Freedom of expression is non-negotiable in the EU

The defense of freedom of expression in Europe and the active role that culture must adopt in defense of common values ​​is one of the issues that will be discussed starting on December 2 in Madrid at the next meeting of the European Alliance of Academies.

This instrument of cultural activism, promoted since 2020 by the German presidency of the EU, brings together some seventy European cultural institutions. The host will be the Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid. El Círculo is the only Spanish institution in an alliance that is open to anyone who wants to join it. La Vanguardia has spoken with the German ambassador, Wolfgang Dold, and the director of the Círculo, Valerio Rocco.

When we talk about the EU, we think of it as an economic and political club. Do you think that one day we will also be able to talk about a union that is also cultural?

WOLFGANG DOLD: Culture plays a very important role. There are two aspects that I think have to be highlighted. On the one hand, we cannot speak of a European culture as a homogeneous and unique space. On the other hand, it is true that we share facts that are part of the same story. It is often a difficult story...almost always difficult, but a common story. We are talking about a common space, but also about diversity and the fact that all regions have their particularities and must be respected. And that is a value by itself. Talking about European culture is talking about European cultures.

VALERIO ROCCO: I agree with the ambassador. The motto of diversity is political, but, above all, cultural. The great wealth of Europe compared to other parts of the world is precisely these shared traditions. But, at the same time, it gains wealth from its diversity. We improve very slowly. The EU programs in culture are still very small, despite the fact that they have doubled their funding for the next 7 years. Culture is still fundamentally a responsibility of the states, and in many countries like Germany or Spain, of the länder and of the communities. I believe that, although not much is being done from above, initiatives from below are very important. The European Alliance of Academies is a magnificent example of how 70 European cultural institutions decide to come together to have a common voice in which they can also express themselves. that diversity. I have great faith in these citizen initiatives to achieve a European culture, a transnational culture.

In fact, it came as a surprise when Commission President Ursula von der Leyen placed culture at the center of European policies with her New Bauhaus...

V. A. : To me, the New Bauhaus seems like a brilliant idea. It is multidisciplinary, with a focus on the habitability of cities from many perspectives. The motto is a beautiful, sustainable and inclusive coexistence. To me, as director of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, the fact that the word beautiful is at the center of a public policy seems exciting to me. The New Bauhaus has not yet been widely understood because it is a novel policy, but I think that if there are countries that can fully understand what it refers to, it is those of southern Europe, even if the initiative comes from a German president. It is no coincidence that of the 10 first prizes of the New Bauhaus, which have just been announced, five are Spanish and there is only one German. This is so because this component of the happiness of living, of the sustainable, of the integration, of the beauty in the configuration of our cities is something typical of southern Europe, and it is magnificent that it wants to extend to the entire continent.

W.D. I fully share that perspective. The most significant thing in cities or urban centers is the concept of the citizen's space. The old Bauhaus was based on this interconnection, with many aspects that go beyond the purely technical. That is, it is about integrating social, cultural and communication aspects between the people who live in a city. A European city is a city where citizens can live freely, where they can occupy public spaces. Cities must be at the service of people's lives. I don't think there are many more regions in the world where this very particular concept of city is applied.

WOLFGANG DOLD

"Free speech must include those who say things that we don't think are right"

However, technological dependency seriously threatens this model. In an interview in La Vanguardia, the economist Francesca Bria, also a director of the New Bauhaus, warned that Europe could become a digital colony of the United States and Asian countries.

W. D. : Without a doubt, we have a dependence on technology coming from outside Europe. In a recent survey, 80% of German companies have said that they are almost completely dependent on technology from outside the EU, be it Asian or the US That's true. We are very far from having digital sovereignty. However, I believe that here we have a common thread that can be a strength of Europeans: combining this technological, business, or business issue with other aspects of life. That is, I am talking about the question of human dignity and the question of intellectual property over the data itself. In this sense, the next few years will be years in which the right of people to keep their own data will be at the center of the debate, beyond technological issues.

"Europe risks being a digital colony of the US and China"

But many more initiatives would be needed, right? It seems that with the 2022 Frankfurt Fair, in which Spain will be the guest country, Germany wants to play that backbone role...

W. D. : The Frankfurt Book Fair is a very prominent event also in the Mediterranean world. It is not only an event for publishers, but also an event for culture as a whole. In 2022 we are going to see a presence of Spanish literature in all its diversity. That is important to highlight. We know that those responsible for the Spanish presence are going to take into account this very important issue of diversity. For the German public, the fair will be a milestone because there is a great interest in Spanish literature. I think that, beyond the classics, interest in modern Spanish literature, which is less well known, can be fostered. In addition, it seems very important to us to do something in parallel to the fair here in Spain, with the aim that this is not a one-way street, but rather a dialogue between Spanish and German cultures.

The book has held up better than other sectors and can serve as a tool for reactivation...

V. A. : It has held up much better than other sectors, but the big publishers better than the small ones. I wish the book could revitalize the entire Spanish cultural sector. I am a bit skeptical because the sector lacks structure and unity. Sometimes it seems that they are medieval guilds that each go their own way with their demands, with their specific problems, and we do not realize -and I include myself here- that we are the Spanish cultural sector and we have to have a single voice. And sometimes also forms of internal solidarity, so to speak. The sectors least affected by the crises would have to help those most affected. Large institutions such as the Círculo de Bellas Artes can help fabrics that have suffered the worst, such as technicians in music rooms, to give an example. I hope the book sector takes note and can exert that contagion effect.

Any approach to European culture must take into account the differences that exist regarding piracy. Spain leads the ranking in the theft of cultural content.

V. A. : Indeed, in Spain traditionally piracy is very high, because the concept of intellectual property linked to artistic creation has not been well understood, because the cultural sector has traditionally been very discredited. After the pandemic things have changed, it has improved. The public has recognized itself with the culture sector and has understood that all these creators who gave this content for free also need to eat. It is very important to insist on the idea that without the defense of the rights of intellectual freedom there can be no genuine artistic freedom, because the creator must be protected to be able to live from his creation and be free in it. It is a problem specific to Spain. Maybe in Germany...

W. D.: I believe, without any nuance, that piracy is a crime. Earlier we talked about the protection of European culture. Well then, we have to take not only that first step, but also the second, which is to protect artists, protect cultural producers. We have the obligation to respect the original, and not the fake.

The next meeting of the European Alliance of Academies is being held at a time when freedom of expression is under serious threat. In Eastern Europe above all, but also in other countries of our club. To what extent do you care about this issue?

W. D. : Freedom of expression is one of the fundamental values ​​in this space of values ​​called Europe. Of course, freedom is always in danger, we always have the need to protect it. Freedom is protected with respect for institutions, the division of powers, judicial independence and fundamental rights. That is not something negotiable.

V. A. : The European Alliance has been very combative this year by denouncing the situation, for example, of the literati or the universities in Hungary; the situation in Poland... We were also very active in denouncing censorship in Belarus, despite that is outside the EU. But there are also forms of censorship in other countries, moments in which the freedom of artistic creation is restricted, perhaps in a less serious or more specific way. We have also had cases in Spain, such as the cases of the rappers Valtònyc, by Pablo Hasél. By the way, this is very interesting in Germany, according to what German journalists told us. It is of great interest in Germany and I think that we have to be very clear when saying that freedom of artistic growth cannot be restricted, which is a fundamental pillar of democratic construction also in countries that apparently do not have problems.

W. D. : I want to add something. Protecting free speech also means protecting those who say things that may not be so politically correct. We have to defend free speech in all directions, and not just one.

V. If I can add this, I believe that this threat to the freedom of creation has not only been exercised by governments, but also, many times, by ultranationalist, radical, exclusive, identity groups that pressure, threaten, restrict...

These days the cultural and scientific joint capital of Barcelona has been made official. Do you think there should be more collaboration between Madrid and Barcelona?

W. D. :The fact that Barcelona and Madrid share this joint capital seems to me a wise decision. We talk a lot about competition, but we can also talk about complementarity. They are prestigious cities that have their nuances, their distinct characteristic features. Aligning the two in the same category can be a formula, if not for reunification (this is a very German concept that cannot be used in this context), then for cooperation between two important cities in Europe and Spain.

V. A.: I think that the scientific and cultural co-capital project is very interesting, but, to put a but, what should be encouraged is that complementarity that the ambassador speaks of. Not so much promoting the two poles separately because they are co-capital, but co-financing common projects.

What message do you hope the meeting of the European Alliance of Academies will send out?

V. A. : We hope, on the one hand, to convince national governments and European institutions that it is necessary to advance in the provision of resources to generate a transnational conception of culture. This can affect, for example, education. In all the countries of Europe culture is taught in a still very national way. It is known what Don Quixote is, but not Goethe's Faust, and vice versa. And both are pillars of European culture. And, on the other hand, a message must be sent to the citizens in this era of exclusive nationalisms, fundamentally from the extreme right. We must send the message that European culture has to work together in an aggregating way, with cooperation, and never excluding diversity or otherness.

W. D. : There is not much to add. I think this conversation has shown what debate we are going to have in Europe on aspects that go beyond a work of art or a book. Aspects that address the transversality of culture. In other words, it is clear that the digital transformation must take human dignity into consideration. The New Bauhaus must be an interface of many aspects. These are the contributions made by this new concept of academic alliance. It has been set up under the German presidency, but I hope it is not an interesting but brief episode. I hope it will be a sustainable way to act and debate, to ensure that European culture continues to exist at the end of this century.