The Cypriot government is taking a step towards establishing the Status of Artist and improving the professional conditions of artists. The Cabinet has approved a bill on the creation of a Register of Artists, a Register of Artists' Associations and the provision of Artists' Grants. The next step is for the bill to be approved by the House of Representatives in order to come into force.
The bill seeks to define the framework and criteria for the granting of the Status of Artist to creators and professionals of the creative industries working in Cyprus, and to establish an artistic grant for self-employed artists, who often face precarious and unstable working conditions.
According to the newspaper Phileleftheros, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides commented on the bill, saying that "we are finally moving forward with the establishment of the artists' register and the artists' grant, which artists have been demanding for many years". Deputy Minister of Culture Lina Kassianidou noted that the government's goal is for the bill to be passed by the House of Representatives within 2025, so that the creation of the artists' register can begin immediately.
The bill introduces ten conditions for recognition of the Status of Artist. In order to be included in the Register of Artists, a person must fulfil at least three of these conditions, while young artists under the age of 30 need only fulfil two.
During the first six months of the law's implementation, automatic registration in the Register of Artists is foreseen for persons who exercise an artistic activity and are already registered with a recognised artists' association.
The bill also establishes the artistic grant, which is an amount equal to 30% of the contribution paid by the self-employed artist to the Social Insurance Fund and the Health Insurance Fund in the previous contribution year. Self-employed artists who are registered in the Register of Artists and who meet certain conditions are entitled to the artistic grant.
The Register of Artists' Associations will be open to companies, foundations, associations or non-profit artists' guilds that promote artistic activity and the rights of their members.
According to a recent study by the European Labour Authority, published by Creatives Unite in many cases cultural workers appear to be left without basic protections such as health insurance and pension benefits. In addition, digital platforms and cross-border mobility complicate their professional environment, with many artists operating in legal and financial grey areas.
Overall, the cultural sector in the EU employs around 7.7 million people, representing 3.8% of total employment. However, only 76.5% work full-time, compared to an EU average of 81.5%. In addition, almost a third of CCS workers are self-employed, compared to only 13.8% in other sectors of the economy.
Another survey from the DE.A.RE (Deconstruct And Rebuild) project showed that Less than 10% of young artists in Europe make a living from their art. Most have to take other jobs in unrelated fields, working two or three jobs to make ends meet, and if they miss a day of work, they don't get paid for it.
--
photo credit: Dimitris Parthimos
photo source
