Spain's Activity in the European Cultural Initiatives

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to highlight the way in which Spain has functioned since its accession to the European Union in 1986 in the field of culture. After completing the process of transition to democracy, and having fully recognized the importance of culture, Spain began to be active and to participate with success in most European cultural programs. The interest between Spain and the European Union has been mutual from the beginning. Spain was interested in promoting Spanish culture in Europe and the European Union in highlighting the cultural diversity that characterized Spain. New resources were arriving at the country and Spain tried to use them in the best possible way to promote the sector of culture. Spain has been actively involved in almost all cultural initiatives developed by the European Union. In this study we aim to present an analysis about Spain’s activity in the context of European cultural initiatives in order to enter a new era. More particular, we aim to identify the activity of Spain in the institution of the European Capital of Culture, the European Heritage Label, the European Days of Cultural Heritage and the Digital Libraries Initiative. We address and analyze how Spain eventually created a new image of the country both at a European and at an international level. Moreover, is presented an analysis on the cultural policy pursued by Spain after its accession to the European Union.