In response to the economic and financial crisis of the past few years, the European Commission developed the Europe 2020 strategy , an initiative designed to support growth and jobs across the EU.
Cultural and creative industries (CCIs), which proved remarkably resilient through the crisis, are responsible for around 3.5% of all EU products and services annually, and employ 6.7 million people, or 3% of the European workforce.
Cultural and creative industries are emerging as an important sector for support and investment for several reasons:
CCIs are a growing and resilient part of the economy;
The sector is generating increasing numbers of jobs;
CCIs contribute to innovation in other sectors, such as information and communication technology;
Previous experiences show that investment in culture sector initiatives can yield exceptional results;
The culture sector suffers from a lack of strategic support and financial investment.
The challenge is, thus, to promote and strengthen the contribution of the culture sector to the benefit of the European economy.
The European Commission is responsible for several issues in the field of culture, including:
Developing robust, evidence-based policies;
Engaging in dialogue with representatives of the culture sector;
Consulting culture sector experts and Member States to support policy-development;
Managing initiatives and programmes in support of the sector.
These activities are complemented by studies, reports, and statistics on the sector.
Following the adoption of the Europe 2020 strategy and the European Agenda for Culture , the Commission has placed an increased emphasis on support to CCIs. This has, primarily, been achieved through:
The Culture and MEDIA programmes;
The report of the CCI working group;
The drafting of a communication on promoting culture for growth and jobs.
As the work plan for culture comes to a close, the Commission will review its progress and redefine the priorities for the next work plan.
The Commission will also continue to develop sound, inclusive policies and strategies for the sector, as well as supporting cultural and creative industries through the Creative Europe programme ; successor to the Culture and MEDIA programmes.