On September 25 and 26 the Ministers of Culture of the European Union participated in an informal meeting held in Cáceres, Spain to discuss issues and matters concerning culture.
Chaired by Spain’s acting Minister for Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta, all the ministers for culture were present and adopted this declaration in support of culture to be placed at the highest policy level, and hereafter considered to be an essential public good.
The meeting committed to working for culture to be recognised in and of itself as a new sustainable development goal, keeping in mind the importance culture and creativity holds in our lives in terms of educated societies, well being and a balanced mental health.
Culture is not yet one of the pillars of EU policies, but there is a great consensus among the member countries that we must move towards it being so.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic it became clear that art and culture was a significant part of a difficult period of time for the entire world.
The meeting empasized on that spesific period of time saying that "Culture opens doors, breaks down barriers, heals wounds and offers paths to better lives and societies. Culture and life are never separate, but parts of a whole."
The Cáceres declaration concluded that culture, freedom of creators, their rights, their working conditions, participation and access, must always be among the objectives of any public authority, because culture defines us and is the path to freer, happier and more tolerant, sustainable and generous societies.
The EU-27 heads of culture ended with a list of all the meanings and matters that culture represents and stands for and the reasons the meeting will be prioritising the sector the following year.
"Culture is tolerance, respect and human rights.
Culture is freedom of thought and creation.
Culture is pluralism, diversity and wealth.
Culture is peace.
Culture is identity.
Culture is equality.
Culture is universal access and inclusion.
Culture is the participation of citizens in cultural life.
Culture is health and physical and mental well-being.
Culture is sustainability and the pathway to a future world for generations to come.
Culture is a key element in the fight against climate change.
Culture is an essential element of economic development.
Culture is dignified lives for cultural workers.
Culture is heritage, history and memory, the wellsprings of the future.
Culture is, in short, a right of citizens that public authorities and all individuals have an obligation to safeguard. That is why we are making this commitment today, so that culture will henceforth be considered an essential public good, a global public good, at the highest policy level."
Read the full Cáceres Declaration here
The report by a group of experts representing all 27 Member States in July 2023 points to the weaknesses in the overall status of creative professionals in the Union and provides policy recommendations to lift them in the strategic plan for culture 2019-2022
“The ability of art to inspire, to connect, to innovate and to bring people from different backgrounds and cultures together is becoming increasingly recognized at EU and Member States levels – not only because of the intrinsic value of culture but also because of its proven social and economic impacts. But does this recognition also extend to the artists and cultural and creative professionals who make this happen?”
The introduction of a new report on the status of artistic, cultural, and creative labor in the EU shows the “elephant in the room”. According to different studies in recent years, the creative sector of the economy is growing, but the people who serve it face precarious conditions.
A new report titled: ‘The status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals, conducted within the EU Open Method of Coordination (OMC) by a group of EU experts representing all 27 Member States, points to the weaknesses of the overall status of creative professionals in the Union and provides a set of recommendations.
The group worked cross-sectorally and included experts in the field of culture as well as experts in areas of employment and social and economic affairs -experts from all 27 Member States. The European Commission convened it in 2021–2023 and in 6 plenary meetings and many exchanges formulated a set to advance further policy learning and development.
In line with the mandate of the OMC group, the findings of the report and its recommendations focus on the following four key areas:
The report indicates that culture in the EU is primarily funded by national and European programs with project-based approaches. Though there are similarities, creative professionals and cultural workers face different conditions. Scandinavian countries offer full social security coverage, while in other countries artists have a special status. In contrast, countries like Greece, Hungary, and Malta lack a specific status.
Experts believe that a common European framework for artists’ working conditions could encourage Member States to adopt measures adapted to the specificities of artists, in particular the social protection schemes. An online sharing platform should also be set up, based on the data collected during the group’s work.
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The Creatives Unite platform features stories and interviews with artists, culture, and creative professionals from various countries in the EU. The platform highlights the shared challenges they face and how mobility, cooperation, and integration can strengthen cultural, artistic, and creative production.
ReadAccording to an OECD report issued in 2022, Cultural and creative employment accounts for approximately 1 in 20 jobs in some OECD and European Union (EU) countries. It is particularly important in cities and capital regions, where it can amount to up to 1 in 10 jobs.
Another study conducted by Ernst & Young for the European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers titled: Rebuilding Europe – The Cultural and creative economy before and after COVID-19, estimated that in 2019 the CCIs represented 4.4% of EU GDP in terms of turnover, with annual revenues of €643 billion and a total added value of €253 billion. That is equal to or higher than the national GDPs of some member states.
According to the same report, the CCIs were growing faster (+2.6% per year since 2013) than the EU average (+2%). And still, according to the latest report, the cultural and creative industries professionals face precarious conditions and lower levels of income.
Artists and cultural professionals often struggle with irregular contracts, which affect their financial stability and access to benefits.
“It is clear that in most countries artists and creative sector professionals rely on short projects and too often have to work on two jobs or more to maintain a decent standard of living,” says Joost Heinsius, participating expert for the Dutch Labour Platform for the Cultural and Creative Future.
“They receive a lower income compared to professionals from the same educational level but in different fields” he adds. One indication of the above comes with this Eurostat chart showing that creative workers tend to work more on a freelance basis, than other workers.
The findings suggest that while there are common patterns across the EU, such as project-based cultural markets funded by national and European programs, there are also vast differences.
According to Eurostat, the proportion of self-employed cultural workers is significantly higher (32%) than in employment in the economy as a whole (14%), and this difference has remained almost stable over many years.
The level of social protection varies widely across Europe, with some countries offering more comprehensive coverage than others. The lack of social protection for many artists and creative professionals is a major concern.
"Artists and creative professionals often face irregular income, job insecurity, and the need for continuous training and adaptation. Conditions vary across the continent, with some countries offering more support and stability for artists and creative professionals than others," says Joost Heinsius.
Some countries, such as France, Italy, Latvia, and Germany, have specific social security schemes for artists, ranging from unemployment benefits to health insurance and basic pensions, while others, such as Hungary, Malta, and Greece, seem to have no provisions at all, but are planning to introduce measures.
From the full social security coverage provided by the Scandinavian countries to the recognition of the status of the artist and the special group of Ukrainian artists in residence throughout Europe to the lack of a special status for artists with specific provisions and guarantees in Greece, Hungary, and Malta, as described by UNESCO, experts seem to agree that a common European framework will help national industries to mature and grow in an increasingly competitive international environment.
The group of experts suggests the setting up of an EU framework for artists and creative professionals' working conditions, to encourage Member States to adopt measures adapted to the specificities of artists, providing guidelines and minimum standards via a Council Recommendation or Council Conclusions for non-binding measures which cover all relevant areas for improving working conditions in the CCS.
In line with the 2021 European Parliament resolution on the situation of artists and cultural recovery in the EU, the group of experts recommends that Member States ensure full access to social protection for artists and cultural workers regardless of their labor regimes.
According to the report, the current status of artists and creative professionals among the 27 states varies significantly, as shown in the graph:
While freedom of artistic expression is guaranteed in most EU countries, the artistic and cultural sector has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including the impact of digitalization, changing audience preferences, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. While digital technologies have opened up new opportunities for creation, distribution, and engagement, they have also led to a "winner-takes-all" market structure where a small number of successful artists and works capture a large share of revenues.
“The 27 experts agree that more should be done to guarantee fair practices at both the national and European levels. On the level of digital technology it is clear that platforms are stronger than creators and create value chains they control, while the creators hardly get remunerated” explains Joost Heinsius.
In response to these findings, the report calls on Member States to proceed to the recognition of the status of the artist, as described by UNESCO -bridging what seems to be another east vs west divide- promoting fair remuneration, and fair practices while fostering diversity through regulating cultural production.
In many countries, the protection afforded to various industries can vary significantly. According to Joost Heinsius, the visual arts industry in Europe is less organized and generates less income compared to the design and music industries.
this is due in part to the rich cultural diversity of European countries, which often prioritize the production of art and culture at the national level. However, this can leave creative professionals in smaller markets vulnerable to financial instability and uncertainty.
To address this issue, Heinsius advocates for the establishment of a European framework with standards that can regulate cultural production and ensure fair practices at both the national and European levels.
“A european framework creates european standards and that helps regulate cultural production and fair practice both on the european level and at the national level” says Joost Heinsius.
For a long time, those in the cultural and creative sector (CCS) EU-wide and beyond, have been calling for a fair and decent work environment. One of the initiatives that has been introduced by the EU to fund collaborative projects, Creative Europe, has been instrumental in supporting the industry and providing it with much-needed stimulus.
"Cultural and Creative Production standards help improve mobility that is important for Europe” he adds. The good news is that all representatives of the 27 countries agree that the framework described in their report is a minimum necessary way forward.
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The Creatives Unite will present a series of stories and interviews with artists, culture and creative professionals who live and work in different countries in the EU reflecting the common challenges they face. They also reveal how mobility, cooperation and integration can foster stronger and more relevant cultural, artistic and creative production today.
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Photo credit: Christos Symeonidis, courtesy of the Support Art workers network
The Commission has opened new calls for proposals under the 2023-2024 Work Programmes of the Digital Europe Programme to strengthen digital capacities across the EU.
The calls are open to businesses, public administrations, and other entities from the EU Member States, EFTA/EEA countries, and associated countries. Over 12 million EURO allocated for projects under these calls focus on continuing support for the creation of data spaces, a cornerstone of the EU data strategy.
These Digital Europe Programme calls will see 8 million EURO in grants for projects and follow the Commission's recent communication on the building blocks for a common European tourism data space. The European tourism data space is a key deliverable of the tourism transition pathway, making the tourism ecosystem more resilient, digital and sustainable. The data space will boost data-sharing among tourism businesses, destinations and public authorities, which will have an impact on productivity, greening and sustainability, innovative business models and upskilling. This will help tourist destinations understand better what tourists are looking for and tailor their offerings accordingly, or predict when tourists are likely to come, and allow destinations to plan.
There will also be a further planned investment of 4 million EURO for the deployment of a data space for cultural heritage. This will make more high-quality European cultural content available, particularly in 3D, foster reuse of digitised cultural resources and provide more opportunities for the community to offer enriched services, thanks to the use of advanced technologies.
These investments continue the European Commission's roll-out of the European Data Strategy and its efforts to develop a thriving European data economy.
Under the previous Digital Europe Programme 2021-2022 Work Programme, the foundation was laid for the development of 12 data spaces in key areas of public interest. The work on the data spaces is accompanied by a review of the policy and legislative framework for data access and use, with the Data Governance Act and the Data Act, as well as the Implementing Act on High-value datasets under the Open Data Directive adopted on 22 December 2022. Today's opening of these Digital Europe Programme calls for proposals under the 2023-2024 Work Programme ensures the continuation of this work, in particular as regards the further deployment of sectorial data spaces.
More information as regards applying for grants for these calls for proposals is available online. Further calls under the 2023-2024 Work Programme will be published later this year.
Find more information here
