Modern European culture: features, values, development trends

The study examines the main characteristics of European culture and its development trends. The author analyzes the European culture from the historical perspective considering the relationships of the modern culture with the ancient one as well as with other historical periods. The research focuses on such European values as freedom, protection of human rights, tolerance. The author highlights several key trends of modern European culture: the enhanced role of local communities; the integrated and unified rules and standards of European culture; the technology implementation; the support for cultural heritage. The study provides information on modern programs preserving cultural heritage by the European Union, current data on public opinion polls on cultural issues. Besides, the research describes the challenges faced by the European culture (migration, social and cultural, technocratic and environmental).