The manifesto emphasizes the vital role of culture in enhancing citizens' quality of life and contributing to economic development. Crucially, city leaders recognize the urgent need to address the ecological imperative through their cultural policies, while also maintaining commitments to artistic excellence and social inclusion.
To achieve this vision, the Eurocities manifesto
outlines four key recommendations for the European Union to support:
Firstly, the EU should back pilot projects to develop innovative actions for greener and more accessible cultural policies and activities at the local level. This could include experimenting with ways to make cultural events and institutions more sustainable and inclusive.
Secondly, the manifesto calls for the EU to mainstream cultural heritage across its policies, leveraging this asset to tackle challenges such as climate change, social inclusion, and digital transformation. Cities are well-positioned to spearhead this effort through participatory approaches.
Thirdly, Eurocities urges the EU to mobilize resources that will enable cities to deliver on the New European Bauhaus objectives. This means investing in sustainable and inclusive architecture and urban design that improve people's quality of life without harming the environment.
Finally, the manifesto emphasizes the importance of peer-learning schemes that allow cities to develop and share new working models for sustainable and inclusive cultural policies. The EU should promote and support these long-term collaborations between municipalities.
“Every cultural initiative has the potential to be a catalyst for positive change,” says Dejan Crnek, Deputy Mayor in Ljubljana and Chair of the Eurocities Culture Forum.
Read the Manifesto here - Visit the Eurocities website
for more here
