As part of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles is organising a seminar on the working conditions of artists in Europe.
The seminar will take place on May 16th 2024 in the afternoon (from 1:30pm to 6 pm).
As you know, the status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals are a priority of the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023-2027. This issue has been taken up at several EU levels over the past years: an OMC group was set up to produce recommendations, the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union put the topic on the agenda at the informal Council meeting in Cacéres. And finally, last December, the European Parliament voted in favour of a legislative proposal with recommendations for the creation of a European framework for improving artists' working conditions.
In a post-Covid crisis context, that has strongly hit cultural and creative sectors (CCS) and that further revealed and exacerbated the depth and scope of the fragile nature of artistic work, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, together with the Flemish and German speaking Communities, is very happy to contribute to the work on this important subject by organising a seminar under the Belgian Council Presidency.
The seminar will cover three topics:
- EU framework on working conditions in the CCS: background of the discussions and state of play
- Artist statuses around EU: case studies by Member States which have recently implemented dedicated statuses for cultural workers - or employment, social and/or fiscal systems applying to them - , in order to improve their working conditions
- Fair practices that encourage the improvement of artists' working conditions (code of fair practice, fair remuneration and gender balance)
This seminar will also provide an unique opportunity for a diverse audience, cultural actors and their representatives, as well as policy-makers from the various EU Member States, to meet.