Debate: The situation of artists and the cultural recovery in the EU
Date: MONDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Nicolas Schmit
Language: EN

Like many other sectors, the cultural and creative sectors have been hit very hard by the COVID-19 crisis and we need to join forces for the cultural recovery. As foreseen in the Council Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022, the Commission delivered an EU study on the topic of working conditions of artists. This was followed by a Voices of Culture dialogue, with civil society, earlier this year. The results of those discussions were presented in June 2021.  I fully agree that urgent action is needed to improve the working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals, and in these crisis times more than ever. That is why, on 21 September 2021, a working group made up of Member State experts from ministries of culture, employment and social affairs took up its work on the status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals. Furthermore, sectoral social dialogue and the specific role of social partners in relation to the working conditions of artists and creative professionals are also crucial. It is important to be able to link the different actions together. While there is a strong will to progress on this topic, it needs to be kept in mind that social protection is not a Union but a Member State competence. Regarding the proposed European framework for working conditions in the cultural and creative sectors and industries, further discussions with competent actors and social partners are needed. The Commission fully agrees with the European Parliament’s call to support artists’ mobility and to promote significantly their integration into the labour market.  Since 2019, we have launched a mobility scheme, under i-Portunus, for artists and cultural professionals. To date, more than 800 artists or cultural professionals have been funded to go abroad and collaborate with their peers to co-produce, co-create, find new audiences, learn from masters and internationalise their careers. All grantees were extremely appreciative of the support, especially after the effect COVID-19 had on their work. Impressively, almost 50% said that they received some type of employment offer as a result of this small mobility support.  As of next year, i-Portunus will be a regular part of the Creative Europe programme and enjoy an increase in budget. Cultural and creative exchanges are also facilitated via the Erasmus+ programme, as well as the EP pilot project on makers’ mobility carried out by the Commission. Europe’s cultural and creative sectors have been among the most affected during the pandemic and I had, by the way, the opportunity to talk to representatives of the European cultural sectors during the COVID-19 crisis on the real major difficulties many, and especially young artists, went through.  The cultural and creative sectors have played a crucial role at the same time in the unprecedented circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The cultural and creative sectors now need to play a central role in Europe’s recovery. That is why, last June, the Commission issued a communication on EU guidelines for the safe resumption of activities in the cultural and creative sectors with the aim to facilitate a common approach across the EU and to accompany the cultural sectors in their reopening efforts. The Creative Europe programme will provide support to creators so they can do more for more people. The programme has an increased budget of 2.5 billion for the period 2021-2027. That is 63% more than the previous financial framework.  The budget for the mobility action will be five times higher than in the pilot phase, starting with 21 million for the next three years and we continue to fund individuals, as well as hosting organisations such as the New European Bauhaus. This money will be instrumental. For example, many of the projects Creative Europe supports help stakeholders and creatives build capacity, help connect practitioners to each other and develop new practices. From support for translation of European works to specific help to the music sector, Creative Europe keeps aiding culture to flourish. Of course, addressing the revenue loss during COVID-19 is a multi-level challenge that requires a multi-level solution. As part of the EU’s comprehensive strategy to protect citizens and help address the negative employment and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European instrument for temporary support to mitigate unemployment risk in an emergency (SURE) provided 100 billion to Member States, notably through short-time work, and we recommended not to exclude creative professionals and artists from this support.  In previous months, the Commission has taken a number of measures to support Member States’ actions to address the consequences of the crisis on culture, including additional funds under the Creative Europe and Erasmus+ programmes, as well as postponing deadlines for submissions of projects and facilitating the sector’s dialogue and exchange of good practices. Additional financial resources have been available through the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which can also be used for the cultural and creative sectors. REACT-EU and the future cohesion policy, notably through the support by the European Social Fund+, also opened up new opportunities to leverage the potential of these sectors to contribute to the sustainability and resilience of European societies.  We have put all our efforts and used all means at our disposal to make sure that cultural sectors are high on the policy agenda in order to support their recovery and to allow them to benefit from the opportunities offered in the new generations of EU programmes for 2021-2027. The new Creative Europe and the Erasmus+ programmes, the reinforced Horizon Europe with a dedicated cluster on culture, creativity and inclusive society, and the upcoming Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) for the cultural and creative sectors, as well as for cultural heritage under the European Institute for Technology, are key examples. On a regulatory level, let us also recall that new copyright rules ensure that creators are fairly remunerated, including in the digital space. The Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market not only addresses the imbalance between the creative sector and online platforms through EU rules on the use of protected content by online content-sharing service providers, but also aims to increase transparency and balance in the contractual relations between individual creators and their counterparties, exploiting their creations.  Let me also highlight another important step. We will soon publish an online guide on EU funding for culture covering all existing EU funds that Member States and the sector can use.