EU programmes to support creativity and citizenship for 2014-2020, digitisation of the cultural heritage and the designation of European capitals of culture 2016 will be on the agenda of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, on 10 May. The ministers will also discuss doping at this session.

The Council will officialise the 17 April agreement on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation. The 27 ministers agreed on an indicative road map of activities and objectives for 2012 to 2015 to enable the public to discover the rich European cultural heritage. The text is also meant to permit the ongoing development of Europeana, the EU’s online public library, launched in 2008.

The member states will discuss two new European programmes for 2014-2020: ‘Creative Europe’ and ‘Europe for citizens’. The first groups three currently separate programmes: Culture, MEDIA and MEDIA Mundus. It is meant to promote cultural diversity and to boost the competitiveness of the cultural, audiovisual and creative sectors. With a budget proposal of €1.8 billion, the regulation focuses on promoting the transnational circulation of works and players. The second programme is meant to increase EU citizens’ awareness and understanding of the European Union. A thematic strand on “democratic engagement and civic participation” aims to help citizens understand EU policies, decision making and the impact of the EU on their everyday lives. Another more political strand on “remembrance and European citizenship” will strengthen understanding of Europe’s past, including its darkest moments.

The Danish EU Presidency plans to adopt only a general approach on these two regulations since funding amounts will not be discussed at this meeting. The figures will be known once there is final agreement on the multiannual financial framework. The Danish permanent representative said that this budgetary allocation represents only a very small percentage of the EU budget in any case.

The two European capitals of culture for 2016 will also be officially designated at this Council. They are Donostia-San Sebastián in Spain and Wroclaw in Poland.

On sport, the ministers are set to adopt conclusions on combating doping in recreational sport. To raise awareness on this matter, they call for educational programmes and information campaigns. They also wish to step up the exchange of best practice and take appropriate and effective measures at national level for the investigation and sanctioning of all aspects of doping. The Council plans to expand the mandate of the expert group on anti-doping, established under the EU work plan for sport 2011-2014, to include recreational sport.