(03 October 2013) – Speaking in Vilnius at a conference organised by the Lithuanian EU Presidency on cultural policy, Anton Rombouts, Chair of the Committee of the Regions’ (CoR) EDUC commission and Mayor of the city of ‘s Hertogenbosch, reiterated his call to see culture and creativity better integrated in the Europe 2020 Strategy.
Building on the CoR opinion on “Cultural and Creative Sectors for Growth and Jobs”, Mr Rombouts stressed that, “Cities and regions not only provide the bulk of funding for culture in most areas of Europe, but they also act as laboratories for cultural and creative experimentation and innovation, and play a key role in the development of cultural and creative clusters”.
Mr Rombouts also insisted on the key role of cities and regions in developing and fostering culture, especially in protecting cultural heritage and promoting artistic innovation. He called for culture and creativity to become better integrated in the Europe 2020 Strategy, particularly through the flagship initiatives “Innovation Union”, “A Digital Agenda for Europe”, and “An agenda for new skills and jobs”.
On 29 January 2014 the CoR will organise a conference entitled “Europe’s got talents: Regions and Cities make a difference for culture and creativity”. Participants will include policy-makers, experts, representatives of European associations and international organisations, academics in the field of culture, as well as cultural and creative entrepreneurs and artists.