MEPs have raised concerns with the European Commission about the lack of legal status for cultural and creative professionals in some EU countries.
They discussed the issue in a plenary discussion on Monday 18 October in the presence of the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit. An own-initiative report on the subject by Monica Semedo (Renew Europe, Luxembourg) was also put to the vote on Tuesday 19 October.
“Several definitions of artists and cultural professionals coexist in the EU”, say MEPs in their report, adding that many professionals “suffer from the uncertainty created by the lack of a coherent definition of their status”.
The rate of self-employment is higher (33%) in the cultural and creative sector than in the economy as a whole (14%), and cultural professionals are more likely to work part-time, say MEPs.
The political group coordinators in the plenary emphasised that the restrictions imposed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic have only exacerbated these difficulties. “This report comes at a crucial moment”, argued Socialist rapporteur Predrag Fred Matić (Croatia).
Indeed, the emergency measures adopted in many states to support workers in the cultural sector have not been able to benefit all of them, due to the lack of a clear professional status.
“We call on the European Commission to define a European status for artists and to explore the possibilities of mutual recognition and the establishment of a framework governing this status”, Monica Semedo urged Nicolas Schmit on Monday.
In the report put to the vote, it is specifically requested that the Commission establishes guidelines on contracts, collective representation and management, social security, health and unemployment insurance, pension schemes, direct and indirect taxation, and non-tariff barriers.
“While there is a strong will to progress on this topic, it needs to be kept in mind that social protection is not a Union, but a Member States competence”, the Commissioner added.
While EPP coordinator Michaela Šojdrová (Czech Republic) echoed Mr Schmit on this point - saying she prefers the exchange of best practice to the harmonisation of standards - others pushed the Commission to go much further.
“We need to go beyond what the Treaties offer. If we want the Commission to be the guardian of culture, we have to extend its competences, so that we can create a safety net, to ensure that health care, pensions and social security also apply to these professionals”, said Greens/EFA coordinator Niklas Nienass (Germany).
The outcome of the vote on the report was not yet known at the time of going to press. EUROPE will continue to follow this story. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)