The letter, organised by Culture Action Europe, reads that by ensuring that culture is explicitly included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) both the future of the sector and its important contribution to Europe’s future will be secured.
It also states that only one other sector, the air transport, has suffered the same economic impact as the cultural and creative sectors, which experienced a 31% drop in turnover in 2020 (in some sub-sectors up to 90%), more than tourism and the automotive industry.
Finally, we
- Reiterate the call made on 30 October 2020 and urge the EU and its Member States to fully include culture in each and every National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), and dedicate, at the very least, 2% of the RRF envelope for culture. We have seen strong political will, as expressed among others by the European Parliament, to put culture as a priority sector when using funds from Next Generation EU. It is now time to translate this commitment in the NRRPs.
- In addition, we call on the Member States to continuously involve and engage the representatives of their cultural communities and civil society organisations in the design and implementation of the NRRPs, as indicated in the European Commission guidelines for the preparation of the national recovery and resilience plans. Long-term structural support to rebuild the European cultural ecosystem needs to be co-developed, involving all relevant stakeholders, both public and private. Reinvigorating the cultural ecosystem not only offers hope to millions of workers who saw their jobs eradicated or endangered by the pandemic, it can offer new meaning and purpose to all Europeans and the European project.
Tere Badia, Secretary General of Culture Action Europe, said "It is crucial that culture is made central in national recovery plans, with a dedicated budget to reactivate the sector. Now is the time for implementing effective measures to avoid a post-pandemic desert in the cultural ecosystem and mainstream culture as a priority dimension in the EU policy thinking and funds-allocation.”
- Read the full letter.
Yesterday NEMO shared a call from several Members of Parliament that also urges the governments of the EU Member States and the European Commission to dedicate at least at least 2% of the national recovery and resilience plans (RRF) for the Cultural and Creative Sectors.
