Question écrite de
Mme Irena JOVEVA
-
Commission européenne
Subject: Measures for cultural workers following the COVID-19 pandemic
The cultural and creative sectors, NGOs, and other self-employed people all over Europe have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Live events and performances have had to be cancelled, and most cultural venues have been forced to close their doors. In these sectors, which are characterised by self-employment, freelancing and job flexibility combined with little or no access to social benefits, the resulting loss of income poses a direct and immediate threat to the existence of authors, performers, and all cultural operators, many of whom had already been struggling well before the current emergency. The European Union should ensure access to unemployment and other social benefits for all cultural professionals, particularly freelancers, the self-employed and others in atypical forms of work. While the Member States have adopted different measures to compensate revenue losses for businesses and those in employment, others in atypical forms of work are being overlooked.
What action will the Commission take to address this issue, and to ensure that the loss of revenue experienced by the self-employed, cultural professionals and others in atypical forms of work will be offset, and that they will receive a fair share of the financing already released from the cohesion funds, as well as from the upcoming revised MFF, which will presumably promote the recovery of the EU economy?
Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission
(24 June 2020)
Following up on the Council Recommendation on Access to social protection (1), the Commission supports Member States in extending protection to non-standard forms of employment and self-employment, which are prevalent in the cultural and creative sector.
The Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives (CRII) (2) and CRII Plus (3) allow Member States to re-orient their European Structural and Investment funds to limit the spread and mitigate the socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic, by assisting healthcare systems, small and medium-sized enterprises and other vulnerable parts of the economies, depending on the priorities decided at national level.
The Commission also launched a new instrument for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE). With the adoption on 19 May 2020 by the Council of that proposal as Regulation (EU) No 2020/672, loans to the Member States up to EUR 100 billion can be mobilised to protect employees and self-employed against the risk of unemployment and loss of income (4).
Moreover, on 27 May 2020, the Commission presented its recovery plan ‘Next Generation EU’ and an amended proposal for the next multiannual financial framework to bring the EU economy back to a path of sustainable and inclusive growth. The proposals, notably REACT-EU (5), allow Member States to continue supporting the self-employed.
In the context of the Council Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022 (6), the Commission cooperates with Member States to address the status and working conditions of artists and cultural professionals. A study on that topic is being finalised and an expert group, facilitated by the Commission, is due to start next year.
⋅1∙ 2019/C 387/01
⋅2∙ Regulation (EU) 2020/460 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 March 2020 amending Regulations (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013 and
(EU) No 508/2014 as regards specific measures to mobilise investments in the healthcare systems of Member States and in other sectors of their economies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative) (OJ L 99, 31.3.2020, p. 5). ⋅3∙ Regulation (EU) 2020/558 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2020 amending Regulations (EU) No 1301/2013 and (EU) No 1303/2013 as
regards specific measures to provide exceptional flexibility for the use of the European Structural and Investments Funds in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (OJ L 130, 24.4.2020, p. 1).
⋅4∙ https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_572
https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-response/economy_en#flexibilityundertheeusfiscalrules ⋅5∙ COM(2020) 451 final
⋅6∙ http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-13948-2018-INIT/en/pdf