“There has never been such a political momentum”. Policy-makers who have been in town for some time all agree that the topic of working conditions of artists and cultural workers is, for the first time, high on the agenda of all EU institutions. Some describe it as a sort of astral alignment which is expected to bear fruit with the start of the next political cycle, in 2024, when a new Parliament and a new Commission will be sworn in (more on this below, in the ‘other news’ section). “This is an important window of opportunity” to make progress in a field which has often been neglected in the EU’s debate, our sources say.

In past editions (password: proudcaemember) of the Decoder we brought you news about the ongoing work at the European Parliament, which is busy drafting a report on an EU Framework for the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sector, which is due at the end of June. In parallel, in just one month’s time, the independent experts of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) Group will present their report on the subject on 26 June to the EU Member States cultural attachés who sit on the Culture Council. They will then publish it online on the website of the European Commission with executive summaries available in all 24 EU official languages.

OMC Groups normally meet over 18 months to produce policy recommendations and toolkits to share with their governments and the EU Institutions as a whole on the way forward to enhance cooperation in fields where the Union does not enjoy primary competences. As you might remember, this is the first time all Member States have appointed experts to the OMC Group. Several capitals also chose to be represented by two nominees, one hailing from the Culture Ministry and one from the Social Affairs and Employment Ministry. 

While waiting for the publication, however, at CAE we got a sneak preview of the main contents of the report. It will cover five main areas of concern: 1) status of the artist, 2) social security, 3) fairness, 4) skills, and 5) artistic freedom. In a rare show of institutional synergy, the OMC Report will also invite the EU institutions to adopt a European Framework for the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sectors, with a focus on social security coordination and on setting minimum standards, and to feature artistic freedom as an indicator in the annual rule of law country-specific reports which are drafted in Brussels by the Commission’s services. These are all pleas Culture Action Europe has often echoed as the main area of concern when it comes to the topic of working conditions. Moreover, the OMC Report suggests that Council Conclusions could be adopted on the topic, which would provide political backing at the highest level to the effort to identify minimum common features for artists and cultural workers in Europe, and could even inform the mission statement of the next Culture Commissioner after the 2024 EU elections. 

The form such an EU Framework should have, however, is a delicate topic which will be widely debated in the months to come, both in parliamentary and governmental circles. Some reckon the EU lacks power to set a draft directive in motion (which would identify minimum common rules for the countries of the bloc to transpose into domestic legislation), others suggest pursuing options which give more leeway to Member States, such as a decision, or even soft law alternatives with non-binding yet precise recommendations for countries to reflect in their domestic rules, in close cooperation with the social partners.

But all in all, the message the expert report conveys tends to be political, we hear, and will not be kept in a drawer as happened in the past on various occasions. “It is now or never,” some would dare to say. Spain and Belgium, who will hold the two upcoming six-month rotating Presidencies of the Council, the body which represents the 27 governments, have already clearly demonstrated their commitment to work in this direction. As anticipated in one of the previous editions of the Decoder, Spain will chair a dedicated ministerial debate in autumn, a moment for both benchmarking national initiatives (such as on fairness, in the Netherlands and Austria, or on universal basic income, in Ireland). Belgium, which has recently adopted a reform of the status of the artist at federal level, might be on course to propose Council Conclusions on the working conditions topic.

Flagged as the top priority in the field of culture of the six-month Swedish Presidency, which comes to a close on 30 June, the Council of the EU Conclusions on the topic of At-Risk and Displaced Artists have been unanimously adopted by Culture Ministers of the bloc on 16 May, and welcomed by the European Commission represented by Vice-President Vera Jourová. The text, as made clear by Sweden from the very beginning, strongly focuses on Ukraine and the situation of artists and cultural workers as a result of the Russian invasion, but echoes general concerns valid for other world areas as well (despite calls to enlarge the scope to other areas like Afghanistan and Iran echoed by some governments and organisations). 

The Conclusions invite Member States, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to adopt measures and initiatives at their respective levels, in particular to 1) uphold and protect artistic freedom and the rights of artists globally; 2) continue supporting at-risk and displaced artists in the EU; 3) contribute to networking and the exchange of information, best practices and experiences between Member States and non-state actors supporting at-risk and displaced artists; 4) maintain the dialogue with Ukrainian partners on ways to continue supporting the Ukrainian cultural and creative sectors, and encourage working together with Ukrainian artists, including at-risk and displaced ones, now and when the war comes to an end.

Vice-President Jourová also expressed the commitment from the Commission’s side to keep this topic high on the agenda in the framework of the Council Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026, as well as in the priorities of Creative Europe, as it has been, for example, the case with the programme’s calls dedicated to supporting Ukrainian cultural and creative sectors.

If you read our flash update from last week, this comes as no surprise to you. After three and a half years in the job, on 15 May Mariya Gabriel stepped down from her post as European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, in order to lead the negotiations on the formation of the new coalition government in Bulgaria, after five elections in the past two years. Following a deal among several political forces, a power-sharing agreement will be in place, with ex-Commissioner Gabriel as Deputy Prime Minister for the next nine months and then taking over as head of the government for the nine months that follow. The legacy of the successful campaign to bring back Culture in the job title of Mariya Gabriel and as an important element of the knowledge value chain, which was spearheaded by Culture Action Europe in 2019, must be maintained now that she will be replaced here in Brussels. In the meantime, the Vice-President of the Commission responsible for the “Promotion of our European Way of Life” Margaritis Schinas will be in charge of the Culture portfolio.

Fact-finding mission in Poland In mid-May, the European Parliament’s CULT Committee conducted a fact-finding mission in Poland to evaluate developments in cultural, as well as educational, media and youth policies, meeting with representatives of the government as well as the cultural, creative and media scene. Sabine Verheyen, the CULT Committee Chair who led the 6-MEPs delegation, argued that freedom of expression is “a cause for great concern” in the country, singling out issues regarding artistic, cultural and academic freedom, next to the threats to media pluralism that are known all too well. This is the second time MEPs from the CULT Committee visited a Member State where artistic freedom is at stake, following a mission to Hungary late last year. 

Mark your calendars/1 The next European elections, tasked to choose the 705 members of the European Parliament (or a bit more, if a proposal from the current Chamber goes through), will take place between 6 and 9 June 2024, following an agreement among Member States in mid-May. Speaking of elections… have you checked out CAE’s dedicated project “Pop the Vote: Culture on the Ballot”, co-funded by the European Parliament? It will work with young artists in 13 EU countries to act as Changemakers in their own communities to mobilise a wide participation in next year’s elections: you can re-watch the kick-off event here, but stay tuned for more information coming up after the summer!  



Mark your calendars/2 Unlike previously communicated, the European Commission has deferred the adoption of its Communication on a Common Approach to Mental Health, originally foreseen on 7 June, to five days later, on 13 June. During the Mental Health Week, the CAE-led CultureForHealth project strongly advocated for a strong and visible link between cultural policies and communities’ mental health.