Recovery and status of the artists on the menu of EU Culture Ministers

EU Ministers for Culture will meet on Tuesday 30 November in Brussels for a Culture Affairs Council meeting under the Slovenian Presidency of the Council, with the recovery and the future of Europe, as well as the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative and the status of the artists.

According to the agenda, Ministers will discuss the NEB initiative, the competitiveness of European audiovisual and media content, cultural heritage and heritage rights in the context of sustainable development and the future of Europe. 

In particular, the Council is due to approve conclusions on culture, high-quality architecture and built environment as key elements of the NEB and invite member states to create and promote frameworks fostering high-quality standards architecture. Furthemore, in order to support the sustainable development of the European media sector and to promote cultural and linguistic diversity as its main asset of its competitiveness, the Council is planning to approve conclusions on increasing cultural diversity, promotion and prominence of European content and sustainability. 

Ministers will be asked to share their views on the most efficient ways to protect and promote heritage rights and sustainable heritage management in Europe, the role heritage rights should play in the context of the European Union action also externally. Specific attention will be put on the ways to facilitate humanitarian admission of Afghan female artists in Europe.

The 27 Ministers will also discuss the recovery of the cultural sector after the COVID-19 pandemic, with  the Commission to present the latest developments concerning its support designed to advance the recovery of the cultural and creative sectors at European level. 

At the initiative of Portugal, a discussion will also take place on the status of the artists and actions that can be taken at national level, in the wake of the resolution on the working conditions of the artists and cultural workers that has recently been overwhelmingly backed by the European Parliament. The country will present its newly-introduced ‘Status of Cultural Professionals’, adopted after Member States were invited to further develop measures designed to enhance social protection for those working in the cultural and creative sectors. This initiative focuses in particular on three areas: registry of professional workers; working contracts; and social protection schemes. 

While Italy will present the G20 cultural ministerial meeting and the Rome declaration of G20 Ministers of Culture, the Commission will share updates on the CulturEU funding guide and web tool: EU funding opportunities for the cultural and creative sectors 2021-2027. 

Lastly, with thematic years fully back on track (2022 will be the European Year of Youth), Romania will ask the Commission to come forward with a legislative proposal to make 2023 the European year for Resilience through Culture.