Situation of artists in the European Community

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the motions for resolutions by:

(a) Mrs van Hemeldonck on the protection of journalists'

sources of information (B3-0029/89),

(b) Mr Kostopoulos on the setting up of an institute for the

study of popular music and poetry, traditions and the

forms and means of expression of popular creative

artists in the Community Member States, and, at a later

stage, throughout Europe (B3-0270/90),

(c) Mrs Muscardini on the protection of the professions (B3-

0254/91),

- having regard to the Commission communication of 17 December

1987 on stronger Community action in the cultural sector,

- having regard to the Commission communication of 25 October

1990 on vocational training in the arts field,

- having regard to the conclusions of the Council and the

Ministers responsible for cultural affairs meeting within the

Council of 18 May 1990, 7 June 1991 and 14 November 1991,

- having regard to the work of the Council of Europe on the

subject of artists,

- having regard to the Community Charter of Fundamental Social

Rights signed at Strasbourg on 8 December 1989 by 11 Member

States, which was not published in the Official Journal of the

European Communities,

- having regard to its resolutions

- of 16 January 1981, on the social situation of cultural

workers,

- of 17 February 1989, on stronger Community action in

the cultural sector,

- of 10 September 1991, on cultural relations between the

European Community and the countries of Central and

Eastern Europe,

- having regard to the outcome of the public hearing held by the

Committee on Youth, Culture, Education, the Media and Sport on

2 May 1991 in Brussels,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Youth, Culture,

Education, the Media and Sport (A3-0389/91),

A. whereas it is the duty of the Member States to take into

account not only the material situation of their citizens

but also their cultural and non-material well-being,

B. whereas most of the Member States are allocating fewer

and fewer resources for cultural policy measures and it

is regrettable that budget allocations for cultural

purposes are relatively low in most Member States,

C. whereas the cultural sector is a significant economic

sector within the Community,

D. whereas the continued existence of the arts is

nevertheless particularly dependent on aid from the

Member States,

E. whereas the Community and the Member States must take

steps as a matter of urgency to ensure freedom of

cultural expression in Europe, taking into account both

art and the public,

F. whereas the growth of leisure offers everyone a greater

chance to take an active part in cultural opportunities,

G. whereas it is time to pursue a realistic policy to

encourage individual creative activity, increased

awareness and cultural self-expression, while bearing in

mind that the role of the State or the regional

authorities is not to plan or direct artistic expression

but to exercise a flexible influence on mechanisms

whereby both the cultural aspirations of the public and

the legitimate wishes of artists can be satisfied,

H. whereas the arts must become more accessible to the

public and the latter must be encouraged to play a more

active role,

I. whereas vocational training for young artists at

university and other levels must be encouraged in the

Member States,

J. whereas the extent of the contacts and exchanges between

artists within the Community is still unsatisfactory and

there could be an important role for the Community in

this field,

K. whereas in most Member States the economic and social

situation of creative and performing artists is far from

satisfactory with regard to pay, taxation and social

protection (social security and retirement pension),

L. whereas satisfactory solutions have nevertheless been

achieved in some Member States with regard to pay, social

protection and taxation,

M. whereas this state of affairs was entirely confirmed at

the public hearing held by the Committee on Youth,

Culture, Education, the Media and Sport on 2 May 1991,

N. whereas, if artists are to enjoy equality of opportunity

in the single market of 1993, it is becoming increasingly

urgent for the Community and the Member States to take

measures in their favour to avoid their being left out in

the cold,

O. whereas no form of art must fall victim to discrimination

on account of its genre, age, public, geographic

specificity or innovation,

P. having regard to the universality of art, even when it is

expressed in a minority language or practised only in a

small area,

Q. whereas millions of immigrants and the ethnic and/or

linguistic minorities in the Community have a legitimate

right to their own culture and forms of cultural

expression,

1. Refers to its aforementioned resolutions of 16 January

1981 and 17 February 1989;

The Intergovernmental Conference

2. Welcomes the fact that, following the Maastricht

Intergovernmental Conference, the cultural dimension now

forms part of the Community's responsibilities;

The Commission

3. Regrets that the Commission has not yet been able to draw

up the statistics asked for in the resolution of 16

January 1981 and reiterates its request to be told the

exact size of the target group in question;

4. Calls on the Commission to propose to the Council that

activities designed to improve the cultural structure in

disadvantaged regions be included in the measures

supported by the Structural Funds;

5. Expresses its satisfaction with the work undertaken by

the Commission in the training of artists, which will

certainly facilitate the free movement of these workers,

but considers nevertheless that it is becoming

increasingly necessary for the Commission to propose

measures for the benefit of creative and performing

artists which go beyond training;

6. Calls on the Commission to draw up to this end an 'action

programme 1993' in close cooperation with the Council of

Europe;

7. Urges the Commission to ensure that this action

programme includes a statute for artists which would

guarantee them social recognition by providing for a

decent living wage during the periods when they work but

receive no payment, appropriate social security cover so

that they are also insured during the periods when they

receive no payment, a tax system adjusted to allow for

the irregularity of their income and an acceptable

pension scheme;

8. Suggests to the Commission that it take as a basis for

drawing up this statute the most favourable laws in

existence in the Member States and improve them further;

9. Calls on the Commission to set up a system of training

grants ('Community grants') for young artists, in

accordance with the European Parliament's demand of 12

December 1991 during the second reading of the 1992

budget;

10. Calls on the Commission, in the context of the report it

is preparing on cultural networks, and in accordance

with the Council Resolution of 14 November 1991, to draw

up and submit a Community action programme to support

these networks, and to extend and support existing

networks such as GERMINATION and ELIA;

11. Calls on the Commission to initiate a European prize for

the best work of art of the year by young artists to

encourage young people who wish to become artists;

The Member States

12. Calls on the Member States to take the necessary

measures to ensure that young people wishing to enter

vocational training in the arts are encouraged to do so,

for example by providing special grants for young

artists;

13. Calls on those responsible in the Member States to

ensure that the ERASMUS programme includes a balanced

number of students in the fields of the creative and

performing arts;

14. Calls on the Member States to provide economic and

social recognition for artists and to take the necessary

measures to:

- promote the banding together of creative and performing

artists in bodies which will defend their right to a

fitting wage and a top-up payment during periods when

they are working but receive no wages, and to foster

agreements between the two sides of industry to the

same end;

and to ensure that:

- they are subject to a tax system which takes account of

the irregularity of income earned,

- they enjoy appropriate social security cover (for all

contingencies such as sickness, maternity, invalidity,

widowhood, industrial accidents and disease and

unemployment),

- an acceptable pension scheme is devised for them,

and to incorporate in the most appropriate way in their

existing laws the artists' statute drawn up by the

Commission;

15. Calls on the Member States to ensure that artists

actively participate in all national organizations where

decisions concerning art, cultural policy and the

situation of the artist are taken;

16. Calls for the Member States' taxation laws

- to provide tax exemption for prizes won by artists;

- to encourage the acquisition by individuals of works

of art by living artists, for example by providing

for reduced VAT rates and authorizing the deduction

of part of the price paid from taxable income;

- to give favourable treatment to artists' sponsors;

17. Calls on the Member States, when awarding public

building contracts, to require the developer to spend at

least 1.5% of the total construction budget on works of

art;

18. Calls on the Member States to support recognized

cultural bodies;

19. Calls on the Member States to encourage public museums

systematically to organize exhibitions of contemporary

works by young artists, enabling the latter to make

their work more accessible to the public;

20. Calls on the Member States to target support on women in

artistic circles;

21. Suggests to the Member States that they organize

travelling exhibitions by artists from different

categories in order to encourage a better understanding

of the different branches of art among the public;

22. Calls on the municipal authorities of European cities

which are designated 'European Cities of Culture' and

their designated Eastern and Central European twin

capital to organize special events with their countries'

artists in order to increase their citizens' awareness

of the importance of the role of artists for the common

good;

23. Calls on the Member States not only to set up a system

of exchanges between artists within the Community but

also to encourage greater participation by artists in

cultural exchanges with the Central and Eastern European

countries;

The Member States and the Commission

24. Calls on the Commission to organize, in collaboration

with the Member States, regular information campaigns to

make Europeans more aware of the importance of art and

the role of artists in their lives;

The Council

25. Calls on the Council to approve the action programme and

to allot it sufficient financial resources;

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26. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to

the Commission, the Council, European Political

Cooperation, the governments of the Member States and

the Council of Europe.