Subject: Support for artists during the health crisis
With the onset of the health crisis, art has re-emerged as a determining factor for our quality of life. It is doubtful whether the lockdown measures could have succeeded, and indeed whether we could have ever stayed sane, without the support of our artists and without their works to buoy us up. At the same time, however, the probable cancellation of events scheduled for the coming period has now left many artists high and dry.
According to Eurostat figures for 2018, the cultural sector accounted for 8.7 million jobs in the EU-28, that is to say 3.8% of the total.
In Greece, the figure is 125 000, many of them self-employed.
Indeed, this is the case for one-third of those making their living in this sector throughout the EU
and a relatively low percentage of the total workforce is employed full time.
In view of this:
1. Will the Commission adopt a comprehensive and effective set of measures to assist those European actors, musicians and dancers who, even under normal circumstances, work on a part-time and undeclared basis, bearing in mind that only a few countries (France and Belgium, soon to be joined by Spain) make provision for the electronic registration of days worked by artists, entitling them to benefits for the remainder?
2. Can any European resources be deployed, in conjunction with Member State public or private sector funding, to support the various categories of artist, enabling them to make creative use of their time during this crisis?
Answer given by Ms Gabriel on behalf of the European Commission
(3 July 2020)
The current crisis is bound to have a severe adverse impact on the cultural and creative sectors. The Commission recognises the gravity of the situation and wants to make EU-wide solutions available.
To complement and support Member States’ actions, the Commission has taken a number of measures to tackle the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak on the cultural and creative sectors (1).
As part of these measures, the Commission has put forward the Corona Response Investment Initiative (CRII) (2), the temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) (3) as well as the Temporary Framework for State Aid measures (4) to support the economy. Member States can decide to use these instruments for the cultural and creative sectors and the Commission encourages them to do so.
⋅1∙ https://ec.europa.eu/culture/news/coronavirus-how-eu-responds-outbreak-support-cultural-and-creative-sectors_en
⋅2∙ Regulation (EU) No 2020/460, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?toc=OJ%3AL%3A2020%3A099%3ATOC&uri=uriserv
%3AOJ.L_.2020.099.01.0005.01.ENG
⋅3∙ Council Regulation (EU) No 2020/672 of 19 May 2020
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1591360532434&uri=CELEX:32020R0672 https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/economic-and-fiscal-policy-coordination/eu-financial-assistance/loan- programmes/sure_en
Communication from the Commission — Temporary framework for state aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak, 19 March 2020, OJ C 91I, 20.3.2020, p. 1-9 and Amendment to the Temporary Framework for state aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak, 03.04.2020, C(2020)2215 final, OJ C 112I, 4.4.2020, p. 1-9 and Amendment of 08.05.2020, C(2020)3156 final [not yet published].
| | ) On 27 May 2020, the Commission adopted Next Generation EU and its proposal for a new Multi-annual Financial Framework. This ambitious recovery package offers an unprecedented occasion to transform the crisis into an opportunity to make the cultural sector more resilient.
Support to the cultural and creative sectors will be provided via the future Creative Europe programme and the Digital Europe Programme. This programme will help the sectors and their actors to face the digital transition challenge and seize its related opportunities.
Important support for cultural and creative sectors will also be available under other instruments, notably REACT-EU (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe), the reinforced InvestEU and the new Solvency Support Instrument.
As follow-up to the Council Recommendation on Access to social protection (5), 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.
2019/C 387/01.