A coalition of 110 European organizations representing all cultural and creative sectors (CACs) have sent a letter to the President of the European Commision, Ursula von der Leyden, and to the national governments of the European Union, urging them to include the CACs in the national recovery and stimulus plans, which are projected to have a budget of 750 million Euros.
“At a time when our societies are experiencing unprecedented turmoil,” the letter reads, “ we request that the EU and its member states ensure a central place for culture in each and every one of its recovery plans, which aim for sustainable and inclusive regeneration along with a vision of our future social and economic life.”
The European parliament, in its recent resolution on the “Cultural Recovery of Europe,” supports the call to dedicate 2% of the RRF budget to the CACs. In their letter, the signers emphasize that the CACs “are among those most severely damaged by the pandemic,” that cultural activities are being “halted,” that millions of jobs have been “frozen or eliminated,” and that micro and small businesses are on “the verge of bankruptcy” while many talented individuals have been obligated “to abandon the sector completely.”
In addition, they point out that “In Europe we are at the beginning of a second wave which, without doubt, will increase the impact of the present crisis on the CACs. This unprecedented uncertainty does not allow the CACs to recover nor to form short term solutions nor medium term plans nor imagine a different future. There is a risk that citizens will find themselves stripped of their vibrant cultural life in the post-pandemic world.”
“Now that the member states have begun to dialog about the national plans for recovery and stimulus, it is of fundamental importance that the CACs be fully included in the process of achieving the main objectives of the FRR,” the letter goes on to say, and concludes: “We hope that everything possible will be done to safeguard the diversity, vitality, and richness of Europe.”
Source: Creative Industries Newsletter