Creators ask the EU for 'an ambitious European policy'

By Emmanuel Legrand

Creators have urged policy-makers to support an ambitious European programme to promote culture, creativity and innovation during the September 25 'Meet The Authors' event hosted by MEP Christian Ehler. 

EU policy-makers in attendance included the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli and Mariya Gabriel, the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, who is the proposed Commissioner for Youth and Innovation, and whose remit includes culture.

An ambitious manifesto

  The event coincided with the launch of a manifesto called 'Creators’ Priorities for Ambitious European Policy'. The platform outlined five key priorities for creators in the next five years to support the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI):

> Ensuring that the transposition and implementation of the newly adopted Copyright Directives "are carried out smoothly so remuneration of creators and return on investment from CCI improve."

> Ensuring "a fairer and more sustainable European online market." Creators claim that US-based video-on-demand services "create difficulties for European industry and creators," in particular by imposing "unfair contractual practices and buyout contract clauses."

> Maintaining EU's private copying regime on electronic devices. The manifesto  singled out the efforts made by non- European device manufacturers, such as Samsung, Apple and Huawei, "to change EU law on private copying at the expense of European creators and consumers."

> Reinforcing two of EU's main funding schemes for creatives, Horizon Europe and CreativeEurope, "to encourage new forms of creation and promotion of creative content." Creators ask for specific financial support for the music sector through the Music Moves Europe programme and ask for the adoption of a European Music Observatory.

> Breaking silos "to ensure the adaptation of and coherence between policies," in particular, taking into account "the specificities of the cultural sector" in EU competition and trade policies.

Ensuting that creators are fairly remunerated

  "European policymakers will have to address several issues in the next five years to ensure that creators are fairly remunerated for their work," explained Véronique Desbrosses, General Manager of GESAC, the European groupment of societies of authors and composers. 

  She added: "The proper transposition of copyright reforms, stopping aggressive attempts by Chinese, US and Korean device manufacturers to phase out long-standing compensation schemes for private copying to the detriment of European consumers and creators, and tackling the damaging buy-out clauses circumventing European and national rules are at the top of the list."

  In addition, creators gathered in Brussels expressed their support for the re-establishment of the Intergroup on Cultural and Creative Industries initiated by Ehler. “The CCI Intergroup proved to be instrumental in the adoption of the Copyright Directive," explained Desbrosses.

Creating intergroups at the Parliament

  Another MEP, Niklas Nienaß, is trying to convince MEPs to join in on a Cultural Creators Intergroup. "Intergroups brings together MEPs across political groups and it's a place to exchange information, invite experts and prepare the ground for policy initiatives that are not on the agenda yet," wrote in a blogpost Annica Ryngbeck, Public Affairs manager for Brussels-based Society of Audiovisual Authors. 

  "Together with our colleagues from other cultural organisations, we have been calling for an intergroup that put creators in the spotlight, opposed to in the shadow of the creative industries."