18/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - French MEP Claire Gibault (ALDE) has asked EUROPE to give a few details on the proposals that she will be presenting in the form of amendments to her own-initiative report on the status of the artist in the European Union (see EUROPE 9404). Using Directive 2001/29/EC as a base, she hopes to: 1) establish a levy on income generated by the commercial exploitation of cultural heritage free of exclusive rights, in order to provide additional financial assistance to artistic creation and to foster the social and financial protection of living artists; 2) allocate part of the income generated from application of the law to equitable compensation (in states that do not apply the law), to improving the situation of European artists either by providing complementary social protection on a basis of solidarity, or by allowing diversity of cultural expression to be promoted, or by promoting artistic creation or ventures in all forms. (gc)