When it is about European cohesion, culture matters most.
Never before were people so generous to culture, when interviewed by Eurobarometer. This spring, as they were asked to sort issues that are able to create a feeling of community among EU citizens, Europeans put culture clearly on top: 31% of respondents mentioned culture as one of the three most decisive issues.
The winning ticket would be culture – history – values, the three things that most people would identify as the ties that best bind the Union. Ten years ago it was economy – culture – history. In people’s minds the EU has shifted from a community of economic interests towards a value community.
At the same time, in most EU countries 2018, the cultural budget does not reach 1% of the state budget. However, something is happening in the cities (and possibly even in rural areas). In the EU, cities compare with other cities, not just within their own countries. To attract and further improve the lives of residents and tourists, art and culture are used as important building blocks. Ljubljana in Slovenia and Ghent in Belgium have both cultural budgets above 10% of the city's total budget. And several cities, such as Nantes in France, are employing high-level artistic leaders in the city's management.