EN
13.4.2022
Official Journal of the European Union
C 160/13
IV (Notices)
NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
COUNCIL Council Conclusions on building a European Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries Ecosystem (2022/C 160/06)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
RECALLING:
1.
The fundamental role that culture and freedom of creation play for the European Union and its citizens in the strengthening of our democracies and values, in the development of our imaginations, in the prosperity of our societies, in the vitality of our local areas, in the quality of our living environment, and in the wellbeing of individuals;
2.
The crucial role that the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI), also referred to as the cultural and creative industries ecosystem (CCIE), play in elaborating a common heritage, common references and tomorrow’s culture, which are essential to the continuous blossoming of European cultural diversity, while bearing in mind that CCSI constitute a very diverse group with different priorities and conditions;
3.
The scope of the CCIE, as defined in the Annual Single Market Report 2021 (1), which takes stock of the 14 industrial ecosystems identified by the Commission services in connection with the 2020 New Industrial Strategy (2) and in numerous relevant documents referred to in the Annex;
4.
The economic weight of the CCIE, which in 2019 was assessed at 3.95 % of EU value added (EUR 477 billion), with 8.02 million people employed in the sector and 1.2 million firms, 99.9 % of which are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (3);
5.
The considerable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural and creative economy and the need to keep reinforcing the CCIE’s resilience and the twin transition (green and digital) within the European Union, in order to complement the impact of the European Recovery and Resilience Facility and enable its full potential as a driver for economic growth and jobs and the EU’s global competitiveness;
(1) Commission Staff Working Document 2010 SWD (2021) 351final, pp 98-104 ‘The CCIs are a varied group.
The biggest industries are audiovisual (TV, videogames, VOD, cinema, VR/AR), music, books and press publishing, advertising, cultural heritage (museums, historical sites), performance (theatre, dance) and visual arts.’
This wide definition builds on the UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics, 2009, the European Commission Green Paper ‘Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries’, and on the Creative Europe Regulation.
(2) Communication ‘Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy: Building a stronger Single Market for Europe’s recovery’ C(2021)350.
(3) Commission Staff Working Document 2010 SWD (2021) 351final, pp 98-104.(https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/swdannual-single-market-report-2021_en.pdf).