Activities of Alexis GEORGOULIS related to 2021/2251(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Amendments (79)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls the strong need for culture and education, as the backbone of our democracy, society and economy, to receive support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), also with regard to the green and digital transitionssocial and working conditions as well as to the green and digital transitions; regrets that this need was not adequately considered in the Regulation of 12 February 2021 establishing the RRF;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 17 September 2020 on the cultural recovery of Europe (2020/2708(RSP)) and to its resolution of 20 October 2021 on the situation of artists and the cultural recovery in the EU (2020/2261(INI)),
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Strongly advises that the RRF funding should be distributed by also and equally promoting social cohesion and therefore, social inclusion, cultural diversity and solidarity, ensuring diversity and equality, including gender equality, LGBTIQ+ people,youth, the elderly, supporting firstly and utmost the most vulnerable and in need, leaving no one behind;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Underlines that Education has been affected severely by the Covid19 pandemic in all its levels; Stresses education’s key role in society and thus urges that more funds from the RRF should be distributed towards it, by having adequate space in classrooms, smaller- sized classes, employing more teachers and education workers, psychological support for students and teachers, while education and technological equipment tools should be provided for free to all students and pupils;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Strongly underlines the role of culture and education as shaping people’s minds and identities to the future of the planet in addressing the climate crisis and enabling a successful transformation and Green transition; calls member states and the Commission to invest RRF funds in education and cultural initiatives in order to enhance public awareness and as tools for the overall promotion of the Green Deal;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Strongly underlines the role of education as an enabler to the digital transition; calls member states and the Commission to invest RRF funds in education applications, including the relevant equipment, infrastructure and facilities needed, in order to accelerate the digital transition, using tools accessible to all for free and leaving no one behind;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the cultural and creative sectors were among those hit first and the hardest by the pandemic and will be the last to recoveras one of the EU's biggest employers, accounting for 8.7 million jobs across Europe, were among those hit first and the hardest by the pandemic and will be the las to recover, justifying the necessity to include in the priorities of the national recovery and resilience plans specific and targeted support measures particularly for the CCS and more financial support for cultural and creative sectors’ workers than what is already inadequately planned by the Member States;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Highlights that the economic impact of COVID-19may bring severe challenges of financial and political pressure threatening the survival of media sectors and of independent and quality journalism, leading tothe loss of jobs and less workforce, eventually leading to higher misinformation, disinformation and reproduction of fake news, which are rather crucial threats for society especially in times of a health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic; calls therefore for solid and targeted support for media in the national RRF plans, especially for small and medium media organization, in order to ensure media diversity, financial and political media independence and quality journalism, including online media;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Recalls that the European cultural and creative sectors including industries account for between 4 and 7 % of the EU’s GDP and for about 8.7 million jobs in the EU; emphasizes that these figures are not adequately reflected in the national recovery and resilience plans, leaving the cultural and creative sectors considerably underrepresented in the EU’s overall effort to overcome the pandemic and support the recovery and resilience of the European economy;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Highlights that the CCS, among those hit first and hardest by the pandemic and the last to recover, are the largest empoyer for young of 15 – 29 years old[1]and therefore, urges the Commission and the member states to take special measures targeting the youth workers in the CCS in the context of the implementation of the national RRF plans; [1] https://www.europecreative.be/images/cult ure/Pdfs/ccs-market-analysis- europe_fei2019.pdf#page=41
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Emphasizes that the European Parliament repeatedly and with an overwhelming majority - e.g. in its resolution of 17 September 2020 on the cultural recovery of Europe and in its resolution of 20 October 2021 on the situation of artists and the cultural recovery in the EU - called on the Commission and the Member States to include culture in the national recovery and resilience plans and to earmark at least 2 % of the RRF budget to culture;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Recalls that atypical employment (part-time and fixed-duration contracts, temporary work and economically dependent self-employment) is commonplace for authors, performers, artists and many other cultural creators, often leading to precarious working conditions; highlights that the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated this situation which poses a fundamental threat to the EU’s cultural ecosystem, to Europe’s cultural diversity and to our democracy and society;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Regrets that contrary to its title the Next GenerationEU Fund has no direct and overall inadequate funds for youth, as well as for education and sports which are strongly interlinked with youth; calls the Commission and the Member States for more targeted actions in the context of the RRF national plans to support youth, education and sports;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2 d. Regrets that there is a massive loss of jobs and talent leakage from the CCS due to the consequences of the pandemic threatening the long-term sustainability and future of the CCS; calls therefore on member states to invest RRF funds in their national plans in order to strengthen recovery, resilience and competitiveness of the CCS to keep their labour force in terms of both, quantity and quality;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Deplores the fact that only 14 Member States have included culture in their RRFnational recovery and resilience plans; fears that this heterogeneity of public investments leads to recovery at different speeds, causing increased disparities within the EU’s cultural ecosystem and threatening Europe’s cultural diversit, imbalances with regard to social protection and working conditions, and threatening Europe’s cultural diversity, eventually undermining our social cohesion and democracy;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Underlines that people with disabilities that are working in the creative sectors face greater financial difficulties, which have been exacerbated during the COVID 19 pandemic and therefore are more in need to receive funding from the RRF;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Strongly suggests that all cultural, education, youth and sports facilities that have been closed or forced to cancel their activities or that their income has been reduced because of COVID 19 should be fully compensated by the RRF funds in the future and retrospectively, including those who were forced to close permanently;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Opposes the Commission’s approach to incorporate not strictly cultural interventions such as tourism and energy efficiency of cultural buildings in the calculations, resulting in misleading statistics; calls for a recalculation and reassessment of the data available; calls on the Commission to provide for a comprehensive and detailed overview of the RRF money spent in each of the Member States, disclosing the investments made in each cultural and creative sectors’ branch;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Regrets the focus of the national plans on physical and digital infrastructure as the sole mean of helping the cultural sector to recover and facilitate its resilience; calls on the Commission to urge Member States to develop plans that put the CCS professionals at the center of the recovery strategy;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to dedicate RRF funds in order to foster the green and the digital transition, innovation and creativity, research and development as well as employment opportunities for artists by supporting cooperation across disciplinary domains, such as between the CCS and science and technology;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls previous requests, by the Parliament and by representatives of the cultural and creative sectors, urging the Member States to dedicate at least 2 % of the budget of each national RRF plan to culture and 10 % to education; criticises the fact that these already misleading numbers have been achieved at an aggregated EU level only; Recalls previous requests urging the Member States to dedicate at least 1,5 % of the budget of each national RRF plan to sports;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Recalls the importance of financially and politically independent media especially intimes of the pandemic and against the socially harmful uprising phenomena of misinformation, disinformation and massive spread of fake news, mainly due to the lack of funding for quality journalism jobs and urges therefore the Commission and member states to dedicate at least 1,5% of the RRF national plans to media, focusing especially on small and medium media organisations, freelancers and self- employed journalists and media workers, including online media;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Urges the Member States to put the recovery and resilience of the cultural and creative sectors at the core of their investments into culture, with a particular focus on improving the overall situation of authors, performers, artists and all other cultural creators who are the ones to create the cultural works that our democracy, society and economy benefit from;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Underlines that any action taken to help the cultural and creative sectors in their recovery should not only be aimed at economic recovery, but also be used for the improvement of the working conditions of authors, performers, artists and all other cultural creators as well as for their up- and reskilling with regards to i.a. knowledge of their rights, the opportunities of the digital era and the possibilities of international mobility;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Urges the Commission to monitor and periodically publish reports on the implementation of the percentages mentioned above, in order to hold the Member-States accountable and improve transparency;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Recalls that following a long recovery from the economic crisis (2007– 2013), young people in the EU proved to be more vulnerable to the effects of the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, as more likely than older groups to experience job loss, financial insecurity and mental health problems, reduced trust in the institutions as well as life satisfaction and mental well-being associated with the stay-at-home requirements and school closures[1];highlights that COVID-19 disrupts education of more than 70% of youth, while the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on young people has exacerbated inequalities and risks reducing the productive potential of an entire generation[2];calls therefore the Commission and Member States to dedicate to youth at least 1,5% of the RRF national plans; [1] https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publicat ions/report/2021/impact-of-covid-19-on- young-people-in-the-eu [2] https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the- ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_753060/lang-- en/index.htm
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Welcomes the measures introduced during the pandemic to support young people including the reinforced European Youth Guarantee, national initiatives to keep young people in education, and measures to reduce barriers to existing financial support and social protection specifically for young people, as well as the European Year of Youth 2022;regrets however that many of these policy responses were temporary and calls member states and the Commission to ensure greater resilience in future crises, through prioritising long- term measures for young people, such as permanent improvements in access to work and apprenticeships and measures to increase job security ;Welcomes the measures introduced during the pandemic to support young people including the reinforced European Youth Guarantee, national initiatives to keep young people in education, and measures to reduce barriers to existing financial support and social protection specifically for young people, as well as the European Year of Youth 2022;regrets however that many of these policy responses were temporary and calls member states and the Commission to ensure greater resilience in future crises, through prioritising long- term measures for young people, such as permanent improvements in access to work and apprenticeships and measures to increase job security[1] [1] https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publicat ions/report/2021/impact-of-covid-19-on- young-people-in-the-eu
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5 e. Recognizes that the consequences of the COVID-19pandemic exacerbated pre-existing problems making artists and CCS professionals already particularly vulnerable for various reasons including atypical work models and precarious conditions, justifying therefore the need to firmly include the CCS in the national recovery and resilience plans with a minimum of2%;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Strongly believes that for the correct implementation of the RRF a special focus should be given to micro and small organisations, including in rural areas and individuals in all branches of the cultural and creative sectors, including in rural and insular areas, safeguarding at the same time quality jobs and descent working, remuneration and social security;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Underlines the importance of culture for our identity, democracy, society and economy; is concerned that the European cultural and creative sectors, which account for between 4 and 7 % of the EU’s GDP and for about 8.7 million jobs in the EU, were among those hit first and the hardest by the pandemic and will be the last to recover;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Regrets that cancellations of live events left art istsand CCS producers without income and also in debt because of financial obligations taken to third parties especially when touring; urges the Commission and member states to provide funds from the RRF to compensate in the future and also retrospectively, organisers and involved parties in cases of cancellations of live events in the CCS due to COVID-19 restrictions, especially for performing arts;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Urges the Commission and member states to support financially and by all means possible, local sports communities, clubs and academies having in mind that amateur sport events had to be cancelled or postponed due to COVID- 19measures, while still sports stadiums do not operate in full capacity in terms of audience, and therefore have almost no inflow of their main source of income;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Invites the Member States and the Commission to ensure that the actions relevant for culture under the RRF go beyond financing infrastructure facilities or collaboration schemes and consortiums, but focus on the actual needs of small and micro organisations, as well as artists and CCS professionals and stakeholders, including improving their working conditions and social protection schemes;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. Highlights that given the closure of sports-halls and events the audiences turned to the online portals of sports information that had to quickly react and invest without enough time to optimize their financial resourcing in order to upgrade their services in terms of content and equipment including software and hardware; notes that having done such investments, the cancellations and the postponements of all sports events due to COVID-19 brought further financial burden to sports websites; calls therefore the Commission and the Member-States to foresee funds of their RRF national plans in order to support, all sports-related websites with a special focus to small and medium-size sports news organizations, strengthening thus diversity and independence of sports journalism;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6 e. Calls on member states to target RRF funds in their national plans to support innovative and emerging CCS, education, youth, media and sports sectors; suggests that such initiative may support innovative education applications or the gaming and e-sports sectors;
Amendment 102 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)
Paragraph 6 f (new)
6 f. Notes that especially touring cultural productions were particularly hit by the consequences and the unpredictable nature of the restrictions for the pandemic; calls therefore member states and the Commission to consider with special attention dedicating RRF funds to support mobility of cultural productions, as well as compensation schemes for all cultural productions financially damaged because of COVID- 19 consequences in the future and retrospectively;
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 g (new)
Paragraph 6 g (new)
6 g. Calls on the Commission and Member States to broaden employment opportunities for artists and arts experts by mainstreaming the teaching of arts in the curricula of schooling education, which would further contribute in development of fantasy,innovation and creativity for the citizens of tomorrow, while cultivating audiences to appreciate culture and strengthening social cohesion;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 h (new)
Paragraph 6 h (new)
6 h. Regrets that the CCS and especially performing arts have been stigmatized as COVID-19spreading points; suggests therefore the Commission and member states to target resilience and recovery also by including communication and public awareness campaigns and tools to de-stigmatize the CCS from the blame and fear of being COVID-19 triggers and spread the message to the audiences that the CCS equally ensure the thorough implementation of the perspective hygiene protocols and thus are as safe as all sectors of the economy;
Amendment 105 #
6 i. Regrets that due the COVID-19 heritage sectors suffered loss of revenue and quality jobs, eventually resulting to losses on maintenance and preservation works; calls therefore on member states and the Commission to target RRF funds particularly to safeguarding heritage; notes in this context the continuously increasing needs for heritage support funds against the damages that environmental degradation and climate change causes to heritage monuments;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 j (new)
Paragraph 6 j (new)
6 j. Regrets that due the COVID-19 heritage sectors suffered loss of revenue and jobs, less safety measures[1],higher numbers in thefts[2][3],as well as illegal excavations and marketing of heritage goods[4];calls therefore on member states and the Commission to target RRF funds particularly to safeguarding heritage against theft and illegal market circulation of heritage artifacts; [1] https://icom.museum/en/covid- 19/resources/ensuring-cultural-heritage- security-during-lockdown-a-challenge- for-museum-professionals-and-police- services/ [2] https://www.museumsassociation.org/mus eums-journal/opinion/2021/11/has-the- pandemic-left-collections-more- vulnerable-to-theft/# [3] https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/30/va n-gogh-painting-stolen-during-dutch- museum-s-covid-19-closure[4] https://www.artnews.com/art- news/news/interpol-art-crime-survey- 2021-illegal-excavations-1234607580/
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 k (new)
Paragraph 6 k (new)
6 k. Regrets that, most artists during the pandemic restrictions mainly depended on their internet-based income for their livelihoods, yet not getting enough income because of the “streaming value gap” and despite the sharp increase of online culture content consumption; calls therefore on member states and the Commission to collaborate with civil society and CCS representatives in order to design specific policies to address the disparity between the value that streaming platforms extract from content and the revenue generated by those who create and invest in creation, which is the “streaming value gap”[1]; [1] https://www.theguardian.com/culture/202 2/feb/08/unesco-warns-of-crisis-in- creative-sector-with-10m-jobs-lost-due-to- pandemic
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 l (new)
Paragraph 6 l (new)
6 l. Is deeply concerned that the COVID-19 restrictions led to the closures of the 90%of museums during lockdowns while nearly 13% face the threat of never re opening again[1];urges member states and the Commission to dedicate RRF funds to support museums and heritage against any permanent closures; [1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1064 362
Amendment 111 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need for sustainable investments and structural reforms targeting education and the cultural and creative sectors, and their workforce and in particular regarding social securityrights and working conditions for authors, performers, artists, technicians and all CCS professionals in the latter; regrets that such investments and reforms are planned in only a minority of Member States;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adequately consider the actual needs of the cultural and creative sectors and to take a holistic approach to supporting their recovery and resilience, focussing on the segments impacted the most, including the distribution and exhibition of films to and in cinemas, and the entire live sector with performing arts, live music and theatre;
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Emphasizes that beyond the RRF, fundamental structural improvements must be taken for a true and long-lasting recovery and resilience of the cultural and creative sectors, in particular concerning the taxation periods for the often varying income of many authors and performers;
Amendment 126 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7 c. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adequately consider the actual needs of the cultural and creative sectors and to take a holistic approach to supporting their recovery and resilience, focusing on the segments impacted the most, including the distribution and exhibition of films to and in cinemas, and the entire live sector including performing arts, live music, dance and theatre, as well as all live events such as those in the sectors of books, fashion, gastronomy, heritage, festivals ;
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7 d. Calls member states and the Commission to increase investments in research and innovation for the development of new ways of making sports, education, culture and creative sectors and especially performing arts more accessible even under hygiene protocol restrictions and other crises situations that would require social and physical distancing;
Amendment 128 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7 e. Emphasizes that beyond the RRF, fundamental structural improvements must be taken for a true and long-lasting recovery and resilience of the cultural and creative sectors, in particular concerning the taxation periods for the often varying income of many authors and performers;
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7 f. Recalls that the CCS are characterized by seasonality, precarious working conditions and income instability, including the possibility to have higher income for one year but no or least income for the next, as it was the case during theCOVID-19 restrictions; urges therefore member states to consider special taxation schemes for the CCS taking under consideration the income instability between successive years to the best interest of individuals, such as by counter balancing taxation based on the income of not only one but more fiscal years;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 g (new)
Paragraph 7 g (new)
Amendment 131 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 h (new)
Paragraph 7 h (new)
7 h. Regrets that despite the crucial situation in audiovisual sector due to the pandemic and although 16 months after the deadline, a number of member states have not transposed the Audiovisual Media Services Directive[1](AVMSD) yet;urges all member states to act as soon as possible, also mobilizing RRF funds if needed, in order to fully and effectively transpose the AVMSD while allowing enough time and transparent procedures for open consultation, so that the civil society and stakeholders may be actively involved; [1] https://digital- strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/audiovisual -media-commission-calls-member-states- fully-transpose-eu-rules-audiovisual- content
Amendment 132 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 i (new)
Paragraph 7 i (new)
7 i. Given the harsh times for the audiovisual sector due to the pandemic, urges member states to effectively implement the article 13 of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive ((EU) 2018/1808 ) according to which Member States shall ensure that on- demand audiovisual media services provided by media service providers under their jurisdiction promote, where practicable and by appropriate means, the production of and access to European works including interalia through the financial contribution made by such services to the production and rights acquisition of European works or to the share and/or prominence of European works in the catalogue of programmes offered by the on-demand audiovisual media service[1];calls the Commission to report on the European Parliament and the Council on the application of previously mentioned article 13, as well as on monitoring the overall implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, and that member states adequately support European audiovisual production; [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32 010L0013&from=EN
Amendment 133 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 j (new)
Paragraph 7 j (new)
Amendment 134 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 k (new)
Paragraph 7 k (new)
7 k. Regrets that a significant proportion of artists and CCS professionals are often in eligible for social protection schemes because of the precarious conditions in the CCS, even in countries where there are in place social protection shcemes for freelancers or self- employed people (who constitute a large part of the creative economy workforce);urges member states to respond to the existing problems exarcebated by the pandemic by establishing minimum standards for labour protection of artists and cultural professionals, including guaranteed minimum wages, pensions, sick pay and overall labour rights in line with the general workforce and the relevant requests by Unesco[1]; [1] https://www.theguardian.com/culture/202 2/feb/08/unesco-warns-of-crisis-in- creative-sector-with-10m-jobs-lost-due-to- pandemic
Amendment 135 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 l (new)
Paragraph 7 l (new)
7 l. Highlights that government spending on the CCS was already declining in the year spreceding the pandemic, and Covid-19 led to a collapse in income and employment, while Unesco warns of an unprecedented crisis in the CCS due to pandemic[1];regrets that there were different speeds among member states in terms of social protection schemes and support for artists and the CCS professionals during the pandemic;calls therefore the Commission and the member states to work together in order to target RRF funds for the establishment of a European framework of common labour conditions for artists and CCS professionals, guaranteeing minimum wages, pensions, sick pay and overall labour rights in line with the general workforce of the European Union; [1] https://www.theguardian.com/culture/202 2/feb/08/unesco-warns-of-crisis-in- creative-sector-with-10m-jobs-lost-due-to- pandemic
Amendment 136 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 m (new)
Paragraph 7 m (new)
7 m. Calls member states to consider tools and motivation policies, including taxation and fiscal measures for legal persons and individuals to stimulate investment in cultural and overall CCS production, including for performing arts, books, paintings, traditional arts, fashion, heritage and all CCS;
Amendment 141 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to commit to full transparency and accountability and stresses the need for Member States to have the necessary control and audit mechanisms in place to ensure respect for the rule of law, protect the EU’s financial interests, secure transparency and prevent corruption; calls on the Commission and the Member States and to examine the possibility of redirecting unused or saved RRF resources to Union programmes in the field of culture, education, youth, sports and media;
Amendment 149 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Commission to add culture as one of the focus areas for the Recovery &Resilience Task Force and to ensure that steps will be taken to attract and integrate specific cultural expertise into the Task Force;
Amendment 150 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Regrets that there is no cultural expertise nor a focus area for culture in the Recovery & Resilience Task Force;
Amendment 151 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Regrets that there were no clear answers by the Commission to written questions for a written answer submitted by Members of the European Parliament regarding the response of members states in their RRF national plans on dedicating 2% for culture;
Amendment 152 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8 d. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to commit to full transparency and promote public awareness at all stages of actions undertaken in the context of National Recovery and Resilience Plans, including specific open calls and tenders put in place, to ensure that support mechanisms remain available to all cultural organizations, including in particular grassroots initiatives as well as micro and small organisations, free-lancers and self- employed individuals;
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. URegrets the lack of adequate and substantial consultation with all relevant stakeholders in the preparation of the national recovery and resilience plans; Urge surges the Commission and the Member States to extend theguarantee extend the adequate and continuous involvement of stakeholders to the implementation and monitoring of the RRF plans.and the national recovery and resilience plans, in particular social partners and civil society organisations, allowing for their more continuous involvement, better monitoring and improved transparency;
Amendment 160 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the exchange of good practices, mutual learning, and capacity building for national entities in charge of implementing national recovery and resilience plans for the benefit of the cultural and creative sectors, in order to ensure swift and timely absorption of allocated funds;
Amendment 162 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls on the Member States to strategically include the topic of Recovery and Resilience Facility for the cultural and creative sectors in the upcoming Council Work Plan for Culture 2023- 2026, creating the context for knowledge- sharing and mutual learning among national administrations;
Amendment 164 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Pleads the Member States and the Commission to focus on sustainability as well as on the socio-economic and environmental impact of foreseen RRF investments, ensuring that the actions undertaken go beyond financing the infrastructure, but focus on the actual needs and expectations of cultural stakeholders;
Amendment 166 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 d (new)
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9 d. Recognizes the need to exchange good practices regarding different safety nets and social security schemes among member states specifically for artists and CCS professionals, overall, the CCS and sports; calls the Commission to take action in order to have a mapping report about the different safety nets and social security schemes among member states specifically for artists and CCS professionals, as well as for sports workers, as in place before the pandemic and/or put into effect during the pandemic;
Amendment 167 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 e (new)
Paragraph 9 e (new)
9 e. Regrets that some member states were reluctant to quickly react with support measures for the CCS to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, because they lacked information of the extent of the damage; regrets also that the direct and indirect benefits of the CCS to the broader economy are not adequately visible because of the lack of such data; calls therefore on the member states and the Commission to proceed to the establishment of a continuously monitoring mechanism and gathering of all relevant data needed in order to design firm policy with specific data for each one of the different sectors consisting the CCS, up-to-date and comparable among member states; calls on the Commission to inform the EP and periodically publish reports updating the broad audience to the relevant information, stimulating public awareness on the benefits of culture to society and economy;
Amendment 168 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 f (new)
Paragraph 9 f (new)
9 f. Regrets that some member were reluctant to take measures to support the recovery and resilience of artists and the CCS arguing that there is no common definition for artists nor for the CCS; calls therefore on the Commission to take relevant action in order to facilitate the process towards an agreement on a common definition of the CCS applicable for a common policy-making terminology, while involving artists’ and CCS’ representatives and stakeholders as well in the process;
Amendment 169 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 g (new)
Paragraph 9 g (new)
9 g. Calls on the Commission to map existing definitions across Member States of artists and cultural and creative workers, including technicians, backstage and other staff, and to foster dialogue with the Civil Society in order to come up with one single and inclusive wording in the EU’s policy-making and in the European framework for working conditions in the CCS; suggests for a definition that would reflect the diversity of the CCS as well as the civil society’s self-definition, through a process-oriented approach, such as by recognising the labour intensity of the creative process, including research and preparation; also, this definition should be aligned with the 1980 UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artists;
Amendment 170 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 h (new)
Paragraph 9 h (new)
9 h. Calls on the Member States to fully include access to art education as part of a holistic approach for the CCS recovery;
Amendment 171 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 i (new)
Paragraph 9 i (new)
9 i. Calls on the Member States to proceed to public consultation and open dialogue with the CCS’ stakeholders, in order to collaborate and co-define alternative measures along with financial measures, to support the CCS; such measures may include compensation schemes of the CCS stakeholders for the seats that have to remain empty in cultural venues due to COVID-19 hygiene protocols, or for possible last-minute cancellations of cultural events due to COVID-19 restrictions, the free usage by artists and CCS organizations of public spaces or buildings not only for one-time cultural events but also for the long-term establishment or usage of artists of all arts as creative ateliers, workshops, laboratories, rehearsal spaces or other needs of the CCS;
Amendment 172 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 j (new)
Paragraph 9 j (new)
9 j. Calls member states to consider taxation measures and fiscal incentives in order to support the CCS, education, media, youth and sports sectors that were particularly hit by the pandemic, including by reducing VAT rates and by taxation incentives and schemes for organizations and individuals;
Amendment 173 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 k (new)
Paragraph 9 k (new)
9 k. Notes that during the pandemic there was a phenomenal increase in online audiovisual works consumption, as people turned to culture for comfort and well-being during the hard times of the lockdown and physical and social distancing restrictions;calls therefore the Commission to proceed to research the benefits of the CCS on audiences during the pandemic in order to document indirect but rather important benefits of culture to our society that are currently not visible and therefore not monetized as they should be in favour of creators and performers and the CCS in general; Calls also the Commission also include into research the mapping of people’s willingness to pay for CCS products that they consume, including online; recommends in this context the equal recognition of the multiple forms of artistic and cultural and creative work, including the activities that are not (or barely) monetised, among others;
Amendment 174 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 l (new)
Paragraph 9 l (new)
9 l. Requests member states and the Commissions to take under consideration that the mostly needed support of the CCS equally includes a variety of different cost categories that are relevant specifically to the CCS including and not limited to compensating for the CCS’ losses due to the lockdowns, supporting for the extra financial burden of the hygiene protocols on top of the usual production costs, compensating for the lost audiences due to the hygiene protocols,compensating for the permanently closed CCS organizations which did not manage to overcome the financial struggles due to the pandemic, investing into re- establishing the lost connection with the audiences which lost the habit of and possible their interest to the live cultural experiences, support for the improvement of the hasty digitization of the CCS, accelerated due to COVID-19restrictions, yet on premature conditions and support for investing into research and development for innovative solutions for the CCS to manage to successfully enter to the digital and to the green transition, among others;
Amendment 175 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 m (new)
Paragraph 9 m (new)
9 m. Regrets distance working makes less visible some forms of the CCS professionals, especially because they are labour-intensive and services-centered, including workers in the plastic arts, visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, books sectors, folk arts, culinary arts, handicrafts and textiles among others; calls on the member states to consider engaging in open dialogue with the CCS stakeholders in order to find common grounds on how to recognize and fairly monetize their work even in terms of distance working, and including ensuring social protection coverage;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Regrets that only 16 Member States have included culture in their NRRPs; fears that this heterogeneity of public investments leads to recovery at different speeds, causing increased disparities within the EU’s cultural ecosystem and thus threatening Europe’s cultural diversity; recalls repeated previous requests by the Parliament and by stakeholders from the cultural and creative sectors, urging the Member States to dedicate at least 2 % of the budget of each national NRRP to culture;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25 b. Urges the Member States to put the recovery and resilience of the cultural and creative sectors at the core of their investments into culture, with a particular focus on improving the overall situation and working conditions of authors, performers, artists and all other cultural creators who are the ones to create the cultural works that our democracy, society and economy benefit from;