COVID-19 support measures: Is enough being done for the cultural and creative sector?
It’s fair to say that culture and the arts have been essential in getting us through this pandemic. Is there anyone who hasn’t sought refuge in music, films, TV shows, virtual museum tours or books over the last few months, if only to escape the daily horror of COVID-19-related news?
There’s just one problem. The cultural and creative sector (CCS), happens to be one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, and is likely to continue suffering long after quarantine conditions have been eased off.
For example, according to OECD estimates, the European museum sector is in critical condition, having already seen a 75% drop in revenue. Financial support for culture and the arts, especially from public sources, is more important than ever for the CCS to make it through the crisis.
“There’s just one problem. The cultural and creative sector (CCS), happens to be one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, and is likely to continue suffering long after quarantine conditions have been eased off. ”
To date, we’ve seen a stark difference in the way emergency responses have been rolled out on the EU level and by national governments.
After the Netherlands put paid to the idea of issuing EU-backed corona bonds, the Commission quickly stepped in with a Temporary Framework to support businesses across Member States via instruments such as direct grants and state-guaranteed bank loans. Billions of euro in aid are foreseen, including €1 billion guaranteed for at least 100,000 European SMEs. This last category is especially relevant for small, but growing cultural and creative enterprises looking for financial support.
While early signs of mobilisation to save businesses have given us some hope, European institutions have still not put targeted aid in place for the CCS. This is not due to a shortage of calls for sector-specific initiatives, which, if anything, have been multiplying on an almost daily basis.
Culture Action Europe has been the most ambitious, calling for a strong and united European response from the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the CULT Committee, in the form of a €25 billion emergency package that would “adequately support the sustainability of the cultural ecosystems”.
Mariya Gabriel, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth has presented a plan to boost Creative Europe, which includes a €2 million call providing cross-border support to the performing arts through digital and virtual mobility. The Commission has also proposed to set up a platform for Member States to share best practices and pitch proposals.
In early April, over 70 members of the European Parliament across different parties declared their support in a petition to advocate for fiscal measures to relieve the hardship experienced by the cultural and creative industries, including better access to unemployment and other social benefits for CCS professionals.
“When it comes to safeguarding creative and cultural activities, national governments have fared better in moving swiftly and decisively.”
So far, with few exceptions, these calls for pan-European measures have not translated into concrete action. When it comes to safeguarding creative and cultural activities, national governments have fared better in moving swiftly and decisively.
In Germany, the government rolled out a rather impressive aid package worth €50 billion to support small business and self-employed workers from the cultural, creative and media sectors in Germany.
More modest plans have been implemented by the Italian government, which is establishing an emergency fund with an overall budget of €130 million to support Italian audiovisual and performing arts.
Meanwhile, the French Ministry of Culture will be providing €22 million for various cultural sectors impacted by the coronavirus crisis. This will include €10 million for music, €5 million for entertainment, €5 million for literature and €2 million for visual arts.
Unsurprisingly, the COVID-related emergency funding landscape is changing on a daily basis. Keeping track of initiatives on both the European as well as the national level is practically a full-time job.
At TrueMotion, we’re staying informed via a newly-launched platform called Creatives Unite. The collaborative website is for the European artistic and creative community to share resources and good practices in tackling the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
While state-level responses are heartening to see, and will go some way in taking care of artists, performers and other CCS professionals, this is no time to do things by half measures. The EU must practice its own principle of European solidarity and put pan-European measures in place for the CCS without delay.
Mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic shockwaves will doubtless set the tone as well as the agenda once the multiannual financial framework (MFF) negotiations resume. The CSS, already occupying a precarious position on the European Council’s list of priorities, is in heightened jeopardy in the aftermath of the pandemic. It remains to be seen whether the needle will move in time to influence the new European budget.
Arne van Vliet is the Creative Director of TrueMotion. He’s passionate about the creative arts and specialises in finding funding for innovative creative projects that are reshaping the arts landscape in Europe.