Ministers warned over role of cultural issues in EU

THE European Union project will fail unless it recognises the central importance of cultural issues neglected until now, a meeting of EU cultural ministers in Galway was told yesterday.

Prof Brigid Laffan from University College Dublin's department of politics warned the 26 ministers that the EU faced a "legitimacy crisis" brought on by its failure to incorporate cultural issues into the broad thrust of economic integration.

"The problems of democracy in the Union are pressing because of the need for further constitution building, the emergence of a single currency and the European Parliament elections in 1999," she said.

"Attempts at integration that define Europe only in economic terms, or that ignore the importance of culture, are destined to fail. It is difficult, but necessary, to elaborate a European cultural project that embraces both the differences in European cultures and their common European roots."

The informal meeting of cultural ministers discussed a draft resolution on culture brought forward by the Irish Presidency, which aims to enhance the role of culture within the EU.

The two-day meeting continues today with a discussion on audiovisual matters, in advance of a formal consideration in November of proposals to amend the controversial Television Sans Frontiers Directive.

The directive stipulates a quota of programming broadcast in Europe which must be of European origin. It has been criticised by the US audiovisual industry for restricting free trade, and by European intellectuals as providing too weak a defence against US cultural dominance.

The Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins, told the meeting he shared Prof Laffan's concerns about the way in which the EU had developed. "Essentially, the affairs of the Union have been dominated by the four freedoms that constitute the basis of the single market - free movement of goods, persons, services and capital.

"The words of Vaclav Havel in his speech to the European Parliament in March 1994, and referred to by Prof Laffan, are sobering in this regard. To describe the European institutions as a perfect machine without a spiritual, moral or emotional dimension is a frightening concept."

Mr Higgins said he was concerned "that as we approach the end of this century and the millennium there is a real danger that we may be reaching a crisis in relation to the concept of European civilisation.

"I believe that our citizens are gradually being turned into passive consumers without compassion and care for one another in an ever more aggressive, deregulated and competitive society. In effect our citizens are being dehumanised.

"In my view the Union has an obligation to take this situation into account and to address it as a priority. On the other hand, I am optimistic that if we are prepared to take the legal opportunity presented by Article 128 (4) of the Maastricht Treaty to place the cultural dimension more centre stage in the policy-making deliberations of the Union, we can pull back from the brink," he said.