Brussels, 03/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 28 November, ministers for culture from 12 member states (Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium (French community), Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland and Romania) sent a joint letter to three European Commissioners: Androulla Vassiliou (Culture), Neelie Kroes (Digital Agenda) and Michel Barnier (Internal Market). The letter calls on them to make the cultural and creative industries in Europe a major priority by adopting appropriate policies. Ministers explain that this is not just about protecting existing policies but also about agreeing on the need to make ambitious creative policies possible.
The joint letter puts forward a position in support of modern and ambitious copyright, which guarantees appropriate remuneration for creators and evaluates the viability of cultural creation and diversity. In the context of the digital strategy, it states that the interests of distributors and end users of cultural works should not be given priority over the interests of their creators. The letter also underlines the legitimacy of regulating cultural policy services. It emphasises that member states should still be allowed the opportunity to carry out cultural policies adapted to current challenges and that Europe should play a role in supporting this dialogue and process for extending the reach of culture further. (IL/transl.fl)