Why we need European cultural policies: the impact of EU ...

Instead of a conclusionThe aim of this study was to analyze the impact of EU enlargement on cultural policies in transitioncountries and in the light of that, to explore the need for European-level cultural policies.My project used the example of EU enlargement to ask the following questions:■■■■Which are those `other’ shared policies that affect cultural policies?Is the influence of such policies positive or negative?What are the responses to the enlargement from new EU member states?Are there some measures that the EU should adopt to counterbalance the impact ofcross-cutting measures – such as taxation – on cultural policies?This research has come up against numerous obstacles; as a result many important elementshave been left out altogether or mentioned only marginally. Some questions remained unansweredeither because it was difficult to gather necessary information and data, or it was simply toosoon to assess certain processes. However, from the beginning the idea was to argue for moreresearch and for more consideration of the need for further integration of cultural aspects in theEU’s policy-making.It is difficult to predict how European integration is going to proceed, especially after the rejectionof the Draft Constitution in 2005 by two founding EU member countries and the current debatesabout the need for future enlargement. Still, it is likely that the liberalization and integration of asingle market will continue. If so, European cultural policies will face a dilemma; in the name of`democratization’ they will want to broaden access to cultural goods and at the same time, theywill be concerned about liberalization, again in the name of `democratization’, destroying theeffects of their own measures (Breznik 2004).The solution of this dilemma has to be found. I believe a common cultural policy for the EU couldhelp to ensure that culture is treated equally with other sectors. It would also lead to the creationof measures to protect and promote cultural diversity and would ensure equal respect for both theeconomic and the cultural aspects of cultural goods and services.This brings me back to the beginning of the study and its discussion of the definition of cultureand the methodology for research of cultural policies. Even though there are both some legalbarriers and political unwillingness to change current treatment of culture in the EuropeanUnion, I believe that an equally important obstacle lies in in the existence of so many conflictingunderstandings of the definition, main scope and goals of cultural policy. This prevents anyconsensus on possible common goals of cultural policies and, even more importantly, commoninstruments for achieving those goals. I believe that there is a need, therefore, for more policyorientedresearch of culture and also that it is necessary to realize that culture will be moreand more dependent and interlinked with other policies, especially where its economic ortechnological aspects are becoming dominant.Instead of a conclusion75