2019
Mihaela-Augustina DUMITRAȘCU, Assoc. Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Culture – A Component of the European Union` s international relationships
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.31178/AUBD.2019.12
Abstract: According to the European Commission, culture and creativity are at the
heart of the European project. Cultural diversity is an asset for the EU, but
according to the findings of this institution, linguistic and cultural
differences have the effect of fragmenting the market. At the same time,
Europe's culture and creation sector contributes to economic growth,
employment, innovation and social cohesion, the European creation and culture
sector being more resilient than other sectors in an economic crisis, accord to
the official site of the European Commission.
From the point of view of competences, it should be
noted that each EU country addresses cultural and audiovisual issues in its own
way. EU action is complementary to national measures, bringing a new dimension,
these are complementary competences. In the Commission's wording, the information
gathered by the EU can be used as a support for national decisions or can
provide examples of good practices from which others might inspire.
With regard to the EU's cultural objectives, we have
to mention the 2007 European Agenda for Culture, a very important document that
promotes: cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, culture as a catalyst
for creativity and innovation and culture as a component of relations
international relations of the EU.
An important aspect is also the fact that as part of
the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions, the EU has committed itself to transforming cultural
diversity into an essential element of its external action and giving Europe a
more active cultural role in international relations.
In this article, we will go through EU's competences
regarding culture within its borders, but we will also see how this
organization addresses culture as an element of its international relations.
And then, we will have a brief look at how multiculturalism is currently
approached within the EU, in the special and complex context of migration.
Keywords: culture, multiculturalism, competences, European Union, external relations
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