The European People’s Party welcomed €12 billion to help European cultural and creative sectors recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The group said the money should be taken from the EU’s planned Recovery and Resilience Facility.
“We call for clearly dedicated money to secure the jobs of almost 8 million artists and workers of the sector who lost their income and social security almost overnight. European cultural heritage is at risk, only sufficient finances will allow for its preservation”, said EPP MEP Tomasz Frankowski.
“Cultural venues and events were the first to shut down, many of them will not be able to re-open or be organised ever again. The collapse of culture in Europe due to COVID-19 has impacted 4% of European employees and more than five hundred billion Euros of the EU’s GDP, which the cultural and creative sector creates”, Frankowski explained.
Michaela Šojdrová MEP, the EPP Group’s Spokeswoman for Culture, added: “We witness too often that governments don’t understand the needs of freelancers, part-timers and micro organisations in the sector. One size does not fit all. We call on Member States to consult these workers and tailor the help the EU offers to their specific needs.”
Sabine Verheyen MEP, Chairwoman of Parliament’s Culture Committee, stressed: “The cultural sector is the very heart and soul of Europe. Bringing people together, inspiring, soothing and sharing: these are the powers of arts and culture, which have been so important during the COVID-19 lockdown. We must do everything we can to preserve Europe’s culture.”
