The Executive Committee of the European Council of Artists (ECA) representing artists’ organisations of 25 European countries expresses its deep concern about the Culture 2000 programme priorities for the year 2001.
These guidelines include combinations of references to certain social groups as recipients and the new media as transmitters of artistic production.
However, we miss any hints to contemporary production itself. The creative capacities of artists are a fundamental essence of a society and are a goal of its own. They nurture and develop our common European values. In our view the continuous emphasis on cultural projects with technical and social aspects reduces the unique quality of artistic expression itself.
We do hope that in future art will not merely be considered as a means of treating social problems or supporting technical innovation. We demand more respect by the European Commission for contemporary artistic production itself.