Over the past turbulent two years, EuroFIA unions have frequently convened to exchange views and experience regarding their various national approaches to pandemic restrictions imposed on the sector, as well as on spending and investment for the cultural recovery. It can be helpful in the context of national discussions to have access to clear and up to date information about the situation and approaches adopted elsewhere in Europe. In that regard, we would like to highlight two valuable resources:
An Overview of the State of Play regarding re-opening of Venues and Live Events across Europe:
Pearle*: Live Performance Europe, the employer federation at European level for the Live Performance sector and FIA’s counterpart in the European Social Dialogue, has carried out significant and ongoing mapping work regarding the restrictive measures in places in the Live Performance sector. For two years running, Pearle* has been publishing updated editions of its European Map showing the current status of Covid-19 regulations for the live performance sector.
The map outlines the various steps European countries have taken to ensure that venues and cultural events are safe to access. It is updated based on information provided by Pearle* members whenever measures are adjusted according to the evolution of the pandemic. The 2022 map can be accessed from the Pearle website here.
What place for Culture in the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plans?:
At its 2021 Congress, FIA adopted resolution N° 3 on: The Deployment of National Resilience and Recovery Plans also to the Benefit of the Arts and Culture Sector. With that resolution, FIA urged all EU member States, as well as countries outside Europe, to make an unprecedented effort in light of the damage wrought by the pandemic to support the cultural sector, including all creative workers regardless of their employment status, to enable them to envisage a way out of the crisis and a recovery of their professional activity as soon as possible. It also joined a wider European campaign in strongly calling on all EU member states, as well as countries outside Europe, to earmark at least 2% of their national rescue funds specifically to the recovery of the cultural sector.
A recent publication “Culture in the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plans” developed by Culture Action Europe and its membership, offers an overview of the place of culture in the now published National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) of the Member States of the European Union. In 2020, as an immediate response to the pandemic crisis the EU institutions adopted an one-of-a-kind stimulus package, called Next Generation EU, (NGEU), to boost the recovery of the continent. The core component of this envelope, called Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is channeled to EU Member States between 2021 and 2026 to better cope with the pandemic fallout and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better equipped for the green and digital transitions. The report aims at analysing what types of investments and reforms (if any) are contained in the NRRPs directly supporting Europe’s cultural ecosystem. It follows up on the call by the European cultural and creative sectors, and backed by the European Parliament, to specifically earmark at the very least 2%of each NRRP for culture.
You can download it here on Culture Action Europe’s website.
