Mayor of Umeå: Investing in culture repays itself in spades

Monday, 07 April 2014
Umeå. Photo: Jörgen Wiklund/imagebank.sweden.se Umeå. Photo: Jörgen Wiklund/imagebank.sweden.se

"The best thing you can do for your city is invest in culture – it repays itself in spades," said Umeå mayor Marie-Louise Rönnmark, speaking at the 'Get Creative – Go Baltic. Culture and the creative economy in the Baltic Sea region – opportunities for economic growth and regional cooperation' conference in Brussels in early April.

The northern Swedish city of Umeå invests 70% more than all other cities in Sweden in creative economy projects focussing on local life. It is the fastest-growing city in Europe and has residents from 135 countries around the world. It is one of the two European Capitals of Culture in 2014 alongside the Latvian capital, Rīga.

Attending the conference, which was organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the European Commission and the Informal Baltic Sea Group, were around two hundred policy-shapers fostering the creative economy in Baltic Sea countries as well as representatives of various projects and initiatives. Opportunities to boost cooperation were discussed with the aim of creating more jobs and helping the economy grow in the Baltic Sea region.

The potential for cooperation between projects was discussed at the conference, as were financing options from the 'Creative Europe 2014-2020' programme of the European Commission and other funds. The 'Creative Estonia & Creative Finland' project was highlighted as an example of a successful joint undertaking implemented with the support of the European Commission.

Culture and the creative industry sector have been priority areas in the Baltic Sea policy of the European Commission and the Nordic Council of Ministers since 2013, as they are almost as large – or even larger – than the chemical and car industries.

Europe is not launching any cultural cooperation with Russia, as its initiatives and offers of cooperation have failed to elicit any response for a number of years. This is why the current support mechanisms are not open to Russia.

Taking part in the conference as a representative of the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia was Grete Kodi. You can find out more about the conference here.


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