity that should be further developed in order to bridge the gaps that were produced equally by post-Yugoslav conflicts, as well as the international politics in this region
• Region needs to be recognized as integral part of Europe and as an important, structural, inherent element of further development of the European community, a part of common cultural and social space
• EU institutions should recognize the existing intensity of cultural production and exchange developed by the independent cultural scene in this region, i.e. by civil society organizations
• EU needs to understand the differences concerning cultural and wider social (and political) system in which the scene operates and to acknowledge it’s specific position and distinctive qualities
• EU needs to recognize independent cultural scene’s potentials to foster true integration of this region into the European community, because of it’s abilities of influencing people and communities, and therefore it’s potential to contribute the process of building the European citizenship
• EU needs to recognize cultural civil society organizations in the region as the most valuable resources for defining needs and priorities as they operate on the ground and have direct insight in everyday life of people
• Cultural civil society organizations should be consulted during processes of defining strategies, programmes or interventions that concern cultural (and in many cases wider social) developments
• EU needs to acknowledge the fact that organizations in this region currently have less developed capacities and are working in unsatisfactory conditions (concerning available infrastructure, financial resources, long-term support etc.) compared to their “Western” peers. Their position concerning available funding opportunities in existing programs such as Culture Programme is respectively different, even if they are legible to participate. Concerning these issues, EU needs to:
  • develop specific grant schemes included in the existing programmes, or to create new ones
  • grant schemes should include measures, which would take into consideration lower financial and other capacities of those organizations and their countries (for instance, rules concerning number of needed partners, matching funds etc.)
  • the above mentioned measures should be time-framed in accordance with other measures aimed at capacity building, as well as to serve as instruments to bridge the existing gap until the moment in future when working conditions and basic resources will be at similar level as they are in other European countries
• EU needs to continue and press on mainstreaming culture into other EU policies, in order to promote it’s role and it’s values, as well as not to separate it from the sphere of everyday living, but to make it more accessible and visible to people
• Through existing support programs and, more importantly, by developing specific ones, using both pre-accession instruments and specific Community programs, EU should provide:
  • small grants for initiating and simultaneously, long-term financial support for programme exchange, cooperation and co-production in the region, with special emphasis on intercultural dimension
  • more accessible and flexible short-term (ad-hoc) funds for mobility, both in the region and between region and the rest of Europe (small grants for meetings, conferences, residence programmes, internship programmes etc., for networks, organizations and individuals)
  • long-term, structural and operational support for the establishment of new, and the development of existing programmes and advocacy oriented networks in the region (networks that gathered various artists and cultural actors, that are developed according to the bottom-up principle and that enable genuine, direct and productive cooperation between their members and that are organized on principles of participative decision-making) – support on national and regional level;
  • capacity building, enabling know-how transfer and information sharing in respective fields (such as network development, advocacy, management, etc.) according to specific needs assessed “on the ground”; know-how transfer in two directions: between organizations in the region and between region and the rest of Europe (support for cross-border internships, development and operation of structured informal educational curricula, organization of seminars and workshops, etc.)
  • support for development and regular functioning of regional on-line information platform that would provide accurate and relevant information in order to foster cultural cooperation both in the region and with EU members (portfolios of cultural organizations and their programmes; initiatives for reforms and policy changes; base of experts; available funding etc.)
  • support for investments in new cultural infrastructure and development of new models of more efficient governance (new types of institutions based on partnership between public sector, civil society and business sector). That kind of infrastructure (such as new cultural centres or meeting points, etc.) would provide necessary precondition for more equal participation of this region in Europe-wide cultural cooperation and exchange, and therefore in building common European public sphere
  • support for various actions aimed at structural changes in public policies and reforms of cultural system, such as: advocacy for inclusive, participative cultural policies; fostering transparent cultural strategies; lobbing for legislative changes; promoting and implementing new models of organization and management in cultural sector; research on cultural policies etc.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO LOCAL / NATIONAL LEVELS

• To provide instruments for long-term development of independent sector (operational grants, infrastructure, capacity building etc.) in coordination with support coming from the EU and international organizations. In doing so, investments coming from abroad would be used for real structural changes in the system
• To initiate processes of creating national and local cultural strategies based on participation of all stakeholders; and to build their capacities for implementation of such strategies
• To include support for cultural cooperation in the region in the list of priorities of financing international collaboration
• To participate in know-how transfer and exchange of best practices concerning cultural policies with their peers in the region
• To provide adequate matching funds for projects financed from EU funds, as well as to maintain regular dynamics of instalments, in order to provide these projects to resume without obstacles.

Post your opinion on the policy recommendations here:

http://exiteurope.net/2009/12/exit-europe-position-paper/