Art is not an accessory, culture is our cement: David Sassoli and culture

David Sassoli, president of the European Parliament, left us tonight: a professional journalist (he was deputy director of TG1 from 2006 to 2009) before entering politics and becoming a member of the European Parliament for the Pd for three consecutive terms and then, from July 3, 2019 until his passing, president of the European Parliament, Sassoli passed away due to complications from a myeloma (a blood cancer) that afflicted him and about which he had never spoken publicly.

Remembered by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, as a person who “knew how to accompany a decisive turning point for the future of Europe: from civil and social rights, to dialogue with other countries, starting with the Mediterranean,” as a “man of dialogue,” and as a “passionate politician, a loyal, rigorous leader” who “knew how to nurture with his culture a political initiative at the service of people and institutions,” Sassoli was also a politician strongly convinced of the value of culture and cultural heritage, issues on which he spoke out on several occasions. Here are some of his speeches.

1. Commitment against cuts to culture in the European budget.

David Sassoli, just before the 2019 holiday season, made a personal commitment against the cuts to culture in the European budget for 2021-2027: “In the past few days I went to the European Council and told them that we, unanimously, the European budget, where there is a 20 percent cut to culture, we will not vote for it,” he said at the time. “We need the wisdom, prudence and courage of the Italian government and public opinion. You know how important it is to have resources, and for us this will be a particularly important year: with that budget we will decide what we will be in the next seven years. This year has been a success for you and for the Italians, you have given a lot back to Europe and above all you have told Europe that Mezzogiorno d’Italia is there. You did it with an important spirit of cohesion and with very important results. This has been a break-in year and it doesn’t end today: you have a name in the world, we need all this to become a lever of development, growth and work.” The cuts were later averted.

2. Culture as social cement for the post-pandemic world

“Europe’s rich and diverse cultural heritage is the cement that promotes our common European sense of belonging,” Sassoli declared in January 2021 in his introduction to the Rebuilding Europe report. Not only does it contribute to the social cohesion of our society, our democracy and our economy, but it also reflects our diversity, European values, history and way of life. As such, it must be cherished and supported. We are facing difficult times. The European Parliament has recognized from the beginning the dramatic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the cultural and creative sector and the many cultural professionals, authors, composers, musicians, writers and more, men and women whose present and future have become very uncertain. From the very beginning, we have called on the EU institutions and member states to recognize the need for massive support for culture. For several months, Parliament fought tooth and nail to increase the budget for culture in the multiannual financial framework. The Creative Europe program has been significantly boosted, and this victory testifies to our commitment to respond to the needs of citizens and the cultural and creative sector. We also strongly urged each member state to ensure that the fundamental place that culture deserves in the economic recovery plan is preserved. We must think of culture not only as a pivot of recovery but also as the social cement of a post-Covid-19 world to be rebuilt, in which interpersonal ties will have to be reconnected. At a time when darkness seemed to have taken over our private lives, cultural venues, concerts, cinemas and theaters, Europeans picked up their instruments and sang on their balconies. Art has a cathartic power that can accompany a post-pandemic society on the road to resilience. Art is not an accessory; it is a viaticum. Art is not ’political’; it is ’poetic’ a creative force that animates us and enables us to live together, to survive, individually and collectively."

3. The value of cultural heritage: the speech for the winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2021

A speech on the value of cultural heritage is the one David Sassoli gave at the award ceremony for the 2021 edition of the European Heritage Awards. Here is an excerpt from it: “Cultural heritage tells our story, it contributes to making Europe a protagonist, to making us all feel part of this community, it is a means to fight hatred, nationalism, exclusion, to foster our cohesion, to strengthen our humanity, to give a sense of belonging, and to build the future we want to leave to the younger generations, united in diversity (a phrase that reminds us that diversity should be respected and exalted). The same goes for our cultural heritage, to which we have responsibilities, as a clear example of witness. Testimony too often destroyed by the murderous fury of war, devastation, deliberate attacks of buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science, charitable purposes, historical monuments: these are qualified as crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Monuments are an integral part of our common identity, telling our story, helping to keep memory alive. Taking care is essential, so that we do not forget our roots and strengthen the sense of solidarity that perhaps these very difficult times have made us rediscover. I would like to congratulate the twenty-four winners of the European Heritage Prize: each of you has made a contribution to the protection, enhancement, and promotion of our rich cultural heritage and to the common building of Europe’s future.”

4. The speech for the Cultural Deal for Europe

On November 19, 2020, in a video message, David Sassoli introduced the event “A Cultural Deal for Europe,” where measures for the recovery of the cultural sector after Covid would be discussed. Here is an excerpt from the speech, “The cultural dimension is not a secondary aspect of our societies; on the contrary, it is crucial for the quality of our lives. And this is why the European Parliament has been committed from the beginning to support what is a crucial sector for the construction of a new world. Cultural heritage, visual art, music, cinema, entertainment are not secondary aspects, but are elements that contribute to enriching our citizenship, our European citizenship, to giving us personalities. That is why last September Parliament adopted a resolution calling on all member states to recognize the need for massive support for culture, to devote a significant part of economic recovery measures to it [...]. Places of culture are above all meeting places. The conference on the future of Europe, which is an ambition of this legislature, will be an opportunity for European citizens to proclaim their visceral attachment to cultural creation and cultural heritage, which are the foundations of their identities, their coexistences, their hope.”

5. We need to know and appreciate the cultural riches hidden in small villages

As president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli has been very committed to the Copyright Directive and has pushed Italy several times to transpose it (Italy transposed it in November 2021). Here is what Sassoli said during his closing speech at Matera European Capital of Culture 2019: “In this legislature it will be necessary to triple the funds of the Erasmus program, increase the budget of Creative Europe, allocate new resources to the framework program on research, promote excellence and the network of European universities, improve international exchange programs and fully implement the European agenda for culture. I appeal for the Italian Parliament to implement one of the most important measures of the last legislature, the copyright directive, on copyright. Nobody’s work must be stolen! It must be remunerated, and we say this to the web giants: Europe can do it. That’s why we need a stronger Europe. How would it be possible to regulate the activities of the web giants who have enormous resources at their disposal? What European country could do it alone? We need Europe to say that taxes are paid in the countries where the profits are made.”

Art is not an accessory, culture is our cement: David Sassoli and culture

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.