Following the release of the Culture Compass for Europe by the European Commission, the EESC organised a public hearing to discuss the document. Gathering key institutional actors, civil society organisations, social partners and experts, the debate and discussions aimed to contribute to the preparation of the EESC Opinion (SOC/853) on the topic.
The Culture Compass for Europe is a strategic framework intended to place culture at the heart of EU policymaking. It is a key instrument necessitated by the challenges of the sector, such as censorship, unequal access to culture, inadequate and precarious working conditions, and the digital transition. While EU policy and recognition have the potential to address these challenges, the cooperative movement has its own solutions that must be combined with ambitious policy in order to elevate and strengthen the culture sector. In fact, the Compass may provide a unique opportunity to align EU cultural policy with not-for-profit, community-led and inclusive models based on collective and democratic ownership, such as cooperatives.
Within the CECOP network, there are cooperatives active in the performing arts, music, publishing, visual arts, design, crafts and artisan production and cultural heritage. They play a dual role in the cultural and creative sectors: they act both as employers providing quality jobs for cultural workers, and as community-rooted providers of inclusive cultural services that are not profit-driven but who ensure access to culture for all, including marginalised groups.
During the hearing, representatives of institutions, such as the EESC and the European Commission Directorate-General Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) provided general remarks and feedback on the Compass as a whole, while representatives of UNESCO and other stakeholders active in the culture sector provided feedback on the various axes of the Compass.
The Compass aims to guide EU policy towards four key directions, supported by horizontal actions to mobilise investment in European culture. The four axes are:
- upholding European values and cultural rights
- empowering artists and cultural professionals
- strengthening competitiveness, resilience and social cohesion through culture
- promoting Europe’s cultural relations globally.
In her intervention, CECOP Secretary General Diana Dovgan focused on Axes 2 and 3.
Axis 2 (empowering artists and cultural professionals) correctly identifies the importance of ensuring decent working conditions, as the culture sector is characterised by precarious working conditions: instability, low incomes, part-time and unpredictable gig work, and a lack of access to social protection.
Cooperatives can also help tackling these challenges, as demonstrated by the increase of cooperatives among the self-employed or freelancers, such as the Belgian cooperative, Smart, or the Italian Doc Servizi, owned and controlled by freelancers active in the arts and the creative industry (further information and examples can be found in the CECOP report, All for One). Through such models, freelancers can mutualise services and costs, reduce work and income insecurity, while at the same time benefiting from autonomy and flexibility.
Being a member of a cooperative, as a worker or a service beneficiary is also about practicing democracy, cultivating citizenship, critical thinking and solidarity. Cooperatives advance cultural literacy and build societies that are open to diversity, respectful of rights.
"Cooperatives represent a means to guarantee artistic freedom, pluralism, and editorial independence, while contributing to social inclusion and cohesion by improving marginalised groups' access to culture." – CECOP Secretary General Diana Dovgan
As Axis 3 (strengthening competitiveness, resilience and social cohesion through culture) points out, there is a lot of untapped potential in the EU’s cultural and creative sectors. Cultural heritage and tourism deserve more attention, and sustainable, inclusive, and accessible initiatives must be championed.
Cooperatives active in the tourism sector preserve local cultural but also industrial heritage, while promoting the history and values of the cooperative movement. They develop the local area in a sustainable way, while involving the community in the process.
As the EU navigates its cultural strategy, CECOP calls policymakers to recognise and support cooperative models as essential tools for achieving the Culture Compass’s goals: strengthening cultural democracy, fostering creative freedoms, and ensuring dignity and sustainability for cultural workers across Europe.
