Communication - "Promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs in the EU" COM(2012)537

The Committee believes that for Europe culture and creativity are:

• the cornerstone of the values underpinning EU identity and its social market economy model;
• a winning combination in terms of high-quality local, regional, national and EU economic, social and production-related development;
• key elements of comparative advantage in terms of European added value in the design, development, production and consumption of tangible and intangible assets;
• a key contributor to competitiveness across all economic and social sectors;
• a source of rich potential in terms of more, better jobs;
• an international calling card advertising the EU's prestige and originality throughout the world.

The EESC believes that a medium-to-long-term strategy is needed to provide the cultural and creative sectors (CCS) with a sound and well-integrated social dimension. The Committee also calls for:

• a technological dimension with creative added value;
• a dimension relating to territorial dialogue with civil society;
• an international dimension to a creative and cultural Europe;
• a financial and credit access dimension.

The EESC calls on the Commission to carry out a detailed review of the application of the Community acquis to the CCS, and proposes that the Commission look into possibilities and arrangements for holding a broad creative and cultural stakeholders forum in order to better identify all those operating in the field and set out the key points of a medium-to-long-term strategic action plan. The Committee calls for specific initiatives to be launched forthwith to combat precarious forms of work in the CCS, to ensure fair working conditions for all workers in the sector, particularly those carrying out freelance or atypical subcontracted activities, especially intermittent work, and to secure safe and equal access to digital networks for all.

The EESC draws the Commission's attention to the need to adapt the regulatory framework to the specific needs of the CCS, particularly in the area of intellectual property, cutting red tape in the fields of administration and taxation, and equal VAT treatment of print and digital communications, especially for the sector's small businesses.

The EESC calls for reflection on the need to put in place citizen-centred structures for dialogue with civil society, taking advantage of the European Year of Citizens.