27.5.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 172/13

1.

the cultural and creative sectors are a source of both cultural and economic value. In recent years significant work has been done to establish the cultural and creative sectors as an integral part of Europe’s society and economy and as a source of growth, jobs and prosperity. However, their broader contribution has not yet been fully recognised, notably in terms of the potential of culture and artistic creativity to trigger innovation in other sectors of the economy, in society as a whole, and for the well-being of individuals;

2.

the crossovers between the cultural and creative sectors and other sectors can be understood as a process of combining knowledge and skills specific to the cultural and creative sectors together with those of other sectors in order to generate innovative and intelligent solutions for today’s societal challenges;

3.

cultural and creative crossovers can be mutually beneficial to all sectors involved if the sectors participate on an equal footing;

4.

cultural and creative crossovers to other sectors can result in a wide range of benefits (1), including:

5.

there is a lack of awareness of the potential of combining arts, culture and creativity with technology, science and business, as well as insufficient exchange of good practices. In particular, the catalytic effect of culture and the arts on innovation in all sectors is still underestimated and thereby underused;

6.

crossovers take place at the intersections of different sectors. However, sectors and policies are still often organised in silos, thus limiting the scope for synergies and the emergence of innovative solutions. To overcome silo thinking and to promote crossovers, there is a need for a comprehensive strategic approach involving all actors from the local to the EU level;

7.

there is a need for reliable and comparable data on cultural and creative crossovers that would allow the capture and analysis of their contribution to the overall economy and of their impact on wider society at all levels;

8.

the development of creative skills and critical thinking throughout formal education and non-formal and informal learning allows individuals to better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and knowledge-based society as well as of a demanding and rapidly changing labour market;

9.

Europe’s Digital Single Market should encourage the creation and circulation of quality content which thrives on Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity and provide for a balanced framework of rights and duties across the value chain;

10.

investments in the cultural and creative sectors are often perceived as risky and volatile as they are based on intangible assets. There is therefore a need for innovative financial instruments specifically targeted at the cultural and creative sectors that will strengthen their capacity to engage in cross-sectoral collaboration, including at international level;

11.

raise the awareness of all stakeholders, in particular policymakers, creative professionals, industries, businesses and investors about the cultural, economic and societal value of creativity and innovation through cross-sectoral cooperation. For this purpose, it is important to encourage widespread dissemination of information about good practices, results, and lessons learnt in cross-sectoral collaboration, as well as expert networking and peer-learning;

12.

overcome silo thinking in traditional policy areas by better integrating culture and artistic creativity in strategies for economic growth, social policies, urban and regional development, and sustainable development;

13.

continue mapping existing policies and trends relating to cultural and creative crossovers and improving data collection in order to strengthen evidence-based policymaking. This implies developing new methodologies to measure cultural and creative crossovers to other industries in order to better capture their innovative input, and understand their wider impact;

14.

promote creative ecosystems and multidisciplinary environments for the cultural and creative sectors via structures such as innovation and business centres, start-up accelerators, incubators, creative hubs, co-working spaces and networking programmes;

15.

promote cross-sectoral cultural and creative clusters and networks at national, European and international level in order to boost cultural and creative exports and improve access to new markets;

16.

encourage the use of non-technological, social and service innovation in traditional industries for example by introducing a design thinking approach (2) and culture-based creativity in these industries;

17.

encourage the cultural and creative sectors to benefit from the opportunities of the future Digital Single Market;

18.

encourage cultural and creative crossovers at the local and regional level, if possible on the basis of existing initiatives, in close cooperation with local operators, NGOs, organisations and businesses. The creation of multidisciplinary clusters with the active engagement of local and regional authorities could also be considered;

19.

support initiatives that encourage joint advocacy for the cultural and creative sectors in order to overcome sectoral silos and develop comprehensive strategic approaches;

20.

encourage the use of the design thinking approach in the public sector when dealing with complex issues and developing user-centred and efficient services (3);

21.

promote favourable conditions for the cultural and creative sectors to further develop their potential in the context of cross-sectoral partnerships, including by considering the recommendations of the European Creative Industries Alliance (4), through appropriate measures including:

22.

promote the development of transversal skills such as creativity, cultural awareness, and entrepreneurship in formal education and in non-formal learning. Encourage, where appropriate, cross-sectoral approaches between different areas within higher education institutions, for instance through joint programmes between arts and culture, science, engineering, technology, business and other relevant fields;

23.

develop a comprehensive strategic approach to boost the competitiveness and development of the cultural and creative industries, while emphasising their role in the overall innovation process across all industries;

24.

better tailor and disseminate information about existing EU programmes and funds for the cultural and creative sectors in order to reinforce crossovers with other policy areas;

25.

consider the use of existing funding available under EU programmes, such as Horizon 2020, the Connecting Europe Facility, Erasmus+, COSME and Creative Europe, for crossover projects aimed, for instance, at:

and proceed without delay with the preparatory actions necessary to launch the Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee Facility (8) in 2016;

26.

continue the work initiated by its services such as Eurostat and the Joint Research Centre to produce information and data regarding the contribution of cultural and creative crossovers to other economic sectors and policy fields, as well as to growth in general.

27.

take stock of these conclusions in 2018. The aim of the stocktaking exercise will be to evaluate the progress made by the Member States and the Commission in the follow up to the conclusions (9). The Member States should be consulted on the form and scope of the exercise, which should be light and useful.