Brussels, 24/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - The cultural and creative sectors are a source of growth and job creation and must be supported. Participants delivered this message at a public hearing organised on 22 April at the European Parliament, on the invitation of Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid (EPP, France). Sanchez-Schmid explained that “there are many different benefits to these sectors and, despite the crisis, they are making progress. They promote social cohesion and the EU's influence and fit perfectly into the EU 2020 strategy objectives for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”. According to the MEP, the Commission and member states must put in place an integrated and pragmatic approach for policies and no longer consider culture as simply “an isolated domain reserved for an elite”. On the contrary, culture is a lever for social and economic development, she added. (IL/transl.fl)