Brussels, 31/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - Impala, the European association of independent music companies, will be adopting an action plan next week to promote cultural and creative businesses. It will then submit the plan to the European Commission and member states. Impala welcomes the declarations of the European Commissioner for culture, Jan Figel, made at the Midem event in Cannes, in which the Commission recognised the importance of this sector for SMEs and for job creation in Europe, while promoting specifically adapted policies (EUROPE 9589). The action plan the independent music companies are preparing to adopt is based on three key elements: 1) financial package with tax benefits, new investment measures and lower VAT, to ensure long term viability; 2) digital package with full responsibility of access providers and measures to address Europe's slow digital takeup; 3) market access package with new competition guidelines and preferential treatment to counter chronic concentration and allow SMEs to compete on their own merit. Impala believes that such measures should be adopted urgently this year in order to ensure the survival of the sector and it is counting on the French presidency of the Council, in the second half of the year, to submit the dossier to ministers. (I.L.)