The Battle for Europe: What can Culture do?
André Wilkens
It is 2019 and Europe is under attack. It would not be exaggerated to describe these attacks as the Battle of Europe. The attacks are coming from inside and out. From the inside, they are coming from those who want to renationalise Europe, seal it off, and turn it into a copy of its former self, in which hostility between nations almost destroyed it twice. Those attacking the continent from the outside have long regarded a united, supranational, cooperative Europe as a thorn in their side, because it sets a utopian example to the rest of the world.
This Battle of Europe is being fought not with tanks and missiles, but with ideas, narratives, bots and social media. The majority of Europeans do not yet realise that their continent has become the site of a global battle — and the outcome will have international implications, as history has shown so many times. It’s time to defend the European idea of peace, stability and prosperity before it’s too late.
Standing up for Europe is not about defending a boring status quo, but a viable future. Europe is not perfect. Of course not. Inequality has been growing for more than 30 years, political and economic elites have lost touch with ordinary citizens, Brussels is incapable of explaining how it makes Europe better and for whom, national leaders sabotage common action where it is needed most. Europe urgently needs reforms that put people and the environment first. Europe needs to excite with its vision, utopian ideas and practical measures which improve people’s daily lives. But we must also win the Battle of Europe. Because otherwise there will be nothing left to reform.
These are challenging times. These are no times for business as usual. We need to take a hard look at ourselves: What went right and what went wrong? The Battle of Europe creates space and urgency for new thinking, readiness for experimentation and risks.
What can culture do?
Culture can create European experience. Whatever politics and politicians do, culture should bring Europeans together, make them experience Europe, let them do something together. European experience creates European identity.
Without identity Europe is vulnerable to nationalistic narratives. European identity is not exclusive but inclusive of national, regional and migrant identities.
Culture creates public spheres. The European public sphere is still weak. But where it exists, culture has been its forerunner. Look at the composition of orchestras, pop culture and festivals, exhibitions, architectural exchange. And let us not forget the Eurovision song contest and the Champions League. Seriously.
Culture can pave the way to a truly European sharing society, well beyond our current model of a European sharing economy. Because European culture should foremost be about sharing, not about division.
Culture can mitigate the potential impact of Brexit by keeping the exchange of people and ideas between Europe and Britain alive and even intensify it. Because Britain is and should continue to be an important part of the European Cultural Community.
The enemies of a sharing Europe have understood the power of culture, of symbols, of fashion and how it shapes identity. They have declared an open cultural war on Europe. For them culture is a weapon, a tool. They invest consciously in a nationalistic counter culture and they use political means where they can — for example, by hijacking legislative powers on cultural policy and budgets. This is why culture must also provide resistance against neo-nationalist cultural ideologists who put national identity and national culture first.
Europe needs to respond to the attacks through culture, media and soft power. We need to do this not only with warm words but more importantly with concrete action, serious investment and legislation. Culture is a European priority. It creates identity, community and a narrative for the future. Culture is much more than a “nice to have” or an accessory. Culture is essential now for the survival of European unity.
It’s about culture, stupid!
André Wilkens is the director of the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam.
He is also the Board Chair of Tactical Tech Cooperative, the co-founder of the Initiative Offene Gesellschaft and a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
In the past he worked as Director of the Mercator Centre Berlin, as Director of the Open Society Institute Brussels and as Head of Strategic Communications of UNHCR in Geneva.
His positions prior to this were at the Ogilvy & Mather communications agency in Brussels, the European Training Foundation in Turin and at the European Commission and European Parliament in Brussels. André is the author of two books on Europe (Der diskrete Charme der Bürokratie 2017) and on Digitalisation (Analog ist das neue Bio 2015), and a regular media contributor.
