The New European Bauhaus
The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Culture and Education adopted an own-initiative report presented by Christian EHLER (EPP, DE) and Marcos ROS SEMPERE (S&D, ES) on the new European Bauhaus.
Members recalled that the original Bauhaus movement marked a profound change in design, architecture and the arts, which left important legacies for the democratisation of culture, led to fundamental innovations and promoted genuine cultural and social change in a progressive artistic and educational environment in the aftermath of the First World War, while at the same time having a positive impact on everyday life.
Main objectives
Members support the European Bauhaus Project (NEB), which aspires to create a pan-European cultural movement contributing to a smarter, more sustainable, inclusive and enjoyable living environment and promoting the development of knowledge at local and global level. The project should focus primarily on:
- improving the quality of life by creating healthy and affordable living spaces, rethinking the status quo and transforming spaces, buildings, cities, rural areas and territories, including in less developed, peri-urban, rural, remote or cross-border areas and regions;
- improving cohabitation and public spaces, in the interest of social cohesion and democratic life, by providing solutions to the problems of spatial segregation and the long-term exclusion of certain social groups and by protecting the environment when planning and constructing buildings and their surrounding spaces.
The new European Bauhaus could help to reshape the ways policies are conceived and shape the spatial and design environment of the future, with a view to a more sustainable, inclusive and aesthetic Europe. These ambitions can only be realised through well-designed, long-term projects.
Governance and criteria for the New European Bauhaus
The report encouraged Member States to implement the NBE in their national policies and called on the Commission to: (i) provide an integrated governance model for the NEB, based on citizens' participation and ownership, (ii) provide timely information on how to participate in the NBE, including through technical assistance for interested stakeholders and good practice.
The report insisted that the criteria for the selection and evaluation of projects under the new European Bauhaus should be clearly defined. In particular, these projects should meet the following criteria: (i) support the implementation of major policies such as the Green Deal and the Digital Decade, as well as environmental, industrial, social and cultural policies; (ii) be fully in line with the New European Bauhaus guiding principles of sustainability, inclusiveness and aesthetics; (iii) contribute to the creation of new jobs and business opportunities; (iv) promote accessibility and affordability; (v) promote citizen participation; (vi) involve the cultural and creative sectors, including cultural creators; and (vii) be aligned to indicators associated with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Funding
Deploring the lack of clarity regarding the funding of the NEB from 2023 onwards, Members called for an amendment to the Horizon Europe regulation in the context of the mid-term review of the current multiannual financial framework to create a ‘new European Bauhaus’ programme with EUR 500 million. The Commission is invited to come forward as soon as possible with a proposal to make the NEB a new stand-alone EU programme, before the adoption of the next MFF, without burdening the funding of other under-funded programmes, in particular Creative Europe, Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. Member States are encouraged to allocate sufficient funds in line with the principles of the NEB, through their recovery and resilience plans and the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Development and priority areas
Members consider that the NEB should:
- promote more sustainable, socially inclusive and innovative ways of living based on new, holistic models of planning, constructing and inhabiting our built environment, with the meaningful involvement of residents in decision-making processes;
- provide an opportunity to envision a well-designed green regeneration of public spaces with the aim of achieving decarbonisation objectives, to retrofit and repurpose obsolete buildings, to transform old industrial areas into new green urban and public spaces, and to build the relevant infrastructure to facilitate physical activity, knowledge and cultural exchanges;
- promote 15-minute cities to make all essential services and amenities accessible to citizens within walking distance and to provide innovative solutions for the development of sustainable urban areas, including sustainable mobility solutions;
- showcase affordable, socially inclusive and energy efficient buildings, and contribute to a modal shift towards public and collective transport and less polluting means of transport;
- support initiatives for the construction and renovation of affordable, quality and energy-efficient social housing;
- promote energy security and efficiency by encouraging investment and supporting low-tech, zero-emission and energy-efficient solutions and materials;
- facilitate the digital transition by improving connectivity to mitigate the digital divide.
The report stressed the importance of supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups, talent and skills through business development services and training, thus contributing to the Green Deal for Europe by highlighting efforts to develop high-impact solutions for improved sustainability and quality of life.
Implementation
The report called on the Commission and Member States to connect the NEB with the renovation wave strategy. Members support the creation, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, of an NEB label based on clear criteria applied in a systematic, comprehensive and inclusive way, which determines the value of projects in terms of sustainability and from an economic, environmental and social perspective.
The Commission and the Member States are invited to encourage the direct involvement of local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of projects.