Brussels, 27/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - The cultural and creative sector employs five million people and accounts for 2.6% of European GDP, i.e. more than many manufacturing industries. On Tuesday 27 April, the European Commission adopted a Green Paper on the future of Europe's cultural and creative industries, along the lines of the European Culture Agenda 2007. In the hope of unlocking the potential of this highly promising sector, the Commission initiated a public consultation exercise in order to have the views of all stakeholders. “Europe's cultural and creative industries are not only essential for cultural diversity in our continent. They are also one of our most dynamic economic sectors. They have an important role to play in helping to bring Europe out of the crisis”, commented Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
Digitalisation and globalisation are opening up new horizons for cultural and creative industries, especially for the small companies of which the cultural and creative sector is mostly composed. Nonetheless, such companies often encounter obstacles that prevent them from unlocking their full potential. Public consultation will encourage actors of the cultural sector to identify these obstacles and to look at a number of issues such as: 1) How to facilitate access to funding for small and micro companies whose only asset is creativity? 2) How can the European Union help to ensure a well-adjusted combination of creative competences and managerial competences in the sector? 3) How can innovation and experimentation be stimulated and how can a broader use of information and communication technologies (ICT) be encouraged? Invited to give a point of view that is representative of the creative industries on the Green Paper, Peter Dundas, Creative Director with Emilio Pucci, one of the oldest Italian luxury brands, welcomed the Commission's initiative which highlights the essential role played by the sectors of creation and art in stimulating European economic growth. He called for effective protection of European luxury brand names, which are known throughout the world and which enhance Europe's image worldwide. “We have been able to develop thanks to a European vision that gives art and creativity its rightful place (…). One must ensure that European brands survive (…) and meet the demands of consumers to preserve excellence. It is necessary to ensure intellectual property rights are upheld in order to avoid counterfeiting and guarantee excellence and prestige of brands”.
The Green Paper is based on a statement of fact - that “there is a lot of untapped potential in the cultural and creative industries to create growth and jobs”, thanks to globalisation and digitalisation. However, this potential is largely underexploited. Innovation and creativity have been identified as driving forces for allowing the European economy to take off. Cultural content plays a determining role in the information society, fuelling investment in broad band technologies and the development of new digital technologies. These industries, if associated with education, may also play a major role in helping European citizens to acquire the necessary creative, entrepreneurial and intercultural skills needed for opening the door towards a more inventive, more cohesive, greener and more prosperous future. The challenge lies in the fact that cultural and creative industries must be converted and cover the cost of digitalisation, while investing in new models of activity that only become financially productive after a certain amount of time has lapsed. The mobility of artists and cultural practitioners is, moreover, a fundamental point if cultural and creative industries are to flourish worldwide. While cultural and creative industries are initially anchored locally, their range becomes worldwide as business poles and networks arise. It is therefore essential to promote the mobility of actors and of players in the cultural and creative world - as well as the mobility of cultural and creative works - in order to help companies get beyond the local level so that Europe has a place in the world, the Green Paper states. In order for the cultural and creative sector to be able to unlock its full potential, the Green Paper states it is necessary to: - 1) put the right enablers in place by increasing the capacity to experiment, innovate and succeed as entrepreneurs, and providing easier access to funding and the right mix of skills; 2) to help creative and cultural industries develop in their local and regional environment as a launch pad for a stronger global presence, including through increased exchange and mobility; and - 3) to move towards a creative economy by catalysing the spill-over effects of creative and cultural industries on a wide range of economic and social contexts.
The Commission invites all parties interested to answer the questions set out in the Green Paper and to make their observations known until 30 July 2010. On the basis of information received, it will then make specific proposals to help enterprises in a practical manner, Vassiliou said. (I.L./transl.jl)