SP(2013)816

Results of vote in Parliament

Debate in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted by 481 votes to 83, with 59 abstentions, a resolution on promoting the European cultural and creative sectors (CCS) as sources of economic growth and jobs.

For their continued development , Parliament considers there is a need for up-to-date and reliable statistics on the cultural and creative sectors, in particular as regards their actual situation, their specific features, including in terms of status, their potential in terms of creating jobs and growth. It therefore calls on the Commission to continue to develop studies and collect data on the economic and social role of the CCS.

The Commission is also called upon to:

bring together, on the basis of the existing platform on the potential of the cultural and creative industries, an expanded forum of stakeholders in these sectors , to develop specific solutions and thereby assume an active role in establishing a structured medium- and long-term policy-based programme ; create cross-sectoral linkages, producing agglomeration and cluster effects and providing new opportunities for investment and employment (e.g. in cultural tourism ).

Parliament emphasises the very diverse nature of the cultural and creative ecosystems, and stresses the need to address this by promoting the emergence of a common identity through the encouragement of joint productions as well as the creation of areas of common dialogue and exchange between the various actors within the CCS, in order to create new links between actors and to enable skills and knowledge to be transferred to and from other branches of the economy.

These initiatives should allow their common interests to emerge while taking into account cultural diversity, which should be recognised for its richness, inspiring strength and development potential.

Parliament also draws attention to the diversity of rules on the CCS and recommends that measures be implemented to harmonise rules and practices in the Union.

Parliament also calls for measures to promote and recognise the visibility of the CCS, which make up Europe’s ‘cultural exception’.

Working conditions for professionals in the cultural and creative sectors: Parliament points out that professionals in the CCS must be guaranteed a social status so that they are able to enjoy satisfactory working conditions and appropriate measures with regard to tax systems, their right to work, social security rights and copyright, in order to improve their mobility across the EU. It calls for consideration to be given to measures for the fair funding and remuneration of independent artists and to adapt social security schemes to the worlds of creative work (taking appropriate account of the fact that people in creative jobs often have to alternate between employed and self-employed status or do both types of work simultaneously).

Parliament calls on the Commission and the Member States to enable CCS workers to access health insurance and (voluntary) unemployment insurance , as well as occupational and personal pension schemes for self-employed persons.

Parliament calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote minimum social security standards and collective agreements in the CCS.

Education and training: Parliament stresses the need for Member States to improve their training, learning and qualification systems, enabling students in cultural and arts disciplines to acquire a complete training qualification . It invites the Commission to recognise the specific nature of the master crafts, which are genuine sources of European jobs that are based on four criteria common to all the high-end CCS:

innovation and creativity; xcellence and aestheticism; know-how and technology; and career-long learning and promotion of knowledge.

Parliament also considers it necessary to strengthen the links between the education system (including universities, while respecting their independence), research centres, training organisations and CCS companies (including SMEs).

The Commission is encouraged to:

set up knowledge and sector skills alliances between higher education, vocational education and training organisations, on the one hand, and businesses in the field of CCS, on the other; make progress on mutual recognition of courses, vocational qualifications and diplomas in cultural and arts studies; consider, with the Council, setting up a European directory of expertise with a view to preserving and promoting European expertise.

Funding for the cultural and creative sectors: Parliament takes the view that it is vital to enable and secure appropriate funding schemes , and to provide effective implementation instruments for the CCS, in particular for SMEs. It urges Member States to take into consideration appropriate support and funding for the CCS in their social and economic policies . It stresses the need to support European funding of the CCS, including in times of economic crisis and for Parliament to push for an ambitious and substantial culture budget, by maintaining pressure on the Council not to reduce the budget allocated by the Commission for the ‘Creative Europe’ programme .

Parliament also asks the Commission and the Council and the Member States to take the action required by recommending mixed methods of funding, such as public-private partnerships , by setting up loan-guarantee systems for small organisations and by looking into alternative means of financing such as crowd-funding and sponsorship.

As regards the audiovisual sector, Parliament calls for specific support and for the clear and quantified transposition of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive .

It also recommends the putting in place of a favourable regulatory framework, and for further progress towards fiscal harmonisation for cultural products .

Parliament also makes reference to the opportunities offered by European funds to strengthen the cultural sector: the Structural Funds, the MEDIA Programme or the Creative Europe programme’s guarantee mechanism. It also deplores the proposal by some Member States to cut funding for the Connecting Europe Facility by EUR 8.2 billion in the multiannual financial framework (MFF).

Opportunities and challenges of digitisation, globalisation and access to international markets: Parliament believes that digital and online tools and platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for the CCS to develop new business models, attract new audiences and expand their markets both within the Union and in third countries. However, the existence of 28 different intellectual property rights management systems is a particular burden for Europe's CCS. As a result, the Commission is called upon, as regards respects for intellectual property rights (IPRs), to develop a regulatory framework which is adapted to the specific features of the various sectors, and to harmonise and reform the copyright framework in order to improve access to content and strengthen the position and choice of creators. Such a framework of protection would ensure appropriate remuneration for all categories of rightholders and to guarantee that consumers have easy and legal access to diverse content.

In parallel, Parliament stresses the need to strive towards the mutual recognition of the status of artists , to look into how to provide opportunities for mobility and how best to make use of training programmes, networking and the free movement of CCS professionals, particularly cultural stakeholders, as well as artists and works.

At international level, Parliament calls for the exclusion of cultural and audiovisual services, including those provided online, to be clearly stated in agreements between the Union and third countries , in particular in regard to the future EU-US free trade agreement. It underlines the importance of cultural diplomacy , as well as the need for the EU to act as a global player in order to enhance the global competitiveness of its CCS. It also stresses the important role played by the cultural and creative industries in the dissemination, attractiveness and promotion of European culture.

Local and regional development: Parliament stresses the importance of regional cultural and creativity policies, and hence the central role of local, regional and macro-regional authorities in promoting and supporting the CCS. In its view, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, it would be appropriate for local and regional authorities to include the CCS in their medium- and long-term economic strategies.

Highlighting the cross-sectoral nature of the cultural and creative industries as an attractive communications tool, Parliament stresses that they are often locally rooted and so should be supported by establishing local and regional platforms, networks, clusters, business incubators, and partnerships. Parliament advocates an approach based on territorial dynamics with a view to involving all stakeholders (artists, local authorities, representatives of professionals, etc) in cultural governance at local and regional level.

In terms of jobs created, Members stress the important role played by the CCS, in particular SMEs, as a lever for growth and development at local, regional and cross-border (Member State) level (e.g. in the tourism sector).

Parliament also highlights the importance of educational schemes in the promotion of creativity from early childhood on and for fostering artistic and cultural education by promoting an interest in the work and products of the creative industry during primary and secondary education.

It also points to the fact that the cultural and creative industries contribute to the maintenance and improvement of Europe’s immense cultural, historical, and architectural heritage . It believes, in view of this added value, that the CCS should be strongly supported by the future EU budget and through national and regional programming documents drawn up for the period 2014-2020.

Lastly, Parliament calls on the Member States to adopt adequate social and fiscal measures to support the creative economy and to support new business models for cultural and creative industries adapted to the European market , which would enable the mobility of artists and people working in the cultural and creative industries, as well helping them overcome obstacles related to different tax or social systems and language barriers, and to promote better understanding among countries and cultures.

T7-0368/2013

A7-0248/2013

A7-0248/2013

PE508.179

PE510.495

PE510.494

PURPOSE: Communication on the launch of a strategy to boost growth and jobs in cultural and creative sectors.

CONTENT: the economic performance of the cultural and creative sectors is recognised: in the EU they account for 3.3% of GDP and employ 6.7 million people (3 % of total employment). These sectors cover in particular architecture, archives and libraries, artistic crafts, audio-visual (including film, television, video games and multimedia), cultural heritage, design (including fashion design), festivals, music, performing and visual arts, publishing and radio. Cultural and creative sectors also:

· have an impact on innovation in other industries. As highlighted in Innovation Union, innovation is increasingly driven by non-technological factors such as creativity, design and new organisational processes or business models. Firms spending twice the average amount on creative inputs are 25% more likely to introduce product innovations;

· are a key element in global competition and soft power: while European fashion and high-end industries contribute increasingly to EU exports, the potential of other sectors, such as cinema or music, is still not strategically exploited abroad .

Challenges : the cultural and creative sectors are faced with a rapidly changing environment driven by the digital shift and globalisation, leading to the emergence of new players, the coexistence of very big structures with micro-entities, a progressive transformation of value chains and evolving consumer behaviour and expectations. While these changes offer great opportunities in terms of lower production costs or new distribution channels, they call for action at different levels. Other challenges include:

· access to finance : the banking sector does not have the necessary expertise to analyse business models in these sectors;

· high fragmentation along national and linguistic lines : while the resulting cultural diversity is a clear European asset, this leads to limited and sub-optimal transnational circulation of cultural and creative works;

· powerful dynamics take place at the borderlines between various sectors (for instance,

· through increased linkages between gaming, film and music) but the sectors and policies are still often organised in sectoral silos, limiting the scope for synergies.

This Communication proposes a strategy to exploit further the potential of these sectors in the EU to contribute to growth and jobs . The Commission proposes a multi-layered strategy, focusing in the short and longer terms in particular on the five key policy drivers: (i) developing skills; (ii) improving access to finance, notably through the proposed EUR 1.8 billion ‘Creative Europe ' programme for 2014-2020; (iii) promoting new business models and enlarging audiences; (iv) facilitating cooperation with other sectors and policies; (v) and expanding international reach.

Addressing changing skills needs :

· Knowledge Alliances are being tested between higher education and businesses to promote innovation. A Cinema and Industry Alliance for Knowledge and Learning will report on its work in 2013;

· the EU is funding the first phase of a European Sectoral Skills Council in the audiovisual and live performance sectors, and it is also funding a European Sectoral Skills Council in the textile, clothing and leather sectors to analyse skills needs;

· by end 2013, a Member States Expert Group set up in the framework of the European Agenda or Culture will produce a report on the promotion of Creative Partnerships between schools and cultural and creative businesses and organisations.

Improving access to finance:

· in the framework of the European Creative Industries Alliance, the EU is funding two partnerships on better access to finance (FAME and C-I Factor) until 2014.

· the MEDIA Production Guarantee Fund is facilitating film producers' access to private sources of financing. The Commission will assess the possibility of setting up a similar Guarantee Fund for fashion businesses;

· under the IPR Strategy, the Commission will formulate policy proposals aiming to improve the economic exploitation of IPR.

Enlarging the marketplace : in 2012, the Commission will:

· fund a preparatory action on the circulation of European films in the digital era;

· fund a pilot project on innovative uses of ICT in CCS;

· fund a Thematic Network on new business models for publishing in the digital age;

· organise a European exchange of practice conference on audience development

· adopt a recommendation on European film in the digital era

In 2013, the Commission will:

· support the production of more powerful and interactive tools for creative industries and anticipate future trends in research and innovation through interaction in and between different segments of these industries;

· launch a WORTH Pilot Project to stimulate market oriented support and advice to SMEs in fashion or design-based personal goods sector, in order to develop new creative products and services through cooperation with designers. The European Heritage Label and the European Capitals of Culture initiatives will also be further used as laboratories for audience development and citizen participation.

Expanding international reach: i n 2012-2013 the Commission will organise in third countries specific matchmaking events to support SME internationalisation through clusters, including for CCS. Cooperation on CCS under the EU-China Trade Project as a testing phase for reinforced cooperation in this area will continue. Policy dialogues on culture with emerging partners will focus on the environment for cooperation and exchanges in CCS.

The Commission will also:

· test the feasibility of sharing the risk of existing export credit insurance schemes for SMEs;

· explore in close consultation with EEAS ways and means to strengthen culture in external relations.

In 2013, a Member States Expert Group set up in the framework of the European Agenda for Culture will produce a handbook on internationalisation support strategies for CCS.

Reinforcing cross-sectoral fertilisation : in 2012-2013, the Commission will:

· establish a European Service Innovation Centre to provide advisory support to regional organisations on service innovation and creativity for promoting industrial change;

· publish a Smart Guide on how to better use Cohesion Policy Funds for capitalising on service innovation, particularly relevant for CCS;

· start funding a pilot project supporting two traditional industrial regions in their transition towards "European Creative Districts";

· develop and test under the European Cluster Excellence Initiative training modules to promote the role of creativity, creative skills and creative sectors for the change of traditional industrial activities;

· launch a stakeholder consultation on the relevance of setting up a European Experience Economy Alliance, to foster cross-sectoral interaction between CCS, leisure, sport and tourism and support the development of new industrial value chains.

To monitor progress in the implementation of the strategy, the Commission proposes to use the existing framework for cooperation, that is, the Culture Open Method of Coordination.

COM(2012)0537
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: Communication on the launch of a strategy to boost growth and jobs in cultural and creative sectors.

CONTENT: the economic performance of the cultural and creative sectors is recognised: in the EU they account for 3.3% of GDP and employ 6.7 million people (3 % of total employment). These sectors cover in particular architecture, archives and libraries, artistic crafts, audio-visual (including film, television, video games and multimedia), cultural heritage, design (including fashion design), festivals, music, performing and visual arts, publishing and radio. Cultural and creative sectors also:

· have an impact on innovation in other industries. As highlighted in Innovation Union, innovation is increasingly driven by non-technological factors such as creativity, design and new organisational processes or business models. Firms spending twice the average amount on creative inputs are 25% more likely to introduce product innovations;

· are a key element in global competition and soft power: while European fashion and high-end industries contribute increasingly to EU exports, the potential of other sectors, such as cinema or music, is still not strategically exploited abroad .

Challenges : the cultural and creative sectors are faced with a rapidly changing environment driven by the digital shift and globalisation, leading to the emergence of new players, the coexistence of very big structures with micro-entities, a progressive transformation of value chains and evolving consumer behaviour and expectations. While these changes offer great opportunities in terms of lower production costs or new distribution channels, they call for action at different levels. Other challenges include:

· access to finance : the banking sector does not have the necessary expertise to analyse business models in these sectors;

· high fragmentation along national and linguistic lines : while the resulting cultural diversity is a clear European asset, this leads to limited and sub-optimal transnational circulation of cultural and creative works;

· powerful dynamics take place at the borderlines between various sectors (for instance,

· through increased linkages between gaming, film and music) but the sectors and policies are still often organised in sectoral silos, limiting the scope for synergies.

This Communication proposes a strategy to exploit further the potential of these sectors in the EU to contribute to growth and jobs . The Commission proposes a multi-layered strategy, focusing in the short and longer terms in particular on the five key policy drivers: (i) developing skills; (ii) improving access to finance, notably through the proposed EUR 1.8 billion ‘Creative Europe ' programme for 2014-2020; (iii) promoting new business models and enlarging audiences; (iv) facilitating cooperation with other sectors and policies; (v) and expanding international reach.

Addressing changing skills needs :

· Knowledge Alliances are being tested between higher education and businesses to promote innovation. A Cinema and Industry Alliance for Knowledge and Learning will report on its work in 2013;

· the EU is funding the first phase of a European Sectoral Skills Council in the audiovisual and live performance sectors, and it is also funding a European Sectoral Skills Council in the textile, clothing and leather sectors to analyse skills needs;

· by end 2013, a Member States Expert Group set up in the framework of the European Agenda or Culture will produce a report on the promotion of Creative Partnerships between schools and cultural and creative businesses and organisations.

Improving access to finance:

· in the framework of the European Creative Industries Alliance, the EU is funding two partnerships on better access to finance (FAME and C-I Factor) until 2014.

· the MEDIA Production Guarantee Fund is facilitating film producers' access to private sources of financing. The Commission will assess the possibility of setting up a similar Guarantee Fund for fashion businesses;

· under the IPR Strategy, the Commission will formulate policy proposals aiming to improve the economic exploitation of IPR.

Enlarging the marketplace : in 2012, the Commission will:

· fund a preparatory action on the circulation of European films in the digital era;

· fund a pilot project on innovative uses of ICT in CCS;

· fund a Thematic Network on new business models for publishing in the digital age;

· organise a European exchange of practice conference on audience development

· adopt a recommendation on European film in the digital era

In 2013, the Commission will:

· support the production of more powerful and interactive tools for creative industries and anticipate future trends in research and innovation through interaction in and between different segments of these industries;

· launch a WORTH Pilot Project to stimulate market oriented support and advice to SMEs in fashion or design-based personal goods sector, in order to develop new creative products and services through cooperation with designers. The European Heritage Label and the European Capitals of Culture initiatives will also be further used as laboratories for audience development and citizen participation.

Expanding international reach: i n 2012-2013 the Commission will organise in third countries specific matchmaking events to support SME internationalisation through clusters, including for CCS. Cooperation on CCS under the EU-China Trade Project as a testing phase for reinforced cooperation in this area will continue. Policy dialogues on culture with emerging partners will focus on the environment for cooperation and exchanges in CCS.

The Commission will also:

· test the feasibility of sharing the risk of existing export credit insurance schemes for SMEs;

· explore in close consultation with EEAS ways and means to strengthen culture in external relations.

In 2013, a Member States Expert Group set up in the framework of the European Agenda for Culture will produce a handbook on internationalisation support strategies for CCS.

Reinforcing cross-sectoral fertilisation : in 2012-2013, the Commission will:

· establish a European Service Innovation Centre to provide advisory support to regional organisations on service innovation and creativity for promoting industrial change;

· publish a Smart Guide on how to better use Cohesion Policy Funds for capitalising on service innovation, particularly relevant for CCS;

· start funding a pilot project supporting two traditional industrial regions in their transition towards "European Creative Districts";

· develop and test under the European Cluster Excellence Initiative training modules to promote the role of creativity, creative skills and creative sectors for the change of traditional industrial activities;

· launch a stakeholder consultation on the relevance of setting up a European Experience Economy Alliance, to foster cross-sectoral interaction between CCS, leisure, sport and tourism and support the development of new industrial value chains.

To monitor progress in the implementation of the strategy, the Commission proposes to use the existing framework for cooperation, that is, the Culture Open Method of Coordination.

COM(2012)0537
EUR-Lex