Emma Rafowicz: “We want the European Parliament to regain control of AgoraEU”
The draft report by Emma Rafowicz and Alice Kuhnke on the European Commission’s AgoraEU proposal was published on May 18. Emma Rafowicz was in charge of cultural issues, while her colleague focused on topics related to the defense of democracy, among others. In this interview with ElectronLibre, the Socialist rapporteur—who in less than two years has become one of the European Parliament’s most active voices on cultural issues—outlines her priorities: a return to a more assertive cultural approach, much more precise targeting of funding, strengthened support for independent production, and the creation of dedicated sections for information and journalism, as well as for music.
ElectronLibre: Your draft report substantially modifies the Commission’s proposal; why did you feel this was necessary?
Emma Rafowicz: I took a chance on proposing something quite ambitious. That is the goal we are pursuing in the European Parliament. We are at a particular moment when culture is under attack, and I wanted something strong. Even before the report existed, we launched a major round of consultations with the shadow rapporteurs to examine the realities of all cultural sectors. Parliament had also called for a 10% increase in the budget proposed by the Commission. We chose to go for something powerful. There is, however, a real innovation in the Commission’s proposal: previously, the SERV program was separate; now there is a genuine focus on information, and that is commendable. But the overall proposed…
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