In addition to being essential drivers for cultural diversity in Europe, these sectors, which include companies and other organisations active in architecture, artistic crafts, cultural heritage, design, festivals, film and television, music, performing and visual arts, archives and libraries, publishing and radio, already account for up to 4.5% of GDP and up to 8.5 million jobs in the European Union. But the creative and cultural sectors also face major challenges stemming from the digital shift and globalisation, as well as from a high fragmentation of markets along cultural and linguistic lines. Access to finance remains a major difficulty.

The Communication sets out a multi-layered strategy for the CCS, in view to helping them adapt to the changing environment, unleash their potential to contribute to growth and maximise their spill over benefits for other areas such as ICT and innovation. In this context, the Commission invites all levels of policy governance – from the local, the regional, the national up to the EU level – to develop integrated strategies in support of the cultural and creative sectors. Such strategies must involve policies not only in the field of culture, but also in the field of economic affairs, education, industry, tourism, urban and regional development.

For its part, the Commission will promote a modern regulatory environment and facilitate exchanges of good practices and peer learning across the EU. It will also mobilise a wide range of EU financial supports to the benefit of the cultural and creative sectors at various stages of the value chain, With regard to the longer term, the Commission has proposed a new generation of EU funding mechanisms for the period 2014-2020, which provide opportunities to the benefit of the cultural and creative sectors (e.g. Creative Europe).

I invite you to read this Communication which marks an important follow up step to the Green Paper of 27 April 2010 – Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries [COM(2010) 183 ], and encompasses the results of long lasting consultations with cultural and creative sectors, academia, public administrations and  business operators in related sectors.

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Xavier Troussardge, tel  5564 7803