Council Conclusions of 17 December 1999 on cultural industries and employment in Europe
Date: 1999-12-17
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU employment policy, culture industry

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Official Journal of the European Communities

12.1.2000

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 17 December 1999

on cultural industries and employment in Europe

(2000/C 8/07)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(1) RECALLING the Council Resolution of 4 April 1995 on

culture and the multimedia (1);

(2) RECALLING the Council Resolution of 20 November 1995
on the promotion of statistics on culture and economic
growth (2);

(3) RECALLING the Council Resolution of 20 January 1997 on
into Community

the integration of cultural aspects
actions (3);

(4) RECALLING the Commission staff working paper (cid:145)Culture,
cultural industries and employment(cid:146) of 14 May 1998 in
which the Commission analysed the employment impact
of the cultural sector and employment prospects in the
sector;

(5) NOTES

the new emphasis on employment
in the
Amsterdam Treaty, and, in particular, the importance of
employment in other Community policies and activities,
and the possibilities afforded by the creation of an
employment strategy;

(6) RECALLS that

the most

important cultural

industries
include,
inter alia, cinema and audiovisual production,
the performing arts, music, visual arts, architecture
publishing and press, multimedia, recording industries,
design and industrial arts and cultural tourism and that
the cultural heritage is an important basis for the creation
of new cultural products;

(7) NOTES that according to data available, the cultural sector
provided employment for some three million persons in
the EU countries in 1995, which represented about two
per cent of all the jobs in the EU, and that in the course
of the 1990s employment has been growing significantly
faster in the cultural sector than overall;

(8) STRESSES that progress in communication technology and
the information society has substantially increased the
number of distribution channels, which has boosted
demand
that
commodities and services in other sectors are increasingly
developed and marketed with the help of cultural input,
such as design;

new programme

content,

and

for

(1) OJ C 247, 23.9.1995, p. 1.
(2) OJ C 327, 7.12.1995, p. 1.
(3) OJ C 36, 5.2.1997, p. 4.

(9) STRESSES that it is vital for European competitiveness and
for cultural diversity to strengthen the cultural industries
and that the cultural
industries have substantial growth
potential in the single market and the global market;

(10) NOTES that cultural

industries, which rely heavily on
human resources, constitute a labour-intensive sector,
that people working in the cultural sector are often
highly educated and qualified, that a significant part of
the jobs are project-specific, short-term and part-time
engagements in small and medium-sized enterprises and
that the sector employs men and women in almost equal
numbers;

(11) ESTIMATES that the growing demand for cultural services
and commodities and especially the development of the
information society and hightech branches will continue
to create jobs;

(12) NOTES

that

cultural
dependent on local partnerships
industries help local
markets;

industry enterprises

are often
cultural
innovations to reach international

and that

(13) RECALLS that cultural

industries are important

for the
future in terms of regional policies, such as Structural
in the
in addition to job creation,
Funds;
industries enhances knowledge and know-how
cultural
interaction and makes
in their region, promotes social
the
enterprises and for
for
region more attractive
it also contributes to making knowledge more
citizens,
accessible to the public;

investment

(14) EMPHASISES that artistic and other creative work is the
foundation for the viability and renewal for cultural indus-
tries;

(15)

is difficult

IS AWARE that
it
comparable statistics on cultural
employment
European level,

impact both at

to obtain reliable and
industries and their
and the

the national

INVITES the Commission:

(cid:151) to take into account the importance of cultural industries in
current and future Community action and programmes,

(cid:151) to pay attention to the important role of cultural industries
concerning
and

diversity

actions

for

for
cultural
employment,

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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(cid:151) to encourage the dissemination of

opportunities for the cultural
Funds, and to undertake studies to this end,

information about
industries in the Structural

(cid:151) to continue work on the preparation of cultural statistics, in
particular as regards cultural industries and their impact on
employment, and to facilitate exchange of
information
between Member States;

INVITES the Member States:

(cid:151) to consider the role of

sustainable jobs within the context of
employment action plans,

the cultural sector in creating
their national

(cid:151) to recognise the importance of

the further training of
creative artists and other persons working in the cultural
field,

(cid:151) to encourage cooperation in the promotion of cultural
industries between the public and private sectors and to
recognise
rapidly
changing operational environment,

training in the

importance of

the

(cid:151) to intensify coordination, cooperation and exchange of
in questions

information between national authorities
relating to the promotion of cultural industries.