Kiri

Ref. Ares(2020)5062474 - 28/09/2020 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EDUCATION, YOUTH, SPORT AND CULTURE Culture and Creativity Cultural Policy Brussels, 25 September 2020 EAC.D.1/NMR NOTE FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Subject: Invitation to nominate experts for an Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group on "Cultural dimension of sustainable development" under the Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022 – Priority F In November 2019, the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States adopted a Resolution on the Cultural dimension of sustainable development1. This resolution calls for an Open Method of Coordination (OMC) working group to be established on the topic of the “Cultural dimension of sustainable development” under the current 2019-2022 Work Plan for Culture2. In May 2020 Council Conclusions were adopted to amend the Work Plan for Culture accordingly3. As a reminder, the Work Plan for Culture is organised around six key priorities where EU level action can deliver clear added value: (A) sustainability in cultural heritage; (B) cohesion and well-being; (C) an ecosystem supporting artists, cultural and creative professionals and European content; (D) gender equality; (E) international cultural relations; (F) culture as a driver for sustainable development. As for all OMC groups under the Work Plan for Culture, participation in the work of this group is voluntary and Member States can join at any time. In light of COVID-19, we anticipate that at least the first meeting(s) of this group will take place online rather than physically, as for the other OMC groups which are currently active. If your Member State is interested in participating in this group, I would be grateful if you could nominate one/two expert(s) who will represent your country in this group, by 15 October 2020. To inform the nomination process, please find below a few practical indications as to the timing, profile of experts and reimbursements of their costs. 1 Resolution of the Council of the European Union and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development, OJ C 410, 6.12.2019, p.1 2 Official Journal C460/10 of 21.12.2018, link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/?qid=1554803950972&uri=CELEX:52018XG1221(01) 3 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/44118/st08271-en20.pdf Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111 Office: J-70 02/237 - Tel. direct line +32 229-55389 [email protected] Timing of the expert group The work of this OMC group should start in the fourth quarter of 2020. The group will meet approximately 5 times until the end of 2021. The proposed date for the first meeting will be early December 2020. Mandate for the group According to the procedure laid down in the Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022, the mandate of this OMC group has been finalised in the Cultural Affairs Committee on the basis of a draft mandate proposed by the Commission. The mandate is at Annex 2 to this letter. Profile of the experts When adopting the Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022, EU Member States decided on a few principles relating to membership and functioning of the working groups. These principles state that the expert should have 'a practical experience in the field at national level, and that s/he will ensure effective communication with competent national authorities'. Indeed, past experience with OMC groups in the field of culture shows that for the OMC process to be as beneficial as possible, experts should be involved in or closely linked to national policy making. In addition experts should actively participate in the work of the group, by contributing to the meetings with presentations, drafting texts related to the group's deliverables and committing to disseminate its results to policy makers and relevant stakeholders at home. In the case where no suitable expert from the national administration can be identified for the purpose of the OMC group, Member States can exceptionally appoint experts from NGOs or cultural organisations. Sectorial expertise and number of experts Experts should be able to contribute effectively to the discussions and fulfilment of the group's mandate. They should therefore have a good knowledge of the relevant public policies, practices and grassroots initiatives aiming to promote the cultural dimension of sustainable development. We invite you to appoint one or, if considered appropriate, two experts, where one should come from the cultural field and one from another field relevant to sustainable development. The Commission will reimburse travel expenses (for any physical meetings) for maximum two participants per Member State, representing two different and complementary services. Transparency Nominated experts will be identified by name and function in the final report and any associated proceedings of the OMC. Contact details (email addresses) may also be shared on request. For the sake of transparency, all documents related to OMC meetings including agendas and minutes will be made available online in the Register of Experts managed by the Secretariat- General of the European Commission and accessible via the Europa website (click here). Reimbursement Experts who are civil servants or public administration employees will have their travel costs reimbursed (for any physical meetings), but accommodation costs will not be covered and there will be no daily allowance. 2  Please note that following a change to the rules for reimbursement of expert groups, any expert from NGOs or cultural organisations participating in OMC groups will have their costs reimbursed in the same way as civil servants or public administration employees: that is, only travel costs will be reimbursed. Accommodation will not be covered and there will be no daily allowance. Ordinarily, only one expert per Member State will receive reimbursement of travel costs. However, as stated above, if a second expert who clearly represents a different government department / administration / sector is nominated, travel costs of both experts will be reimbursed. Chairperson The nomination letter from your institution or agency should indicate whether an expert would be willing to chair the working group. Candidates for the chair should be made fully aware of the time investment that such a position requires, particularly with regard to steering the preparation of the expert group's expected output and coordinating the drafting process. In light of the fact that at least the first meeting(s) will be held online, good IT skills would also be desirable for any candidate(s) interested in chairing. The expression of interest to serve as chair should be accompanied by a CV and a motivation letter, which will be shared with all OMC group members prior to the election of the chair. The election of the chair will take place at the first meeting of the OMC Group. Working language Due to current budget limitations for translation/interpretation, and in order to use our resources in the most effective way, the working language for the OMC group will be English. The Commission will cover costs of translation of the group’s final report (full version and executive summary) into French and German, and format these for publication. There is some budget available for publication of other EU language reports/summaries, if group members are interested / willing to provide translations. I would be grateful if you could complete the attached nomination form (Annex 1) and send it to Ms Florence Baeke ([email protected] ) by 15 October 2020. My colleagues and I will be happy to answer any further queries you may have about the nomination procedure. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, (e-signed) Catherine MAGNANT Head of Unit Annexes: 1. Mandate of the group 2. template for nomination 3 Electronically signed on 24/09/2020 18:08 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 11 of Commission Decision C(2020) 4482 Council of the European Union Brussels, 19 February 2020 (OR. en) 6161/20 CULT 12 SUSTDEV 21 SOC 64 NOTE From: General Secretariat of the Council To: Delegations No. prev. doc.: 5742/20 Subject: Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group of Member States’ experts on the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development - Final mandate Delegations will find attached the mandate for the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group of Member States’ experts on the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development, as finalised further to the discussions at the Cultural Affairs Committee meeting on 18 February. 6161/20 CC/ja 1 TREE.1.B EN  ANNEX Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group of Member States’ experts on the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development set up following the Council Resolution on the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development, adopted on 21 November 2019 - mandate - 1. The 2030 Agenda1, adopted by the international community in September 2015, is structured around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing a framework for policy design and implementation for a more sustainable future. 2. At the EU level, the Council Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022 and the New European Agenda for Culture recognise the important cultural dimension of sustainable development. This is also a focus of UNESCO’s work to harness culture’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda, stating that culture contributes to sustainable development both as a sector of activity in itself and as an intrinsic component present in other sectors2. 3. In its Resolution on the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development3 (the Resolution), the Council confirms its dedication to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and agrees, referring to the intrinsic value of culture, to step up efforts by initiating a process that would lead to an action plan, prepared by the European Commission in cooperation with Member States, on the cultural dimension of sustainable development at EU level, and to the integration of this action plan in the EU’s implementation strategy for the 2030 Agenda. 1 United Nations, A/RES/70/1, “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E 2 UNESCO, “Culture 2030 Indicators”, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000371562 3 Resolution of the Council of the European Union and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development, OJ C 410, 6.12.2019, p. 1. 6161/20 CC/ja 2 ANNEX TREE.1.B EN  4. In line with the Resolution, a new Open Method of Coordination working group (OMC group) on the cultural dimension of sustainable development is to be set up. The Resolution states, inter alia, that the action plan could build on existing work carried out in the framework of the Council Work Plan for Culture, especially the work to be undertaken by such an OMC group, and the New European Agenda for Culture. 5. In line with the Resolution, the OMC group on the cultural dimension of sustainable development will have the following tasks:  Share information on, and best practices from, the work pursued by the Member States to integrate cultural policies and perspectives into their national sustainable development strategies;  Discuss how the cultural sector’s and culture’s contribution to sustainable development can further be strengthened and how Member States’ actions in this regard can be supported, coordinated and supplemented through EU level action;  Provided that the Commission, in line with the invitation in the Resolution, decides to prepare an action plan on the cultural dimension of sustainable development at EU level, conduct an exchange on a regular basis with the Commission on its progress in preparing the action plan and provide input to this work;  Prepare guidance on how culture could be included in Voluntary National Review Reports and/or a possible EU report4 for the UN’s High-Level Political Forum;  Actively seek synergies with other relevant works and initiatives, and avoid any overlapping, such as: o other relevant OMC groups in the cultural field, e.g. on architecture and built environment, gender equality and social cohesion;5 4 As mentioned in the Council conclusions on Building a sustainable Europe by 2030 – Progress thus far and next steps (14835/19), adopted by the Council on 10 December 2019 (“The Council invites the Commission to prepare a report for the HLPF on the EU's internal and external implementation of the 2030 Agenda during the next HLPF cycle, preferably in 2021. An open, transparent and multilevel participatory process should be established for the preparation of the report, with close involvement of the Council, and consultation of key stakeholders and the European Parliament.”) 5 Open Method of Coordination Group of Member States’ Experts on High-quality architecture and built quality environment for everyone; Open Method of Coordination Group of Member States’ Experts on Gender equality; Open Method of Coordination Group of Member States’ Experts on Culture and Social Cohesion (all three under the Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022). 6161/20 CC/ja 3 ANNEX TREE.1.B EN  o the Member States’ Expert Group on Culture in Development and International Cooperation; o the implementation of the EU’s strategic approach towards international cultural relations; o the future Voices of Culture dialogue on culture and sustainable development; o the work carried out in other national and international contexts (such as UNESCO) to harness culture’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda. 6. The OMC group may, for further inspiration and input, decide to involve external experts, such as researchers and representatives from civil society. 7. The OMC group will prepare a report on the activities outlined under point 5. 6161/20 CC/ja 4 ANNEX TREE.1.B EN