In a draft own-initiative report published at the end of July, Giorgos Grammatikakis (S&D, Greece) considers the European Union should appreciate culture policy at its true value. He underlines that culture and creation account for 4.2% of the Union’s GDP and that they generate 8.4 million jobs (i.e. 3.7% of total employment within the Union).
The report lays out the European Parliament’s response to the new culture agenda, presented last May by the European Commission (see EUROPE 12024). It explains that the aim is to ensure a fair balance is struck between social, economic and cultural policies and that there is consistency between the new agenda and other programmes such as the “Creative Europe” and “Europe for Citizens” programmes.
One of the most specific messages set out in the draft report is that funds must be doubled for the “Creative Europe” programme and a global, coordinated strategy must be developed in favour of making culture an integral part of other areas of action. The proposal relating to the “Creative Europe” budget for 2021-2027 provides for €1.85 billion to be allocated, compared with €1.4 billion for the previous period (see EUROPE 12030).
In addition, the rapporteur welcomes the new culture agenda which “represents a huge opportunity to adopt a comprehensive and coherent policy for culture at European level”. He nonetheless deplores the fact that the protection and promotion of culture have not been included among the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He suggests, moreover, that the Commission should be invited to introduce European scoreboards for measuring cultural and media diversity and pluralism in the creation, distribution and provision of creative works. He invites member states to consider deleting Article 17 of the OECD model tax convention for bilateral tax conventions sealed between member states of the European Union.
The text will be put to the vote on 20 November this year at the culture and education committee of the European Parliament. It can be consulted at: https://bit.ly/2Btf5Ge. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)