Brussels, 19/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - Mobility facilitates access to the European labour market for artists and culture professionals, creates new work opportunities, encourages growth in the cultural sector and in the economy at large. Bringing both quantitative and qualitative improvement to mobility can also help achieve the objectives of the EUROPE 2020 strategy. One of the major obstacles to artists' mobility is a lack of clear, reliable information on, for instance, visas, administrative procedures, intellectual property rights and social legislation. On Thursday 19 May, the Council adopted conclusions which seek to improve the quality of information available to artists, in order to promote mobility. Ministers also held a public debate on how best to provide artists with reliable information on the legal, technical, tax and practical issues that they need to know about and how existing systems might cooperate so as to provide a sort of one-stop shop to avoid duplication of dissemination of information. Readable, comprehensible and up-to-date information is crucial for artists to be able to fully express themselves, said Culture Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou. In speaking, the member states talked about their national experiences. All spoke of a more or less effective network of information. However, an overall approach is essential today, with member states working together so that culture professionals can fully express their art throughout Europe. Common standards have to be set and maybe also a single European portal created, Slovenia suggested.
The Council conclusions are certainly moving in that direction. They suggest a raft of measures aiming to put in place a system which would provide artists with full, exact and updated information on issues related to mobility within the EU. They also state that networking by national information departments is essential if proper circulation of information is to be ensured. (I.L./transl.rt)