The European Parliament’s Committee on Culture (CULT) and Committee on Employment (EMPL) have drawn attention to the precarious working conditions in the cultural and creative sector (CCS). In a report adopted on Tuesday, 24 October, with 43 votes in favour, 5 against, and 3 abstentions, they especially emphasised the precariousness of self-employed status, which is widely used in the sector (see EUROPE 13217/14).
The MEPs point out, “the lack of a definition of CCS professionals and of recognition of the specificities of their working conditions [is] one of the main factors leading to [their] weak social protection coverage”. As a result, they are asking Member States to recognise a specific status for artists, to mitigate the “fragmentation” of their remuneration, and to tackle the issue of bogus self-employment.
At the same time, [MEPs] are urging [Member States] to facilitate the portability of social security entitlements from one country to another so as to encourage mobility.
The text by Antonius Manders (EPP, Dutch) and Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D, Spanish) was the subject of 515 amendments, which were summarised in 21 compromise amendments—all of which were adopted. The report will be voted on during the plenary session of the European Parliament in November. Member States will hold a debate on the issue during the ‘Education, Youth, Culture and Sport’ Council on 24 November.
The draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/97t
The compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/97s (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)