EUROPEAN COMMISSION
PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY
Name: International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts
Contact details:
Address: 19 Square Sainctelette, 1000 Brussels
Phone number: +32 2 201 09 15
E-mail: ietm@ietm.org
Country of residence: Belgium
Language of your contribution: English
Type of organisation:
Member State
Public authority
Registered organisation
Registered company
Individual citizen
Non-registered organisation/company
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Other, please specify: Network (NGO)
Main area(s) covered by your contribution:
Economic and financial affairs
Competitiveness
Industry
Single market
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Employment
Research, development and innovation
Digital economy
Climate, energy and resource efficiency
Education
Poverty/social exclusion
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Other, please specify: Culture / Performing Arts
Register ID number (if you/your organisation is registered in the Transparency
register): 55642894775-05
Your reply:
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can be published with your personal information
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A) Background for the public consultation:
The Europe 2020 strategy was launched in March 2010 as the EU's strategy for promoting
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It aims to achieve a knowledge-based, competitive
European economy while preserving the EU's social market economy model and improving
resource efficiency. It was thus conceived as a partnership between the EU and its Member
States driven by the promotion of growth and jobs.
The Europe 2020 strategy is built around five headline targets in the areas of employment,
research and development, climate and energy1, education and the fight against poverty and
social exclusion. The strategy also set out a series of action programmes, called "flagship
initiatives", in seven fields considered to be key drivers for growth, namely innovation, the
digital economy, employment and youth, industrial policy, poverty and resource efficiency.
The objectives of the strategy are also supported by action at EU level in areas such as the
single market, the EU budget and the EU external agenda.
The Europe 2020 strategy is implemented and monitored in the context of the European
Semester, the yearly cycle of coordination of economic and budgetary policies at EU level.
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In January 2014 the Commission launched a framework for energy and climate policies up to 2030. A
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below the 1990 level, an EU-wide binding target for
renewable energy of at least 27% and renewed ambitions for energy efficiency policies are among the
main objectives of the new framework.
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The European Semester involves discussion among EU institutions on broad priorities,
annual commitments by the Member States and country-specific recommendations prepared
by the Commission and endorsed at the highest level by leaders in the European Council.
These recommendations should then be taken on board in the Member States' policies and
budgets. As such, together with the EU budget, the country-specific recommendations are
key instruments for the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.
After four years, the Commission has proposed, and the European Council of 20-21 March
2014 has agreed, to initiate a review of the Europe 2020 strategy. On 5 March 2014, the
Commission adopted a Communication "Taking stock of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth" (Communication and Annexes ). Drawing preliminary
lessons on the first years of implementation of the strategy. Building on these first outcomes
and in a context of a gradual recovery of the European economies, it is time to reflect on the
design of the strategy for the coming years.
Through these questions, we are seeking your views on the lessons learned from the early
years of the Europe 2020 strategy and on the elements to be taken into account in its further
development, in order to build the post-crisis growth strategy of the EU.
B) Questions:
1) Taking stock: the Europe 2020 strategy over 2010-2014
Content and implementation

For you, what does the Europe 2020 strategy mean? What are the main elements that
you associate with the strategy?
The strategy Europe 2020 is a comprehensive programme that focuses on the
priority objectives of the European Union: exiting the crisis, ensuring economic
growth and high level of employment and creating favourable conditions for a
sustainable future.
The main directions of the strategy are:
-
smart growth: economic progress and high level of employment based on
knowledge and innovative ideas;
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sustainable growth: developing a green economy based on resource efficiency
and competitiveness;
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inclusive growth: empowering people from different social groups and regions
to access labour market and ensuring an equal share of growth benefits.
The principle indicators to monitor the progress in achieving the targets are
employment level, investment in research and development, meeting “20/20/20”
climate and energy targets, education level, and poverty rate.
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
Overall, do you think that the Europe 2020 strategy has made a difference? Please
explain.
Europe 2020 brought together economic, social and environmental agendas of the
European Union, making the key targets more definite. This stimulates better
performance of the member-states and provides them with clear tools to measure their
achievements.
However it is significant that, Europe 2020 excludes arts and culture from the priority
areas and doesn’t mention their essential contribution to a sustainable economy,
employment and education. It is not taken into account that culture and arts stimulate
creativity and emergence of innovative ideas, create jobs and play a significant role in
economic development.
Europe 2020 encourages the EU member states to act collectively and face the current
challenges, as a strong Union. However, the economic downturn is not the only factor
undermining solidarity and consolidation in Europe. Growing disintegration is also
caused by the social and cultural crises that are not clearly identified by the 2020
strategy. Cultural factors are crucial in overcoming these challenges.
Europe 2020 is an economically driven project. But, in order to succeed in exiting the
crisis and building a really sustainable future, it is necessary to adopt a holistic
approach and recognise the role of culture in achieving the targets of Europe 2020.

Has there been sufficient involvement of stakeholders in the Europe 2020 strategy? Are
you involved in the Europe 2020 strategy? Would you like to be more involved? If yes,
how?
The consultation launched in March 2011 by the Green Paper on “Unlocking the
potential of cultural and creative industries” played a major role in analysing the
needs of the cultural sector. Opening the current public consultations is also an
important step, as an accurate and comprehensive review of the programme is
necessary, in order to make it successful and efficient. However, instead of
unilateral information flow, the consultations should be held in the form of an
open platform, based on an interactive exchange and nourished by the rich
expertise and creative energy of the wide range of stakeholders.
Cultural operators should be more actively involved in the consultation process,
since the sector represents a vital potential for jobs and sustainable development,
a resilient population, and promotes cultural diversity and social inclusion.
Performing arts sector encourages fresh and critical thinking, what is crucial in
times of crisis. Touching almost every aspect of public life, performing arts
practices stimulate elaboration of innovative approaches and sustainable
solutions. Being involved in consultations on the EU policies, the sector is able to
serve as a rich source of experience and knowledge on different aspects of social
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life, directly linked to the post-crisis recovery, social cohesion and sustainable
development.
IETM represents a diverse and engaged membership of around 550 performing arts
organisations and therefore has a strong knowledge of developments and
concerns of a significant part of the cultural sector. Taking part in consultations on
the EU future policies, IETM can share its views on how the performing arts
practices and the cultural sector contribute to achieving the goals of the strategy.
Tools

Do the current targets for 2020 respond to the strategy's objectives of fostering growth
and jobs? [Targets: to have at least 75% of people aged 20-64 in employment; to invest
3% of GDP in research and development; to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least
20%, increase the share of renewables to 20% and improve energy efficiency by 20%; to
reduce school drop-out rates to below 10% and increase the share of young people with
a third-level degree or diploma to at least 40%; to ensure at least 20 million fewer people
are at risk of poverty or social exclusion].
Even though the current targets respond to the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy,
they don’t set up a really comprehensive approach, as they don’t mention the role of
culture and arts in fostering jobs and a sound economy. Cultural sector not only
promotes the intangible values that are vitally important for resisting disintegration
and cultural crisis, but also contributes to the employment rate and brings a
significant economic added value. Therefore, the role of culture and arts must be
visible in the newly reviewed targets of the Europe 2020.

Among current targets, do you consider that some are more important than others?
Please explain.
All the five current targets are very important for achieving the objectives of exiting
the crisis and building a sustainable future. Nevertheless, it is possible to highlight the
most fundamental ones, such as education and social inclusion that create a firm
basis for the progress in other fields: employment, innovation-driven economy,
responsible attitude to the environment. These targets are essential in the current
context of social and cultural crises.
Cultural sector and in particular performing arts practices that concern all aspects of
public life, contribute to education and lifelong learning and cultivate empathy,
tolerance, and emotional intelligence; consequently, its potential should be
considered while reviewing the targets of the 2020 strategy.
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
Do you find it useful that EU-level targets are broken down into national targets? If so,
what is, in your view, the best way to set national targets? So far, have the national
targets been set appropriately/too ambitiously/not ambitiously enough?
Translating the 2020 strategy into national targets is useful, since economic and social
situations of EU member states differ from each other. It is necessary to consider the
common targets as a basis, but to elaborate separate strategies on the level of
member states being guided by national economic and social patterns.
Comprehensive consultations with all kinds of stakeholders on the national level are
indispensable for developing an efficient and comprehensive strategy.

What has been the added value of the seven action programmes for growth? Do you
have concrete examples of the impact of such programmes? ["Flagship initiatives":
"Digital agenda for Europe", "Innovation Union", "Youth on the move", "Resource efficient
Europe", "An industrial policy for the globalisation era", "Agenda for new skills and jobs",
"European platform against poverty"].
Regarding the key objectives of growth and recovery from the crisis, all seven action
flagship initiatives set the relevant priorities and appropriate development directions.
As for the cultural sector, realisation of some programmes is particularly important:
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ECLAP (CIP - ICT - PSP Programme 2012) initiated within “Digital agenda for
Europe” provides innovative solutions and tools to help performing arts
institutions manage and make their collections accessible online.
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Projects realized in the framework of the flagship “Innovation Union” provide
performing arts professionals with new professional technologies and
innovative scenography, as well as new skills and opportunities for managing
performing arts spaces.
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“Youth on the Move” plays a major role in enhancing mobility of artists and
circulation of artistic works. Possibilities to collaborate across the borders and
to develop international careers stimulate professionalization and emergence
of new projects.
2) Adapting the Europe 2020 strategy: the growth strategy for a post-crisis Europe
Content and implementation

Does the EU need a comprehensive and overarching medium-term strategy for growth
and jobs for the coming years?
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Economic, social and international situations have significantly changed since the
Europe 2020 strategy has been adopted, therefore, it’s logical to review the targets
and break them into shorter medium-term strategies. The recent European
elections revealed some alarming trends in the European society, such as
increasing euro-scepticism, disintegration, populism, xenophobic attitudes, etc. In
order to resist further deepening of this socio-cultural crisis that also poses
obstacles to economic recovery, EU should review the current strategy and
highlight the role of culture in enhancing mutual understanding and reducing
social tensions.

What are the most important and relevant areas to be addressed in order to achieve
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth?
The most important is to keep and reinforce the holistic approach that includes
economic, social, cultural and environmental agendas. Taking into account
interdependence of these fields, it is necessary to make a shift from economically
driven programme to a comprehensive strategy that would include the sector of
culture and arts.

What new challenges should be taken into account in the future?
The recent European elections demonstrated the lowest participation rate in the
history of the European Union and revealed the increasing tendencies of distrust
and scepticism towards the European project. Swift demographic changes due to
a growing flow of migrants and refugees, an aging population, and lower
employment rates, political instability in the members states, their neighbouring
countries and the rest of the world, and austerity measures to overcome the
economic crisis cause tensions in the European society, questioning the strength
of its common identity and values, that have always been at the heart of the
European integration process. It is a moment to draw attention to the educational
and social values of culture and arts that promote diversity, stimulate empathy
and enhance mutual understanding.
Moreover, the climate change requires adapting our everyday life to a more
responsible attitude towards environment. This topic has for a long time been on
the agenda, but today an even stronger approach is needed to help every single
person understand the seriousness of the problem. Performing arts sector,
offering fresh and alternative views of the widely discussed issues, plays an
essential role in making people questioning their behaviour and perceiving the
global problems as their personal responsibility.

How could the strategy best be linked to other EU policies?
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Ongoing collaboration between different sectors should be organised in order to
achieve the current targets and create favourable conditions for building a
sustainable future. A wide range of stakeholders, including civil society, should be
actively involved in the cross-sectoral expertise exchange, working groups,
common projects and partnerships.

What would improve stakeholder involvement in a post-crisis growth strategy for Europe?
What could be done to increase awareness, support and better implementation of this
strategy in your country?
Tools

What type of instruments do you think would be more appropriate to use to achieve
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth?

What would best be done at EU level to ensure that the strategy delivers results? What
would best be done at Member State level?
Enhancing cross-sectoral, cross-border, intergovernmental and interregional
cooperation (partnerships, focus groups, forums, consultations) would foster
attaining the Europe 2020 strategy, balancing different kinds of gaps on all the
levels. It is necessary to base the newly adjusted targets on the input from all the
stakeholders, considering the diversity of their sectoral and geographic
representation.

How can the strategy encourage Member States to put a stronger policy focus on
growth?

The concept of economical growth should be put in question and confronted with a
policy aiming at sustainability and well being, even if this would imply a shrinking
economy.

Are targets useful? Please explain.
Setting targets plays an important role in emphasising the main priority areas and
providing member states with an efficient system of monitoring tools.

Would you recommend adding or removing certain targets, or the targets in general?
Please explain.
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IETM would recommend including culture in the Europe 2020 strategy and
recognizing its significant role in economic sustainability and balanced growth,
creating employment and fostering sustainable development. Evaluation of the
impact of culture will need its own coordinate system, based on its added values.

What are the most fruitful areas for joint EU-Member State action? What would be the
added value?
3) Do you have any other comment or suggestion on the Europe 2020 strategy that
you would like to share?
Thank you for completing the questionnaire. Please send your contribution, along with any
other documents, to SG-EUROPE2020-CONSULTATION@ec.europa.eu.
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