Brussels, 13/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 October 2014, Mary Honeyball (S&D, United Kingdom) presented a new study on behalf of TERA Consultants, which confirms the devastating effects of piracy on the creative industries in Europe. “The Economic Contribution of the Creative Industries to EU GDP and Employment” confirms a €20 billion value destruction and 200,000 jobs destroyed in the core sectors of the top five markets of the creative sector in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK). “As Europe moves out of economic and financial crisis and looks towards regaining its competitive edge, we must do all within our power to keep these creative jobs that are the life blood of our economy and our culture. It is imperative that we give our creative industry the means to flourish and grow, for the benefit of our competitiveness and of our society as a whole”, said Honeyball.
The European Union's “core” creative industries created €558 billion in added value to GDP in 2011, the equivalent of 4.4% of European GDP. The added value produced by all of these corer and peripheral creative industries account for € 160 billion, 6.8% of European GDP. Altogether, these industries employ 14 million people, 6.5% of the EU's total workforce. The five markets included in the study accounts are 72% of total added value from the creative industries in Europe and 68% of jobs in the sector. The study describes the inexorable deterioration in the European creative industries' economic situation, compared to other sectors, despite European Commission forecasts for the sector that put growth as equivalent to the whole of the tertiary sector put together. Dominick Luquer, the secretary general of the International Federation of Actors (FIA) and Johannes Studinger, head of UNI MEI Global Union are concerned and stated that “even though the creative sector adapted to the digital revolution and is undertaking an unprecedented change in its business models, large-scale commercial digital piracy still accounts for a significant share of the destruction of jobs and value added in the core creative sectors”. They are calling for the next European Commission and European Parliament to provide a robust response to this problem and make appropriate plans for the reforms needed to help the creative sectors prosper and innovate. (IL)