EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
EU Development Cooperation
and the role of Culture
Introduction
1. Description of European development policies
2. Existing programmes
i) The EU’s financial toolkit
ii) Programmes offering budget for cultural cooperation
iii) Different programmes in different regions
iv) Other areas for future opportunities and individual projects
3. Contribution of cultural industries
i) Procedure to participate
ii) Example of a Call of Proposal for cultural cooperation with Brazil
4. Competences of the EU or of MS?
5. Examples of realized projects involving culture
i) Mahaleo
ii) PAVIA
“Culture is not a priority for many African countries,
where it is considered to be reserved for the elite
and for societies that already meet their minimum needs.
But it is a serious mistake to think exclusively in terms
of vital needs. Limiting assistance to providing people
with food and healthcare is the same as treating them
like cattle. (…) Culture is essential, if only to remind
ourselves that we are all human beings and that our
needs cannot be reduced to filling our stomach”
(Marie-Clémence Paes, Madagascan film-maker)
Pearle* in house publication – ©May 2008
Ref AD_GSP/2008/P5571
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
Executive summary
Development cooperation and culture seem to be very different policy fields, without any relation between
them. However, to help someone implies an effort to understand his culture and traditions, in order to avoid
the risk of misunderstanding when using methods inspired by our Western experience, which can be totally
unsuitable to help other people.
After trying to define the field of development cooperation, and the sectoral fields concerned by this definition,
we will outline in this paper the whole of European policies in this field. Beginning with the distribution of
competences between the different Commission’s Directorate Generals, we will then analyze the cultural
dimension of EU development policy. The latter is the result of a quite recent improvement of the role of
culture within all European priorities, after the signature of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and the
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Indeed, culture has become a priority, as a policy in itself
and as an aspect to be mainstreamed in other policy sectors.
The objectives of the 2007 European Agenda for Culture considered the importance of cultural diversity for the
EU, both within and beyond European borders, and included the promotion of culture as a vital element in the
Union’s external relations. Furthermore, we are currently in the European year of intercultural dialogue, which
constitute a priority aspect in European cultural projects, now definitively considered as part of EU’s external
assistance. Therefore, the cultural sector is now considered as a useful partner in order to promote social
inclusion and reduce poverty in developing countries, through its income generating activities. The Commission
started a structured dialogue with the sector and the new European initiatives in the field of culture (the
Agenda for Culture, the Culture programme, three new platforms for consulting civil society, etc.) have to be
shared by all stakeholders.
However, cultural organizations can also individually participate to specific assistance projects/programmes in
the rest of the world. The objectives of cultural projects include the production and circulation of works of art,
the local capacity-building of cultural workers, the organization of major cultural events and the promotion of
the access to culture. We will see together how the European Union’s political and financial instruments can
support and finance development cooperation projects around the world, considering both thematic and
regional European programmes (including the Euro-Mediterranean and the Neighbourhood policies). Then, we
will analyze, step by step, all the possibilities offered to the cultural sector by the EU (grants, procurement
contracts, etc.), also through the concrete example of a recent call of proposals. Finally, after having outlined
the issue of the distribution of competences between the European Union and Member States in this field, we
will see more closely two examples of external assistance projects involving cultural aspects.
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
Introduction
The definition of “development cooperation” is: aid, assistance, policy and actions of international institutions,
governmental and non-governmental organizations and new civil associations to support the economic, social
and political improvement of developing countries. Since the ‘90s, the idea of partnership and this specific term
have replaced the traditional situation in which the relationship was dominated by the wealth and specialized
knowledge of one side only. The term is distinguished from “humanitarian aid” as being aimed at alleviating
poverty in the long term, rather than alleviating suffering in the short term (while “foreign aid” includes both
development and humanitarian aid).
The EU is currently the first donor in the world, strongly committed in eradicating poverty and sustaining
democracy, peace and the rule of law in these societies. Furthermore - as the EU brings together 27 countries
successfully pooling their economical and political resources - it serves as a model for cooperation and
integration between countries in other regions. Financial and technical assistance, which initially concentrated
on Africa, was extended to Asia, Latin America and the South-East Mediterranean countries in the ‘70s, when
the EC also began to provide humanitarian aid.
1.
Description of European development policies
The Community's development cooperation policy for all developing countries is defined in Title XX of the TCE:
in general, it aims to give disadvantaged people in the third world control over their own development,
fostering their sustainable economic and social development and their gradual integration into the world
economy.
The action of the Community, which has to be complementary to the MS’ policies, particularly focuses on nine
areas:
 trade and regional integration;
 environment and sustainable management of natural resources;
 infrastructure, communications and transport;
 water and energy;
 rural development, territorial planning, agriculture and food security;
 conflict prevention and fragile states;
 human development (including education and culture);
 social cohesion and employment.
It also applies a strengthened approach to mainstreaming the following cross-cutting issues in the formulation
of other policies that can affect developing countries: democracy, good governance, human rights, the rights of
children and indigenous peoples, gender equality and the fight against HIV/AIDS. The EU’s agreements with its
partners therefore go beyond traditional development assistance and cover socio-cultural aspects and support
for reforms: culture is considered both as an autonomous objective and as a tool to achieve other targets (e.g.
the use of theatrical shows to teach HIV prevention).
With the exception of the cooperation in the framework of the ACP-EC Convention, the Council adopts
multiannual programmes to take the necessary measures to further objectives on development. Three
different Directorate Generals of the External Relation sector (the "RELEX family") of the European Commission
are responsible for development policies: DG Development and relations with ACP states; the EuropeAid office
– External cooperation programmes; and the Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO).
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
DG Development (DG DEV) provides policy guidance on development policy worldwide and oversees
the aid in the ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT).
The Cotonou Agreement is the partnership for development aid to the 77 ACP countries, mainly funded by the
European Development Fund (EDF). The DG also works towards greater coherence of external and internal EU
policies having external effects, also collaborating with DG Education and Culture. It is committed to
complementarity between the Community, the MS and multilateral organizations in order to maximise the
impact of international action.
EuropeAid Co-operation Office (DG AidCo) is the DG responsible for implementing external aid
programmes and projects across the world. Established in 2001 to unify handling of the Commission's external
aid, it operates under the guidance of Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, responsible for RELEX and the
Neighbourhood Policy. Commissioner Louis Michel, responsible for DG DEV (which provides multi-annual
orders for service to EuropeAid for the implementation of the Country Strategies and the National Indicative
Programmes in the ACP countries), is also politically responsible for actions undertaken by EuropeAid. The
Office regularly reports on its activities to the Group of RELEX Commissioners, chaired by the Commission’s
President Barroso, while EuropeAid Director-General, Koos Richelle, is responsible for the overall realization of
the DG's mission. EuropeAid is responsible for all the steps of an aid delivery project: after identifying needs, it
carries out feasibility studies and prepares all the financial decisions and controls. It then moves on to drawing
up the required tendering, monitoring and evaluation procedures.
ECHO The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office is responsible for the humanitarian
assistance to third countries affected by conflicts or disasters, all over the world. The action is co-ordinated
with that of other international donors, in particular MS.
Furthermore, DG External Relations and DG Trade have important stake in development cooperation
policies. DG DEV task is to ensure that DG RELEX programs for third countries are satisfying the objectives of
the overall development policy. DG DEV also works with DG Trade in many affairs related to global trade,
promoting sustainable development and being closely involved in the negotiation of the Regional Economic
Partnership Agreements established under the Cotonou Agreement.
Finally, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) can be considered as a development assistance
policy. Born in 2004 to make sure that the EU’s Eastern enlargement would not produce new dividing lines, the
ENP covers all the Mediterranean and east European countries plus the Caucasus, but not Russia (whose
relationship with the EU will be soon updated through a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement).
In recent years, more attention has been paid to culture in external relations, and particularly in development
co-operation. A recent example is the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and the
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions1, ratified by the EU on 19 December 2006. Culture is also
mentioned in the European Consensus on Development, adopted by the Council of Ministers on 22 November
2005, as part of the Union’s human development policy framework.
European cultural policies, whose role has been underestimated for a long time, emerged last year as a
priority. With the Communication on a European Agenda for Culture in a Globalising World2 indeed, the
Commission stressed the importance of cultural diversity for the EU, both within and beyond European
borders. The three main objectives of the Agenda were: the promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural
dialogue; the promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy and, last
but not least, the promotion of culture as a vital element in the Union’s external relations. As a party to the
UNESCO Convention, the EU is committed to developing a new and more active cultural role for Europe in
international relations and to integrating the cultural dimension as a vital element in Europe’s dealings with
partner countries and regions. The strong link between culture and development and the key role of
1
UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, 18 March 2007,
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001429/142919e.pdf
2 http://eurlex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!DocNumber&lg=en&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2007&nu_doc=0242&model=guicheti
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
intercultural dialogue with partner countries and mutual understanding are also underlined in the
Communication. The cultural sector, a “dynamic trigger of economic activities”, can help to promote an
inclusive society and contribute to reducing poverty and social exclusion. The agenda had to be shared by all
stakeholders, and the Commission intended to establish new partnerships with them in order to implement
the three sets of objectives.
The Commission proposes first to engage in a structured dialogue with the sector, in order to identify the full
range of stakeholders culture – professional organizations, cultural institutions, NGOs, foundations, etc. –
involved in European cultural co-operation, to structure an effective dialogue with EU institutions and MS to
support the development of new policies.
In the Union’s international co-operation programmes, cultural projects have formed part of the assistance
given to developing regions of the world and have provided for cooperation with international partners.
Cultural projects have been implemented for many years as part of EU’s assistance and they include the
production and circulation of works of art, the local capacity-building of cultural operators and artists, the
strengthening of cultural industries, the organization of major cultural events and the promotion of the access
to culture. “Access to culture” in particular, means to favour a wider access to and participation in cultural
activities in general or concerning foreign cultures, as part as an endeavour to promote cultural diversity and
intercultural dialogue. It is the focus of attention of one of the cultural platforms, the instrument chosen by the
Commission to hear the voice of the cultural sector.
Support for a new international governance is high among the EU’s priorities, as is the protection and
promotion of cultural diversity. Moreover, the European cultural sector has been invited to participate to three
platforms: apart from the one on access to culture (mentioned above), the others focus on cultural and
creative industries and on intercultural dialogue. Also in the Culture programme 2007-2013 similar objectives
appear: to promote cross-border mobility of cultural workers, to encourage the transnational circulation of
cultural and artistic output and to foster intercultural dialogue. All these objectives have implications both
inside and outside Europe, and the members of the platforms can also influence cultural cooperation with
developing countries, if cultural and external aid policies will be sufficiently complementary. To give an
example, intercultural dialogue is important when dealing with groups whose rights are threatened, such as
indigenous populations. Local cultural actors play an important role in the design and implementation of EU cooperation programmes and projects in the field of culture. The integration of culture in education curricula at
all levels in developing countries is of great importance in this endeavour. And, of course, the EU is actively
involved in the work of international organizations dealing with culture, such as the Council of Europe or
Unesco and the UN’s Alliance of Civilisations.
The EU also plans to promote the rebalancing of asymmetrical trade patterns, by providing access to the
European market for cultural goods and services from developing countries. In bilateral and regional Free Trade
Agreements, the Commission proposed to negotiate specific cultural cooperation Titles, in order to take into
account cultural considerations and the UNESCO Convention. An example of interconnections between
development, trade and cultural policies is the integration of a Protocol on Cultural Cooperation in the EU
agreement with Cariforum, to strengthen international cooperation in the cultural field, with a view to deal
with structural imbalances in cultural exchanges. Its aim is to increase exchanges in cultural goods and services
and to give preferential treatment to professionals coming from developing countries and to facilitate the
dissemination of developing countries' cultural works; it also included three paragraphs with sectorial
provisions on the performing arts.
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
The cultural dimension of EU development policy is twofold, vertical and horizontal. The horizontal dimension
relates to the impact of the co-operation programmes on the local culture, where “culture” means also specific
values, traditions, behavioural patterns that have to be considered when working with our partners. The
vertical dimension instead refers to the promotion of local culture beyond borders:
 As a human development instrument, culture cannot be seen as a single marketable product. Works of art
are also expressions of ideals and aspirations and, hence, must be protected and promoted;
 Cultural policy for development cannot be based only on the interests of cultural elites. It must focus on
the interests of the population, making them not only consumers but actors and owners, using education
tools as a means of promoting awareness of the richness of culture, including the culture of others. For
instance, improvements can be made within the framework of the existing treaties is the issue of public
diplomacy3: cultural events are already a key feature of the public diplomacy activities of the Commission
Delegations in third countries to convey important messages about Europe and its diversity and its
willingness to open a direct dialogue with civil society.
2. Existing programmes
i)
The EU’s financial toolkit
The EU delivers its aid in many ways: direct cooperation with governments, humanitarian aid, assistance in
crisis prevention, support for civil society (peace-keeping) and the implementation of individual projects (often
through NGOs). Therefore, to fulfill these activities, there is a wide range of aid modalities based on needs and
performance: budget support, debt reduction, grants, project aid, EIB investments and the micro-finance
approach.
To date, over 70% of European aid is used to finance specific projects. This type of assistance is often effective,
but it has its limits; for instance, when there are multiple donors, the country administration does not have the
capacity to manage the multitude of projects, each of which imposes a different procedure, and can be
overwhelmed by work it cannot handle. Moreover, separate projects are not the suitable instrument for very
ambitious objectives.
Therefore, recently the EU has increasingly opted for the use of budget aid, the transfer of financial resources
to the national treasury of a partner country. These funds are used to finance the Government’s plan to fight
poverty and enables the recipient countries to better plan their budgets and to regularly pay the salaries of
public workers (e.g. teachers), but is sometimes viewed with mistrust as it seems more vulnerable to fraud, nor
can the donor pride itself on the results it has achieved. The EU plans to make increasing use of budget aid in
all countries that meet the confidence conditions(30% of the European assistance to ACP), while in the others it
will continue to use project-based aid. In fact, budget aid is not a blank cheque, it is always subject to
conditions (transparency of fund management, economic and social reforms, accountability and effectiveness.
Any follow-up by the Commission is undertaken in accordance with a mandate from the partner country
authorities that are responsible for the supervision, control and auditing of public funds. There are two main
types of budget support:
 General budget support (GBS), in support of a national development/reform policy;
 Sector budget support (SBS), in support of a sector programme.
The European Commission uses the sector approach as a way of working with partner governments, donors
and other stakeholders. It offers increased coherence between national and sectoral policies, resource
allocation and spending practices and it acts to minimise transaction costs incurred by partner governments.
Governments - in consultation with donors and other stakeholders - may develop a sector programme,
3
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/euw_com06_278_en.pdf
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
including an sector policy strategic framework, a medium-term financing framework, a coordination process
amongst the donors, led by the government, and a performance monitoring system. The Commission’s Sector
Policy Support Programmes (SPSP) may use the following forms of financing:
 Sector budget support to be used in pursuit of an agreed set of sector outcomes;
 Common pooled funds from a number of donors. Usually one donor will take responsibility for
coordinating and managing the pooled funds.
 Commission procedures that follow contracting and procurement rules.
The programme-based approach (PBA) is a concept widely used: it is a way of coordinating support for a
locally owned programme of development. It should involve leadership by the host country, a single
comprehensive programme and budget framework, as well as reporting, budgeting, financial management and
procurement. In this perspective, a sector approach is a PBA at the level of an entire sector.
EU assistance to the developing world will amount to € 2.3 billions from the EU budget and an additional € 2.9
billion from the European Development Fund (directly financed by MS but managed by the Commission to
ensure better coordination). Heading 4 (The European Union as a global player) of the EU Multiannual financial
framework covers all external action and, for the 2007 - 2013 financial perspective, the Common Framework of
Development Cooperation4 in the field of culture will continue to be a reference point for programming
decisions and the EU has adopted a package of six new instruments for the implementation of external
assistance:
1. European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI5): while (potential) candidate countries will
receive from the EU budget € 1.4 billion of pre-accession aid, all other neighbouring countries will receive €
1.6 billion from the European neighbourhood instrument, which aims inter alia to “promote multicultural
dialogue” (art 2 v). This instrument finances activities in support of the Action Plans developed with
neighbouring countries and the Common spaces developed with Russia. Culture is therefore eligible for EU
fund.
2. European Development Fund (EDF): It is the main instrument for providing Community aid for
development cooperation, supporting assistance to the EU’s 78 ACP partner countries and the overseas
countries and territories (OCTs) of MS. Based on the Cotonou agreement, the EDF is funded by the MS, is
subject to its own financial rules and is managed by a specific committee. The aid granted to ACP States
and OCTs will continue to be funded by the EDF, at least for the period 2008-2013. The 10th European
Development Fund will provide initial funding, to which MS will be invited to contribute also, for a new EUACP Cultural Fund proposed by the Commission.
3. Development Co-operation Instrument (DCI): DCI covers three main components. The first is to provide
assistance to South Africa and 47 developing countries (only those countries not covered by the ENPI or the
EDF). Secondly, it supports the restructuring of sugar production in 18 ACP countries. Thirdly, it runs five
thematic programmes: investing in people; environment and sustainable management of natural resources
including energy; non-state actors and local authorities in development; food security; as well as migration
and asylum. The five DCI thematic programmes support actions in all developing countries (including those
covered by ENPI and the EDF).
4. European Instrument for Democracy & Human Rights (EIDHR): EIDHR contributes to the development of
democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It has been designed to
complement the various other tools for implementation of EU policies in this area, it also complements the
more crisis-related interventions of the new Stability instrument.
5. Instrument for Stability (IfS): The IfS aims to contribute to stability in countries in crisis by providing an
effective response to help establish or re-establish the conditions essential to the proper implementation
4
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm
ENPI provides EU assistance to 17 countries: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco,
the Palestinian Authority, Russia, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. It comprises a specific cross-border co-operation component covering border regions in the
European Union MS
5
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
of the EU’s development policies. In the context of stable conditions, the IfS helps to build capacity both to
ensure preparedness to address pre- and post-crisis situations. It is jointly managed by DG RELEX and
EuropeAid.
6. Nuclear Safety Co-operation Instrument (NSCI): NSI finances measures to support a higher level of nuclear
safety in third countries.
ii) Programs offering budget for cultural cooperation
A project is a series of activities with specified objectives within a defined time period and budget. A project
should have clearly identified stakeholders; defined coordination, management and financing arrangements;
monitoring and evaluation system; appropriate economic analysis. To bear in mind the cultural dimension of a
project during its elaboration and implementation often affects the acceptability, the appropriation and
therefore the success of it: thus, it should not be underestimated anyway. It is based on a definition of
“culture” embracing the whole universe of values and knowledge that organize a society and ensure a longlasting social, political and economical cohesion. The word “dimension” recalls a transversal reality, that can be
explicitly mentioned or it can be implicit (e.g. when the project involves a cooperation with indigenous
populations). The EU disposes of a common reference based on the Agenda for Culture6; in October 2007,
there has been the pilot phase of a seminar dedicated to the cultural dimension of development (probably
other meetings will take place during the current year). There will be soon a thematic network for culture on
the intranet site of EuropeAid, with pages offering some examples of projects and guidelines for any call of
proposals.
In the 10th European Development Fund will be integrated also a new EU-ACP Cultural Fund. Its objectives are
to support the distribution of ACP cultural goods and its production and promotion, encouraging the
emergence of local and regional markets and industries. This new EU-ACP Fund will finance action both at
country level and at the level of access to EU markets. At local level, the development of distribution structures
will encourage the access of local people to culture; it can mean the modernization of cinema or theatre
auditoriums and cultural centres. At external level, access of ACP works of art and cultural goods to the EU
market is rather limited. For instance, films made by ACP filmmakers, in spite of their high quality, generally
don’t have access to the wider public neither in Europe, nor in their country of origin. The access to distribution
networks and platforms in the EU is therefore crucial for ACP artists in all ways of cultural expression.
6
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/communication/comm_en.html
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
Within the Development Co-operation Instrument, the new thematic programme Investing in people devoted
€50 million to culture as a tool for development in partner countries, for promoting access to local culture and
multiethnic and multicultural dialogue. This programme presents a number of advantages (improved
consistency among EU policies, a framework for sharing know-how, monitoring and analysis, etc.), focusing on
social and human development and, in particular, in the following areas:
 poverty diseases, sexual health, gender equality;
 education;
 employment and social cohesion;
 culture.
In the field of culture, the new thematic programme should make for:
 the bringing together of peoples and cultures on an equal footing, while preserving diversity;
 greater international cooperation to fully exploit the economic potential of the cultural sector.
The programme will also strengthen local cultural capacity and public/private partnerships, promote SouthSouth cooperation, support the establishment of networks for exchanges of expertise and good practice as well
as training of the sector.
A second thematic programme of the DCI, the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development, will
also contribute to reinforce local initiatives with a cultural dimension and aimed at increasing participation in
democratic governance.
iii) Different programmes in different regions
Cultural Dialogue with Asia
1. Dialogue in the field of culture with ASEAM
Three ASEM Ministerial Conferences on cultures and civilisations took place, aiming to promote dialogue n
cultures and civilizations. The second one adopted an action plan encouraging cultural interactions among the
peoples of Asia and Europe at all levels. In 2004 ASEM adopted the Declaration on Dialogue among cultures
and civilisations, reaffirming that cultural diversity is an important driving force for economic and social
progress and the construction of a peaceful world. The first ASEM interfaith dialogue meeting was held in Bali
in 2005, bringing together religious leaders, senior officials and intellectuals from ASEM partners. It adopted
the Bali Declaration on Building Interfaith Harmony within the International Community, which also suggested
measures in the fields of education and culture in promoting these goals. In 2006 the Larnaca Action Plan has
been adopted and the next Interfaith Dialogue meeting is scheduled for 2008, in the Netherlands (3-5 July,
Amsterdam).
The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) promotes collaboration between the peoples of Asia and Europe through
cultural and intellectual exchanges. Funded by voluntary contributions from ASEM partners, ASEF has
organized a large number of activities, among which its cultural exchange programme seeks to provide young
artists and cultural professionals with a platform for the exchange of techniques and the creation of networks.
2. Dialogue in the field of culture with India:
The EU and India adopted at their 2004 Summit in The Hague a “Cultural Declaration”, recognizing culture as an
important instrument to foster closer and add a cultural dimension to cooperation among States. The
Commission Delegation in Delhi is supporting a wide range of cultural activities aimed at raising the profile of
European culture in India. Annual EU Cultural Weeks have been held in Delhi and the annual European Film
Festival has brought significant audiences across India. The Commission has notably supported, through the
EU-India economic cross-cultural programme a number of heritage preservation projects, as well as projects
aimed at promoting the culture of minority groups in India. The Commission has included provisions on cultural
cooperation, including the establishment of a Culture Fund in the India Country Strategy Paper for 2007-2013
(€ 4.7 million). More specifically, to support cultural events, the EC promotes synergies between cultural
organizations in India and the EU, a greater dialogue among the relevant institutions; it also aims at a
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
regularization of events that have occurred irregularly (e.g. the Cultural Week, the European Film Festival, etc.)
which should take place in India and the EU.
3. Dialogue in the field of culture with China:
The Commission signed in December 2003 a Memorandum of Understanding in order to promote closer
cooperation and mutual understanding between China and the EU.
Cultural Dialogue with Latin America
In its Communication “A stronger partnership between the European Union and Latin America”, the
Commission announced its intention to strengthen the transfer of cultural know-how and good practice not
only between both regions but also between the Latin American countries themselves. This approach was
further developed at the EU-Latin America and Caribbean (EULAC) summit in May 2006 in Vienna, where the
importance of cultural diversity as a factor of growth and stability was recognized and they committed
themselves to enhance both EU-LAC and intra-LAC cooperation. Several concrete cooperation actions in the
cultural field took place or are scheduled in the 2007-2013 programming exercise. The EC supported in 2004
the first edition of the World Cultural Forum organized in São Paulo and, more recently, the EC and Brazil have
agreed to launch a sectorial dialogue on culture. Some other actions have been identified for the future, such
as the creation in Mexico of a Special Fund for Information, Dissemination and Visibility for a better reciprocal
understanding between the Mexican and the European societies. In the Mercosur region, a project aimed at
the "Strengthening of Mercosur’s cinematographic and audiovisual sector to promote regional integration" will
be launched to support the development, accessibility and promotion of Mercosur audiovisual work and it is
expected to result in the setting up of a Mercosur Media Programme based on the EU MEDIA Programme.
Cultural Dialogue with ACP countries
Regarding African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, the Commission has a clear mandate under article 27
on ‘Cultural development’ of the Cotonou Agreement. On the basis of this mandate, culture is increasingly
integrated into the political dialogue and the EC has supported two meetings of ACP cultural ministers in 2003
and 2006. These meetings led to the adoption of the Dakar Plan of Action in 2003 and the Santo Domingo
Resolution in 2006. The EC has also supported with € 1 million the organization of the first ACP Festival in
October 2006: its programme included music and dance performances, a visual art exhibition and film
screenings as well as professional meetings among cultural operators.
In terms of cultural actions, since the mid-1980s the Commission financed a broad range of programmes
related to ACP culture, including cultural dissemination and exploitation activities. as well as artistic events or
support to decentralised initiatives. In addition, programmes based on calls for proposals benefit the whole
ACP region in the field of audiovisual and cultural industries and the EDF provides support for cultural
industries, the movement of artists and works, training and meetings in the different areas. It also contributes
to a better knowledge of ACP artists in Europe. Under the 10th EDF7, support to culture actions fall into a
number of categories:
• National projects aimed at the conservation and exploitation of the cultural heritage;
• African arts events and festivals with a regional and international dimension (the FESPACO film festival in
Ouagadougou, the DAK’ART contemporary arts fair in Dakar, the African Photography Encounters in Bamako,
the African Dance Festival in Antananarivo, the regional Pacific Arts Festival, etc);
• Support cultural initiatives strengthening the innovative and organizational capacity of cultural actors. Such
programmes exist in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Senegal, while a regional cooperation programmes
links countries in West Africa;
• Other cultural projects, such as the creation or renovation of arts schools and museums;
• Over a third of the EC’s financial support to culture in ACP countries comes currently from two programmes
based on the intra-ACP allocation: the Film and Television Support Programme, which co-finances audiovisual
7
http://www.acp-programming.eu/wcm/dmdocuments/10_edf_focal-sectors.pdf
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
works from ACP countries, and the Cultural Industries Support Programme. While the latter programme is
open to all ACP countries, particular emphasis will be put on strengthening the culture sector in five pilot
countries. It will also support the creation of an ACP Cultural Observatory, which will help structuring the
cultural sector on a professional and political level.
iv) Other areas for future opportunities and individual projects
Culture is a cross-sector topic, and it should be mainstreamed in all other areas of EU action, with a coherent
approach not to duplicate any effort. To give an example, within the DCI, the cultural aspect is considered in
two thematic areas (Investing in People and Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development). Anyway,
culture can be useful within other areas: for instance, in the area of “poverty diseases”, the objective to
mobilise global public goods to combat and prevent diseases can be reached through the use of theatrical
shows, passing messages of prevention against the transmission of HIV.
Other regions:
1. Candidate and potential candidate countries
The main focus of the Commission's financial assistance of (potential) candidate countries is the Copenhagen
criteria (political and economic criteria and alignment with the acquis). Nevertheless, various pre-accession
programmes such as CARDS (Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilization), PHARE
(Programme of Community aid to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe) and IPA (Instrument for PreAccession Assistance) as well as specific policies do have a real impact on the cultural sector8. In addition,
future participation in the cultural programmes of the European Community of those countries will open up
possibilities in the cultural sector. In order to support the government of Turkey for reforms in the field of
broadcasting in languages and dialects traditionally used by Turkish citizens, the EC launched the Promotion of
Cultural Rights in Turkey Grant Scheme to contribute to increasing mutual understanding. This € 2.5 million
programme is made up of two components: broadcasting and cultural initiatives. To accompany the
establishment of a civil society dialogue, the EC Delegation in Turkey launched also a new call for proposals
targeting cultural cooperation: this grant scheme, entitled Civil Society Dialogue: Culture in Action, supports
projects designed to contribute to the active involvement of the Turkish public, enhancing its knowledge of the
pre-accession process for Turkey and of different aspects of European culture. One of the requirements of this
grant scheme (whose budget is € 1.45 million) is partnerships with counterparts in at least one (possibly more)
EU MS. From 2001 to 2004, the CARDS national programme for Croatia has supported several projects in the
area of civil society by supporting NGOs’ activities. In addition, the implementation rules of the PHARE Crossborder-Programme allow for the funding of "cultural exchanges". Cultural activities in Serbia have been
financed primarily by CARDS and EIDHR. An example of the latter is the project Luggage for the future: mine,
yours – promotion of interethnicity and multiculturalism, aiming at fostering intercultural dialogue, particularly
by carrying out events. As regards CARDS, many projects primarily supporting media had an indirect impact on
the dissemination of culture. The Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (2007-2009) for IPA also provides
support for the cultural sector of Serbia. The EC assistance in Kosovo is promoting the rehabilitation of the
cultural, religious and environmental heritage, supporting the Reconstruction Implementation Commission
(RIC), the local institutional framework chaired by the CoE and composed of the Ministry of Culture and Youth
of Kosovo, UNMIK and the Orthodox Church. The EC has also directed its support to the development of RTK,
the public broadcaster, complementarily to Council of Europe's support to modernize the Independent Media
Commission. In order to improve ethics in the media, the EC has recently started developing professional
standards of media professionals. The Commission has been involved in promoting cultural activities through
CARDS and IPA also in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, while in Albania the Stabilisation and
Association Agreement is currently being ratified, and it includes commitments in the fields of cultural
cooperation and the audio-visual. In addition, the priorities in the European Partnership include the fostering of
media freedom and culture is also included under the IPA Cross Border Co-operation Adriatic Programme (€
8
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/financial_assistance/index_en.htm
11
EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
14.45 million for the period 2007-2009). The Commission has been the major actor in establishing the Public
Broadcasting System and the Communications Regulatory Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), where it
carries out a valuable watchdog role in ensuring that audiovisual media respect European norms. The situation
in Montenegro is similar to the one in other countries of the Western Balkans in the sense that the
Commission's main impact on the cultural sector is exerted by civil society projects. In addition, the MultiAnnual Indicative Programme (2007-2009) for IPA include a call for proposals for projects encouraging the
promotion of culture in the framework of an enhanced civil society dialogue.
2. Culture within the Euro-Mediterranean partnership
The Commission is also committed in the field of culture regarding the Euro Med Partnership in the field of
culture. Cultural actions in the Mediterranean region are based on chapter three “Partnership in social, cultural
and human affairs” of the 1995 Barcelona Declaration establishing the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. On
this basis, several programmes have been launched: Euromed Heritage, Euromed Audiovisual and Euromed
Youth. The Euromed Heritage Programme was the first regional MEDA programme focusing on cultural
heritage: launched in 1998, it has continued in three phases until 2008 with the aim to highlight EuroMediterranean common heritage and to offer training in heritage-related skills and professions. It also
launched the first "Euromed heritage journalistic award" the initiative "Adopt a Mediterranean heritage"9. One
of the main results of the programme is a strategy paper entitled "Strategy for the development of EuroMediterranean Cultural Heritage: priorities from Mediterranean countries (2007-2013)", whose core message
is the appropriation of cultural heritage by people. Another major regional programme, Euromed Audiovisual10,
also continues to foster cooperation in the audiovisual sector across the Mediterranean. The EuroMediterranean Foreign Ministers conference in 2004 established the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean
Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures11 as the first common institution of the Barcelona process. This
Foundation established in Alexandria (Egypt) coordinates a network of 37 national networks in order to act as a
catalyst to develop activities and promote cultural exchanges. It gives patronage to important events that
foster a continuous debate, with the participation of people from both shores including journalists and the
young. The Foundation aims to promote mutual respect between the cultures and values of the partners, to
identify areas of cultural convergence between the Euro-Mediterranean countries and peoples, to promote
inter-religious dialogue and the human dimension of the partnership in the region. The activity of the Anna
Lindh Foundation is now well established and provides the ideal framework for developing cultural initiatives.
3. Culture within the European neighbourhood policy
The EU has negotiated with 12 of the 16 neighbourhood countries, Action Plans tailor made for each country,
defining an agenda of political and economic reforms and covering inter alia a human dimension (people-topeople contacts, civil society, culture, education, public health …). For example, the action plan negotiated and
agreed in 2006 with Lebanon specifically mentions culture and has the objective to enhance participation in
the relevant EC cultural cooperation programmes of the Euro-Med partnership, exchange views on the
UNESCO Convention and promote the ratification and implementation of the text, enhance dialogue between
cultures and exchange of information on cultural issues. As a second example with Ukraine, the Action Plan
agreed in 2005 also deals with culture and audio-visual issues, considering support to cross border cultural
links, developing a dialogue on cultural diversity (UNESCO framework), investigating the possibilities for cooperation in the framework of EU cultural programmes.
At the St. Petersburg Summit in 2003, the EU and Russia have agreed to reinforce their cooperation by creating
in the long term four ‘common spaces’. The fourth one deals with research and development, education and
culture: it aims to create a space of research and education, including cultural aspects, to promoting people-topeople contacts and common values. In the area of culture there are four objectives in order to: promote a
structured approach to cultural cooperation between the enlarged EU and Russia; to foster the creativity and
9
www.euromedheritage.net
www.euromedaudiovisuel.net
11
http://www.euromedalex.org/En/AboutUs.htm
10
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
mobility of artists, public access to culture and inter-cultural dialogue; strengthen the European identity on the
basis of common values, while promoting cultural diversity as a basis of vitality of civil society in Europe
without dividing lines; develop cooperation between European and Russian cultural industries. Within the
National Indicative Programme 2007-2010 (NIP), the objective is to increase contacts in the audiovisual and
cultural field to promote mutual respect for what is a shared through artistic and cultural projects with a
European dimension, links between artistic universities and, the training of professionals in the audiovisual
sector and enhancing consultation in relevant international fora, such as UNESCO. In Russia, the Institution
Building Partnership Programme (IBPP) financed by EU funds already provides support to local initiatives: with
a budget of € 5 million puts priority on culture as a facilitator for raising quality of life and activating local
economic development.
3. Contribution of cultural industries
i. Procedure to participate
Grants are direct financial contributions - from the EU budget or from the EDF - awarded as donations to third
parties engaged activities related to the EU’s external aid programmes. Grants fall into two broad categories:
grants for actions, forming part of an external aid programme, and operating grants, financing the expenditure
of an European body that is pursuing an objective that forms part of an EU policy. Grants are based on the
reimbursement of the eligible costs, namely the costs incurred by the beneficiaries for carrying out the
activities in question. The results of the action remain the property of the beneficiaries. Grants are subject to a
written agreement signed by the two parties and, as a general rule, require co-financing by the grant
beneficiary. Since grants cover a very diverse range of fields, the specific conditions that need to be fulfilled
(eligibility, etc.) may vary from one area of activity to another.
The calls for proposals invite candidates to present, within a given deadline, a proposal for action that
corresponds to stated objectives and fulfils the required conditions. Applications are evaluated on the basis of
criteria that have clearly been announced in the calls for proposals, while ensuring equal treatment. The
Commission will contact all candidates to inform them of a final decision concerning their proposals.
Procurement procedures are launched when the Contracting Authority wants to purchase a service, goods or
work in exchange for remuneration; it leads to the conclusion of a public contract. As a general rule, the
difference between a public contract and a grant is fairly clear. Briefly, in the case of a contract, the Contracting
Authority receives the product or service it needs in return for payment; in the case of a grant, it makes a
contribution either to a project carried out by an external organisation or directly to that organisation because
its activities contribute to Community policy aims. Procurement procedures are governed by specific rules,
which vary depending on the nature of the contract (service, supplies, work) and which are strict when they
govern the way in which contracts are awarded. Procedures for grants under the relevant EU external aid
programmes are consolidated in the Practical Guide12 and calls for proposals for grants or procurement
contracts are published by the Contracting Authority on the Funding Opportunities13 page.
EuropeAid implements a new on-line services approach to know better its partners and to improve the
services offered to the potential applicants of a grant. The principle on which PADOR14 is based is to create only
one EuropeAid ID by organisation, while the other programme, ASSOC, is an on-line service available only for
the consulting firms that evaluate the proposals within the calls for proposals, giving access to the
administrative data of the applicants in PADOR and to the documents related. In the field of the external
actions of the Community, the applicable legislation is composed in particular by the international agreement
of Cotonou for the aid financed from the EDF, by the basic regulations related to the different cooperation
programmes adopted by the Council and the EP, and by the financial regulations. The eligibility provisions for
12
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/practical_guide/index_en.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/funding-opportunities/index_en.htm
14
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/onlineservices/pador/index_en.htm
13
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
external assistance programmes financed by the EC general budget assert that every legal person established
in a MS of the EU or of the European Economic Area, in an official candidate country or in other countries
where conditions for reciprocal access to external assistance have been established, can participate in the
award of a procurement or a grant. Moreover, for an EU instrument with a thematic or geographical scope, the
definition is extended to all legal persons who are established in a developing country15.
Europeaid finances external actions to beneficiary countries through the calls for proposals, actions
implemented by other international organisations and financing agreements, namely legal acts concluded with
those States. Centralised projects are implemented by the Commission, acting for and on behalf of the
Beneficiary, while decentralized projects and EDF-funded programmes are implemented under the
responsibility of the Beneficiary with the Commission’s approval. The financing agreement lays down a period
of execution, which comprises two phases: an operational implementation phase, in which the principal
activities are carried out (this phase ends at the latest one year before the end of the period of execution) and
a closure phase, during which final audits and evaluation are carried out. Costs related to the principal activities
shall be eligible for EC financing only if they have been incurred during the operational implementation phase,
while those related to final evaluations and closure activities are eligible up to the end of the closure phase.
Finally, the implementation stage of a project aims to deliver the results, contributing effectively to the overall
objective of the project and monitoring, as well as reporting, on progress.
ii. Example of a Call of Proposal for cultural cooperation with Brazil
Within the Culture programme (2007-2013), a Call for proposals for the special actions of cultural cooperation
with and in third countries16 has been issued on 18 March 2008. The programme indeed provided for EU
intervention to support “special actions” to cooperate with third countries. These third counries should have
concluded with the EU an association or cooperation agreement containing cultural clauses.
This call for proposals seeks to support cultural cooperation projects aimed at cultural exchanges between the
MS and Brazil. The cooperation projects are bi-annual (2008-2010) and shall involve cultural cooperation with
the selected third country's organizations and/or involve cultural activities carried out in Brazil. The Education,
Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) is responsible for implementing the call for proposals and
eligible projects should involve cooperation of at least three cultural operators from at least three different
eligible countries. Furthermore, they must also involve at least one associated partner from Brazil and must be
supported by a signed declaration of partnership between the European cultural operators and the associated
partner(s) in Brazil. At least 50 % of the activities carried out under the cultural cooperation projects shall take
place on the territory of Brazil. Eligible applicants must be public or private cultural organisations with legal
status, whose main activity lies in the cultural sphere, and which are able to demonstrate at least a 2 year long
experience in the field of cultural projects at international level, in particular in Brazil. The organizations must
have their legal seat in one of the countries taking part in the programme and have the financial capacity and
operational capacity to complete the cooperation projects.
The total budget granted for this call for proposals is € 1 million. These organisations must be involved both in
the design and the implementation of the project, and also make a significant financial contribution to the
project's budget (at least 50 % of the total budget). The level of Community co-financing shall not exceed 50 %
of the costs associated with each project (maximum ceiling of € 200,000 per project). Final decision will be
determined on the basis of the award criteria: the extent to which the project can generate a real European
added value, a lasting impact and a concrete international cooperation dimension; the quality of the
partnership between cultural operators; the level of innovation and creativity of the project; the extent to
which the results of activities proposed will be appropriately promoted (visibility of the project). Deadline for
15
16
Following the OECD DAC definition
Call of Proposal EACEA/05/08, (2008/C 71/02)
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
submitting applications is 1 June 2008 (less than three months from the publication of the call of proposals)
and the specifications which complement the call for proposals (integral part thereof) are available on the
website of the EACEA17.
4.
Competences of the EU or of MS?
EU’s common external aid policies make no prejudice for the MS competence to conclude international
agreements; anyway, the Commission and MS should consult each other on their aid programmes and,
possibly, make joint actions.
In 1992, the European Council agreed on a legal obligation to coordinate the efforts of MS in this field. The
Maastricht Treaty emphasises “Three Cs”: coordination, coherence and complementarity. European
governments are told not only to coordinate their activities, but also to ensure that their sum makes sense and
fits in well with policymaking in other fields (e.g. trade or security). While several initiatives were taken in the
first years after the Maastricht Treaty, after the turn of the Millennium the process of coordinating EU
development efforts really needed to be improved. Some MS and the Commission gradually took a more proactive approach to enhance “Policy Coherence for Development” (PCD): six successive EU presidencies pushed
the matter, culminating in 12 specific PCD commitments adopted in May 2005. Currently, a large majority of 27
EU members had accepted PCD as a policy objective, and more than half had made practical adjustments to
their institutional architecture. In November 2005 the EU passed the “European Consensus on Development”,
which, for the first time, identified a framework of common principles for the MS and the Commission in this
policy field. Another document adopted by the EU in this field is “The code of conduct on division of labour” in
development cooperation: on the one hand, the code emphasises a gradual approach, while on the other
hand, it states that the MS and the Commission “will start to use the code of conduct immediately and in all
developing countries in a pragmatic way18”. The code lists eleven key principles to guide EU development
efforts; the best known is probably the commitment for each MS and the Commission to focus on supporting
only three sectors per developing country and to limit the number of EU actors involved in any single sector to
a maximum of five. The document has been criticised, as it lacks a precise definition of “sector” (with EU
donors possibly crowding into easy sectors) and for the frictions it presents between donor harmonisation on
the one hand, and alignment with target country’s development priorities on the other. Such frictions directly
affect those countries’ capacity to assume responsibility and leadership in policymaking.
However, it would be cynical to deny that the EU is making progress at all and there are indications that EU
coordination is improving. It is promising that procedures have been changed to allow for MS and the EC to cofinance development programmes and MS such as Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, have begun to
reduce the number of countries they do development cooperation with. Finally, the OECD’s Paris Declaration
on Aid Effectiveness of 2005 and the various EU documents on the matter are inter-related, and these
agreements mutually reinforce one another. The global policy context is changing too. In the 1990s, aid
volumes were going down. That trend has been reversed, and the EU has prominently pledged to scale up aid
to 0.7 % of GDP by 2015: boosting aid to that level will certainly require more and better coordination.
All summed up, it remains anyway very difficult to precisely assess the quality of EU coordination in
development affairs. Four main findings emerged:
– At the level of agency headquarters, coordination efforts among EU donors have increased. However,
institutional coordination is not an end in itself and empirical data reveal that coordination efforts often did not
go beyond ex-post exchange of information and documents, and this is certainly not enough. Accordingly, the
efficiency of EU efforts often remain suboptimal;
17
18
http://eacea.eceuropa.eu
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2007:0072:FIN:EN:PDF
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
– Also at the level of the target countries, the quest for more EU coordination seem constrained. Reasons
include that some decisions are made not locally, but at the headquarter level in MS or in Brussels. Mandates,
tend to be unclear, and coordination mechanisms so far do not lead to joint decision-making at the local level;
– MS often do not agree on what complementarity means precisely, and what it requires in practice. There is
an over-emphasis on exchange of information, and this thwarts the quest for better results;
– MS and the Commission are involved in designing more flexible and joint planning arrangements. Such
schemes are likely to improve matters significantly, so promising models should be shared widely to stimulate
further development.
On the basis of these findings, political and operational guidance is required in terms of managing EU
coordination and it is also advisable to boost EU research facilities in order to support coordination efforts with
knowledge and analyses.
5.
Examples of realized projects involving culture
i. “Mahaleo” in Malagasy means “free and independent” and “with the head held high”. It is the name
of the most popular musical group in Madagascar, seven school mates who used to make music during the
1970s. In 1972, Madagascar experienced a student revolt in protest against French control of the young
republic, including its culture. The seven teenagers played music during the long strikes and their songs, taken
up by the protestors, helped keep the revolt going. In the Malagasy language – a first in a very long time – they
sang of the problems of day-to-day life in a musical style similar to that of Bob Dylan. Thirty-five years later,
Mahaleo still perform before crowds of 15 000 to 30 000 people. The band members cannot earn a living from
their art – a common paradox in Africa – but their work still reflects the ideals of their youth. The group
includes two surgeons working in public hospitals, a general practitioner, two sociologists working in rural
areas, a member of the national assembly and a civil servant who retired to become a farmer. Film makers
César and Marie-Clémence Paes produced a musical film on Mahaleo in 2005, presenting a portrait of presentday Madagascar through the daily lives and songs of the seven musicians. The film “Mahaleo” was co-funded
by the EU. The group will perform at the Olympia in Paris in 2007, a success no doubt largely due to the film. EU
contributed with €70 000 (15% of the total budget).
Interview with Marie-Clémence Paes - The long and winding road to European funding
- Why is it so hard for African artists to make a living from their art ?
There is a lot of confusion among the general public. Since they listen to music and go to see films or theatre
performances during their free time, they think that artists create their works when they are not working… It is
not really accepted that they can be paid for what they do. Pirating of their work is also widespread. Why pay
the real price of a CD or a DVD when you can get it for one-tenth the price? And if everything is copied illegally,
how can you make a living from your art? How can you finance quality films, which are expensive to make?
- How did you manage to finance the film “Mahaleo”?
We signed contracts with the Madagascan public TV channel and in Europe, with Canal Plus and Arte, but still
didn’t have enough. We obtained European financing through a programme run by the Secretariat of the ACP
states. You have to know that when you apply for European funds, you receive a form several pages long with a
whole load of information explaining how to complete it. The funniest thing is that putting your signature in
the right place almost seems more important than the content of the project. In other words, you can have a
terrific project but if you forget to sign, at the bottom of page 24 for example, your project can be rejected. It’s
incomprehensible, even though we realise they must be submerged by a tidal wave of applications…
- At the same time, is EU assistance important ?
Of course. Especially because the concept of liberalisation is spreading. There is a tendency to say: “Everything
will work better if we privatise.” For those who govern us, culture appears to be totally superfluous and does
not need public support. We just have to make do on our own! How can anyone be creative in such conditions?
The EU’s aid is fundamental because we cannot obtain resources in our countries to carry out our plans.
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EU Development Cooperation and the role of Culture
ii. PAVIA (Support and valorisation programme for artistic and cultural initiatives in Mali - Programme
d’Appui et de Valorisation des Initiatives Artistiques et culturelles au Mali). In the framework of the 9th EDF,
this programme obtained results which exceeded all expectations. Here some of the initiatives:
- The 7th edition of the "African Meetings with photography" (Rencontres africaines de la photo): in this
occasion, the EU awards the best press photographer;
- A contemporary art exposition has taken place at the Bamako National Museum;
- The future construction of the regional museums of Bandiagara, Sikasso et Djenné
- The projection of the movie "Faro" was a real success, gathering a big audience in Ouagadougou.
- The participation at the last call of proposals for PSIC (Support programme for cultural initiatives - Programme
de soutien aux initiatives culturelles) has been impressive ;
- As an example of activity financed by the PSIC (PAVIA Programme, 9th EDF - Mali) is the Tamacali project
(production of handmade jewelery) and more information can be found on: http://www.tamacali.com
17