Help, or hindrance? The EU’s impact on UK culture, tourism and sport

Less dramatic than ‘in’ or ‘out’, but no less important, the balance of the powers and legal abilities between the EU and the UK are under examination. Does the EU help, or hinder UK culture, tourism and sport? We need your expert views by Wednesday 7 August: Roger Higginson explains.

Europe is a political issue. Pro or anti, -phile or -phobe, the subject’s dominated headlines, debating chambers and pub conversation for the last forty years.
But I want to talk to you about something rather less dramatic than ‘in or out’ – though still very important. For the last few months, my team has been leading the DCMS elements of what’s called the ‘Balance of Competences review’.
Like many government initiatives, the magic really isn’t in the name.
What we’re doing is taking a good look at the powers and responsibilities that the European Union has, and the balance of those powers and legal abilities (‘competences’) between the EU and the UK government, and asking ‘are these competences a help, or a hindrance’ to the sectors that DCMS represents?

Why we need your views

To get a real picture of this balance, we need to hear from organisations, companies and people who are affected by the EU’s work, in the culture, tourism and sport sectors. For example:

• The EU culture programme has a real focus on a shared cultural heritage for Europe. How beneficial to the UK do you consider that focus?
• Should we be promoting the UK abroad as a great tourist destination just as it is, or would we be better off promoting it as part of an integrated European offer?
• Is there a case for the EU to get involved in sport? Some people might say we already have enough national and international sporting organisations without needing to add another layer. But increased coordination could bring its own benefits.

This is your opportunity to make your views known. We’re inviting all stakeholders to respond.

How to contribute

Responding is straightforward. To get your voice heard, complete the online form, email or write to us. We welcome both complete and partial responses to the questions, as well as relevant responses on areas not formally covered by the call to evidence.
You might just have an interest in tourism, say: we still want to hear from you.
You can also get involved on twitter by using the #BoCreview hashtag.
The call for evidence is only open for one more week: we’re closing our section of the review on Wednesday 7 August.
As experts in the areas of culture, tourism and sport you can have a real input on the EU issues that matter to you, and help inform the government’s thinking. So please, take a few minutes to check out our simple survey.