The European Commission has taken several measures to support the creative and the cultural sectors, within its dedicated instrument Creative Europe and broader horizontal measures.
The support to creative and cultural sectors is provided trough several instruments and measures:
- The Temporary Framework for state aid measures to support the economy in the current Coronavirus crisis specifically refers to culture as a sector that has been particularly hit.
- The Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE). This package is to help protect jobs and workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. It shall provide up to €100 billion of financial assistance to Member States to help workers keep their incomes and help businesses stay afloat across the EU.
- The Commission announced that an estimated €8 billion is available to provide immediate financial relief to small and medium-sized businesses across the EU.
- European Finance Ministers approved the establishment of a European Guarantee Fund of €25 billion that will support up to €200 billion of financing for companies, with a special focus on SMEs.
- The European Commission has adapted the Creative Europe programme to the new realities that the coronavirus outbreak has imposed.In addition, the Commission is applying the maximum flexibility it can, in the implementation of the programme, within the limits of the applicable legal framework.
- Finally, as announced by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel in the April video conference of EU ministers of culture and media, the Commission is setting up two platforms to help share challenges and solutions at the EU level in relation to the COVID-19 impact on the cultural and creative sectors.
