34 Green Paper on cultural and creative
industries
(31577)
9073/10
COM(10) 183
| Commission Green Paper: Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries
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Legal base |
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Document originated | 27 April 2010
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Deposited in Parliament | 25 May 2010
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Department | Culture, Media and Sport
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Basis of consideration | EM of 28 May 2010
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Previous Committee Report | None
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To be discussed in Council | No date set
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Committee's assessment | Politically important
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Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
34.1 Article 173 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union (TFEU) requires the EU and Member States to ensure the existence
of the conditions necessary for the competitiveness of the EU's
industry. To that end, the Article requires them to foster the
exploitation of the industrial potential of innovation, research
and development.
34.2 In 2007, the Commission proposed a European Agenda for Culture
which included four objectives.[139]
One of them is the promotion of culture as a catalyst for creativity
and innovation by, for example, training people from the cultural
industries in entrepreneurship and encouraging partnerships between
the cultural sector and people and organisations concerned with
research, tourism and information technology.
34.3 In November 2007, the Council approved the European
Agenda for Culture. The European Council endorsed it in December
2007.
34.4 According to the Commission, the cultural and
creative industries account for about 2.6% of EU GDP and provide
employment for about five million people in the Member States.
The Green Paper
34.5 The Commission's Green Paper invites views on
ways to provide a stimulating environment for the EU's cultural
and creative industries. It includes in its definition of cultural
industries the performing and visual arts, the cultural heritage,
film and video, DVD, video games, music and books; and it includes
architecture, graphic design, fashion design and advertising in
its definition of creative industries.
34.6 The Green Paper notes that the Commission is
developing several major policies which will have a significant
effect on the industries' environment. They include a Digital
Agenda for Europe, which will aim, among other things, to create
a single market for online content and services; and an EU strategy
on intellectual property.
34.7 The Commission says that a deeper understanding
is needed about how the cultural and creative industries can benefit
from being located in the same place by fostering networking and
providing better support for creative start-ups. Views are invited
on:
"How to create more spaces and better support
for experimentation, innovation and entrepreneurship in the [cultural
and creative industries]? More particularly, how to increase access
to ICT services in/for cultural and creative activities and improve
the use of their cultural content? How could ICTs become a driver
of new business models for some [cultural and creative industries]?"[140]
34.8 The Commission says that partnerships between
art and design schools or universities and businesses can contribute
to getting a better match between the supply and demand for people
with the right skills. It also says that, in order to bridge the
gap between professional training and professional practice, "peer-coaching"
(the exchange of experience between peers facing the same challenges)
could provide a useful means to help cultural and creative industries
respond to change. The Green Paper asks for views on:
"How to foster art and design schools/business
partnerships as a way to promote incubation, start-ups and entrepreneurship,
as well as e-skills development?
How could peer-coaching in the [cultural and creative
industries] be encouraged at the level of the European Union?"[141]
34.9 The Green Paper says that difficulties in obtaining
capital are a major barrier to growth for many businesses. It
invites views on:
"How to stimulate private investment and improve
[cultural and creative industries'] access to finance? Is there
added value for financial instruments at the EU level to support
and complement efforts made at national and regional levels? If
yes, how?"[142]
34.10 The Commission also invites views on:
"How to strengthen the integration of [cultural
and creative industries] into strategic regional/local development?
Which tools and which partnerships are needed for an integrated
approach?[143]
"What new instruments should be mobilised to
promote cultural diversity through the mobility of cultural and
creative works, artists and cultural practitioners within the
European Union and beyond. To which end [sic] could virtual
and online access contribute to these objectives?[144]
"Which tools should be foreseen or reinforced
at EU level to promote cooperation, exchanges and trade between
the EU [cultural and creative industries] and third countries?[145]
"How to accelerate the spill-over effects of
[cultural and creative industries] on other industries and society
at large? How can effective mechanisms for such knowledge diffusion
be developed and implemented?
"How can 'creative partnerships' be promoted
between [cultural and creative industries] and education institutions/businesses/administrations?
"How to support the better use of existing intermediaries
and the development of a variety of intermediaries acting as an
interface between artistic and creative communities and [cultural
and creative industries] on the one hand, and education/business
and administrations, on the other hand?"[146]
34.11 The Commission invites replies to the questions
in the Green Paper by 30 July 2010.
The Government's view
34.12 In his Explanatory Memorandum of May 2010,
the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
(Mr Edward Vaizey) welcomes the Green Paper. He emphasises the
importance of the creative industries to the UK economy. For example,
in 2007, they accounted for 6.2% of UK Gross Added Value and employed
two million people. They grew by an average of 5% a year between
1997 and 2007. The Minister adds that the creative industries
are regarded as "a key driver" of economic growth during
the economic downturn.
34.13 The Government will be responding to the Green
Paper and the Minister says that he will send us a copy of the
response.
Conclusion
34.14 We recognise the importance of the UK's
creative industries and so we draw the Green Paper to the attention
of the House. In the exercise of the power given to us by paragraph
11 of Standing Order No. 143 we also ask the Culture, Media and
Sport Committee to provide us with its opinion on the Green Paper.
We thank the Minister for his offer to send us a copy of the Government's
response to the Commission's questions. We look forward to reading
it. Meanwhile, we clear the Green Paper from scrutiny.
139 (28632) 9496/07: HC 16-i (2007-08), chapter 9 (7
November 2007). Back
140
Green Paper, page 10, end of section 3.1. Back
141
Green Paper, page 11, end of section 3.2. Back
142
Green Paper, page 12, end of section 3.3. Back
143
Green Paper, page 14, end of section 4.1. Back
144
Green Paper, page 16, end of section 4.2. Back
145
Green Paper, page 17, end of section 4.3. Back
146
Green Paper, page 18, end of section 5. Back
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