Rapporteurs:
Veronica DIRKSEN (Netherlands)
Tamaz SOULADZE (Georgia)

---------------------------

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

INTRODUCTION

The Conference held in Innsbruck on 11 and 12 December 2000 was a major element of the year's work by the Congress Committee on Culture and Education. It covered the theme of “Cities and Regions: cultural diversity – a precondition for a united Europe" and was organised jointly by the Congress and the City of Innsbruck.

The Rapporteurs would convey the sincerest thanks to the Mayor of Innsbruck, Mr van Staa, President of the CLRAE Chamber of Local Authorities, for his invitation and his personal involvement in the organisation of this conference held at the Innsbruck Congress Centre.

The Committee on Culture and Education took note of the decision by the Congress Bureau to hold the Conference in Innsbruck at its meeting on 25 May 2000. The draft programme was prepared at its meeting in Strasbourg on 28 October 2000 with Mr van Staa present.

Activities in preparation for the Conference began in the context of the former Congress Working Group on Culture, Education and the Media which commissioned a study in 1997 from Mrs Pirkko Rainesalo (Finland) concerning “Competences and practices in European local and regional cultural policy later published as no. 69 in the Congress "Studies and Texts" series.

The Rapporteur wishes to thank Mrs Rainesalo for her significant contribution to this study, which provided a working basis for the Conference. Mrs Rainesalo, who was elected Chair of the Culture Committee of the Steering Committee for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC) in autumn 2000, presented the findings of her report at the beginning of the Innsbruck conference.

Ongoing Congress action

The question of cultural decentralisation had already been approached from various angles by the Congress and by the Standing Conference earlier on. The Innsbruck gathering, with its special focus on the "Cultural diversity" aspect, is part of this continuum of Congress action.

As long ago as February 1978, the Bordeaux Declaration (para. 31) emphasised the cultural autonomy of regions in the following terms: "The promotion of regional cultures is an indispensable element in the construction of a Europe which respects its cultural and linguistic diversity".

Subsequent work by the Congress concerned the role of culture in specific types of regions (island, frontier and mountain regions), and conferences on culture-related themes, notably the Bremen Conference¹ (25-27 May 1983) "Town and Culture: new responses to cultural problems" and the Florence Conference (14-16 May 1987): "Culture and Regions: cultural action in the regional context".

In preparing for the Innsbruck conference, the fullest possible consideration was given to the latest work done in these fields by the Council of Europe intergovernmental sector².

Aims of the conference

The Conference, to which local and regional elected representatives from all over Europe had been invited together with professionals in the cultural field, experts and representatives of the voluntary sector, was aimed at:

- presenting the experience of European cities and regions with regard to cultural diversity and innovative funding of cultural activities;

- comparing responsibilities at the respective levels of authority (national, regional and local) in the cultural field;

- developing partnerships between local and regional authorities in cultural matters;

- encouraging partnerships between European cities and regions in the cultural field to promote the diversity of the European cultural heritage.

Participants

The Conference brought together nearly 100 participants from 34 countries of Europe.

Participants were welcomed by Mr Herwig van Staa, Mayor of Innsbruck and President of the CLRAE Chamber of Local Authorities. Opening addresses were given by Mr Wendelin Weingartner, President of the Austrian province of Tyrol, and Mr Llibert Cuatrecasas, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (cf. programme, Appendix II).

Mrs Pirkko Rainesalo (Expert, Finland) presented the introductory report of the Conference prepared by her for the CLRAE.

Keynote speakers:

Mr Edi Rama, Mayor of Tirana (Albania)

Dr Vladimir Domazet, President of Nis Municipality (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

Mr Kadic Ramiz, Deputy Mayor of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Other speakers:

Mrs Maria Calado, Deputy to the Mayor of Lisbon (Portugal)

Mrs Hilde Zach, Deputy Mayor of Innsbruck

Mr Arnolds Klotins, Member of the Riga City Council (Latvia)

Mr Jiri Vanicek, former Mayor of Tabor (Czech Republic), Chairman of the Czech Historic Towns Association

Dr Fritz Hakl, General Director of the Regional Raiffeisenbank of Tyrol (Austria).

Also gave statements or chaired working sessions:

- a number of Congress members: Mr Peter Kittelmann, (Germany, R), Mr Tamaz Souladze (Georgia, R), Mrs Helene Lund (Denmark, L), Mr Ilias Bechelov (Russia, R), Mrs Veronica Dirksen (Netherlands, L), Mr Calin Catalin Chirita (Romania, L), Mr Hans Ulrich Stöckling (Switzerland, R), Mr Andrzej Golas (Chair of the Culture and Education Committee, present in Innsbruck but prevented from attending for health reasons, and represented by his Assistant Mrs Dorothea Laidler).

- several personalities active in the cultural sector and experts including:

Mr Rudolf Berger, General Director of the “Opéra National du Rhin”, Strasbourg

Dr Jude Bloomfield, Research Fellow, University of East London, and Centre for Cultural Planning Research, Leicester

Mr Charles Ricq, Director of the European Observation Centre for Regions, Geneva

Mr Bernard Grandjean, Director for Culture, City of Strasbourg

Mr Robert Weeda, CLRAE expert, Netherlands

Mr Jean-Paul Liardet, composer and conductor, Switzerland

Mrs Cristina Santinho, anthropologist, Municipality of Loures, Portugal.

Participants representing European associations of local and regional authorities or Foundations:

Mr Hans De Belder, General Secretary of the Assembly of European Regions (AER)

Mr Lambert Van Nistelrooij, Member of the AER Bureau

Mrs Marylise Ortiz, National Association of Cities and Lands of Art and History, France

Mrs Slaveya Hristova, Chair of the Association “Balkan Assist”, Bulgaria

Organisation of the Conference

During the two days of proceedings, the participants discussed the following themes:

- Cultural policies: what room for manoeuvre for cities and regions of Europe?

- Cultural pluralism and diversity: the role of local and regional authorities

- Financing local and regional cultural activities: public / private partnerships.

The working sessions concluded with a Round table on the theme "Cultural challenges for European cities and regions in the XXIst century?", Moderator Mr Claus Reitan, Editor-in-Chief of the Tiroler Tageszeitung. The participants included Mr Domenico Ronconi, Secretary to the Council for Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe, who represented the Council of Europe Secretariat and took an active part in discussions.

Proceedings of the Conference³

Over the two days of the conference, participants discussed necessary measures for preserving the cultural diversity which is such an outstanding asset and distinction for Europe. They considered that the cities and regions should be granted sufficient powers and resources to enable them to promote this diversity and encourage interaction of cultures as a means of achieving the tolerance, mutual recognition and enrichment and solidarity that are crucial to the construction of a stable and prosperous Europe.

Largely in response to suggestions by the mayors of Tirana (Albania), Krakow (Poland), Nis (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Tbilissi (Georgia), and several representatives of regions, the Russian Federation included, the participants issued a compelling appeal for more cultural exchanges and partnerships between the cities and regions of central and eastern European countries, their artists and cultural institutions and their counterparts in western Europe. There were some poignant pleas concerning requirements by way of musical instruments. The Mayor of Nis, for example, put forward a request to be provided with a concert piano, as his city had not a single piano to put on a public concert!

The main conclusions of the Conference are set out in the Innsbruck Declaration⁴ unanimously adopted on 12 December 2000 at the closing session chaired by Mr Calin Catalin Chirita, Vice-President of the Congress.

In particular, the participants assert their conviction that:

- access to culture is a human right. Cultural policies must give everyone the right to speak and access to culture;

- the cultural sphere is an ideal area for local and regional government action, in line with the subsidiarity principle as established by the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the draft European Charter of Regional Self-Government;

- local and regional cultures are essential to sustainable development, to the quality of life and to the social and economic development of our cities and regions;

- all languages, whether national, regional or local, are equal in dignity. Preserving Europe’s linguistic diversity is essential to the harmonious development of our societies. It is therefore necessary to:

1. promote the mother tongue, which is of cardinal importance for the development and identity of the individual;

2. develop language teaching on three levels: mother tongue, national language and other widely used languages, as aids to communication and exchange.

3. avoid linguistic conflicts based on exclusive demands.

Furthermore, the Final Declaration makes a series of recommendations to European organisations and to Europe's cities and regions, on which the Congress is expected to act.

Action required of the Congress

The Congress is invited to follow up the conference by adopting:

1. A Recommendation for the attention of the Committee of Ministers as regards the requests made:

- to member states (para. 14), asking that they apply the subsidiarity principle in the cultural sphere and accordingly grant local and regional authorities sufficient powers and resources to afford them the room for manoeuvre the need to maintain and protect cultural diversity;

- to member States (§15-19 of the Declaration) with particular reference to their ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and participation in European Year of Languages 2001;

- to the European Commission (§ 32 and 33) regarding the importance assigned to culture in the Treaties and the European Union's programmes for its candidate countries;

- to the CDCC (§ 34-36), particularly as regards its programmes in the Balkan and Caucasian countries and the request to associate the Congress closely in its work.

2. A Resolution instructing the Congress:

- to transmit to the cities and regions of Europe (§ 20-30) the Innsbruck conclusions, especially with regard to developing interregional and transfrontier co-operation in the cultural sphere, adapting cultural policies to the various audiences and social groups, taking greater advantage of the new technologies, and giving urban policy a cultural dimension;

- to invite the elected representatives of Europe’s major metropolises and megalopolises (§ 31) to introduce policies offering the general public better scope for access to the cultural institutions and amenities (such as opera houses, concert halls, museums) to whose density these cities owe their prestige, particularly by appropriate transport and pricing policies;

- to instruct its Culture and Education Committee:

a. to act on the proposals put forward in Innsbruck, especially those concerning:

i. promotion of existing cultural co-operation networks between cities and regions;

ii. creation of new cultural partnerships between local and regional authorities in central and eastern Europe and other European cities and regions;

iii. the creation, with the support of the Georgian authorities, a centre for documentation, research and exchange on the cultural heritage of old cities and regions of Europe and Asia. This centre will be in Tbilisi (Georgia) which is a crossroads for meetings and dialogue between these two cultures ;

b. to organise further meetings on developments in the cultural policies of Europe’s cities and regions, in co-operation with the CDCC, and involve artists and culture professionals in these events.

Finally, the Congress Committee on Culture and Education might also consider appropriate forms of action to increase the pooling of experience by Europe's local and regional authorities concerning their cultural functions and management of cultural diversity within Europe's cities and regions.

Appendix I - CONF/INN (2000) 39

“CITIES AND REGIONS: CULTURAL DIVERSITY – A PRECONDITION FOR A UNITED EUROPE" (Innsbruck, Austria, 11-12 December 2000) : FINAL DECLARATION unanimously adopted on 12 December 2000