Culture > Cultural Industries > Culture Programme > European Literary Prize


Cultural Industries

 

GREEN PAPER - Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries (July 2010)

The objective of the consultation was to gather views on various issues impacting the cultural and creative industries in Europe, from business environment to the need to open up a common European space for culture, from capacity building to skills development and promotion of European creators on the world stage. The responses to the consultation will inform the Commission and help it ensure that EU programmes and policies involving cultural and creative industries are "fit for purpose".

FEP's answer

 

Culture Communication

In May 2007, the European Commission adopted a policy statement on the role of culture in a globalising world. It proposes the first-ever European strategy for culture. The Communication affirms the central role of culture in the process of European integration and proposes a cultural agenda for Europe, and for its relations with third countries. Its adoption follows an extensive consultation process involving decision-makers and interested parties from all over Europe.

The policy statement presents three major objectives that together form a cultural strategy for the European Institutions, the Member States, and the cultural and creative sector:

1. Promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue;

2. Promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity in the framework of the Lisbon Strategy; and

3. Promotion of culture as a vital element in the Union's international relations.

Link to the European Commission website:
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/communication/comm_en.html

The initiative report on the 'European agenda for culture in a globalising world' of the MEP Vasco Graça-Moura (PT, PPE) has been adopted in March 2008. Link to the report

The exchanges of views for the two reports are expected for October or November 2007 in the Culture committee (EP)
The report sustains culture as a catalyst for the European goals of competitiveness. Some worthy proposals are made, such as the creation of a programme aiming to promote European languages on a global scale and the designation of 2011 as the "European Year of the Greek and Latin Classics".

 

Cultural platforms

In order to pursue the dialogue with the cultural sectors, the European Commission (DG Education and Culture) published a call of interests in order to give organisations from the culture civil society the opportunity to express their interest in participating in the structured dialogue with the European Commission. The Commission intends pursuing its objective putting culture high on the political agenda to have a break through both in terms of regulatory measures and forthcoming financial perspectives.

The Commission proposed that civil society should concentrate its work within the two platforms on two topics of the European Agenda for culture:

- Access to culture

- Potential of cultural and creative industries

FEP is part of the two cultural platforms and actively participating to the working groups on creativity, legal environment, mobility and interface artist-industry.

For more information, please contact: aolbrycht@fep-fee.eu

Link to the European Commission website:

http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-policy-development/doc1199_en.htm

Final recommendations of the platforms

 

Study on the Economy of the Culture

The ‘Study on the Economy of the Culture’ undertaken by KEA European Affairs and commissioned by the European Commission has been published in November 2006. FEP has been consulted and has provided information and statistics on the publishing industry.

It is the first study at European level. It highlights the direct contributions of the cultural and creative sectors towards the Lisbon agenda (in terms of GDP, growth, employment) as well as indirect one’s (links between creativity and innovation, links with ICT sector, regional development and attractiveness). The study shows how culture drives economic and social developments.

The main results of the study are the following:
- the turnover of cultural and creative industries is amounted to 654 million Euros in 2003
- the sector contributed 2.6 per cent of EU GDP in 2003
the cultural industries employ 5.8 million people in 2004, (equivalent to 3.1 per cent of total employed population in EU 25)

Link to the European Commission website:
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/eac/sources_info/studies/economy_en.html

The study on economy of the culture and communication on culture has also been discussed at the European Parliament level.
MEP Guy Bono (FR, PSE) opened the discussions about the study in the Culture Committee with his own-initiative report on ‘cultural industries in Europe’.

The report has been adopted in February 2008. Link to the report.

Bono's report urges the Commission to do more to strike a balance between access to cultural events and content and respect of intellectual property, particularly in developing solutions that are suitable for both large and small-scale actors.  The report also asks the Commission to consider introducing a financial support programme for digital libraries, music, theatre and publishing. Such a fund could also be used to assist with the transnational distribution of content. Finally, it proposes setting up a new task force on culture and the creative economy. 

Rue Montoyer 31 Bte 8 • B-1000 Brussels • Tel. +32/2/770.11.10 • Fax +32/2/771.20.71