Culture Committee chair Verheyen calls for doubling money for Creative Europe
- Cultural and creative sector one of the most hit by pandemic
- Funds for “Creative Europe” in long-term budget need to be doubled
- Europe risks losing its heart and soul
With a view to the new 2021-2027EU long-term budget (MFF) proposal, Sabine Verheyen (EPP,DE) chair of EP Committee for Culture and Education, said:
“As lockdowns are gradually eased and it becomes clear that large chunks of the cultural and creative sector will be the last to open up, it seems that the OECD’s initial estimates of a10% drop in recreation and culture spending were wildly optimistic, unfortunately. Many small organisations and individuals face ruin and Europe risks losing its heart and soul.”
“As the Commission works on a new proposal for the EU’s long-term budget, it has a historic responsibility. We need to spend significantly more on culture and double the modest budget for Creative Europe to 2.806 billion”.
“We also need to follow up on the Court of Auditors’ recent report which revealed that, while money for the cultural sector is there, it is dispersed across funds like the Structural Funds and Horizon Europe. Spending on culture therefore needs to be much better coordinated. We also need a new vision for the sector: we need to strengthen it by making it greener, more innovative and more inclusive.”
“I call on the European Commission to seize the opportunity and put in place an ambitious plan that will help the cultural and creative sector back on its feet and to overhaul the rules and procedures that often prove too cumbersome for small players in the sector.”
Background
According to a March 2020 OECD study, spending on recreation and culture is likely to drop by 10% in the G7, listing it among economic sectors worst hit by the pandemic.
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Agnese KRIVADE
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