Press release – How to recover the European culture after COVID-19?

You can follow the debate live via EP Multimedia center or EbS+.

The cultural and creative sector has been damaged severely by the economic impact of mandatory social distancing. Many venues remain closed or have significantly scaled down their activity, whilst future prospects remain unclear.

More flexible state aid rules, adopted as part of the coronavirus response initiative, as well as the “Next Generation EU” recovery plan, have given member states more options to support their cultural enterprises and creators. However, no targeted EU funds have been earmarked for the sector.

Members of the European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee have been calling for significant help, especially for small businesses and individual actors. They have also been highly critical of the Commission’s proposal to cut financing for the “Creative Europe” programme within the next long-term EU budget.

Next steps

In September 2020 the Parliament will vote on a resolution with their recommendations, to wind up the July debate.