HE Elda Shoe Museum hosted this monday Forum organized by the European Union To address the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sector. Under the title of meeting “Is it possible to make a living from art?”Eldense had the presence of representatives of the cultural world as well as members of the Municipal Corporation.
Mayor of Elda Ruben AlfaroHe was responsible for the opening of an event involving the personal participation of the EP, Domènec Ruiz Devesa; General Director of Cultural Industries, Intellectual Property and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Carmen Paezand Deputy Director General of Education and Culture of the European Commission, Arturo Caballero. Council Member Responsible for Tourism, Theater and Media, Rosa VidalI moderated and presented the forum.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel AlbaresPresent electronically, he emphasized: “Arts and culture guide us in defending our European values; they are the soul of the European project; problems of professionals. “The event held in Elda is part of the objectives of the Spanish EU presidency, bringing Europe to every corner of Spain.”.
The Minister emphasized that “Spanish leadership is moving Europe forward, and the topic to be discussed today in Elda will be the program of the Spanish presidency. It is necessary to improve the working, social and financial conditions of cultural workers through the promotion of the European Artists Charter and cultural workers, elevating this to the category of essential public interest” .
Carmen Páez said: “It should be possible to make a living from art and the Government is working to ensure this. cultural workers They live in a state of intermittency and exceptionalism. Therefore in 2018 report “The decree of the Congress of Deputies contained a number of measures for the adaptation of this exceptional situation to general regulations.”.
The representative of the Ministry of Culture and Sports reminded: “Culture is a key economic sector, but its workers find themselves in an unequal situation. We have made progress, we are happy, but we are not satisfied because we still have a long way to go. We are a European country and we believe in potential. That is why we must transfer our thinking to the European level, the European Parliament’s 27 member states “We want them to give authority and take on this task.”.
Domènec Ruiz stated the following: “HE Our country’s Artist Status is a model to be followed in the European Union To put an end to the precarious situation of cultural professionals. “We want to organize a European framework to improve quality of life by addressing issues such as mobility, abusive contracts, business interruptions… We need a European framework with a legal basis.”.
Arturo Caballero assured “The European Commission is aware of this situation and is committed; in fact, the epidemic was a catalyst for action. As the Commission, we continue to press for progress at the level of states, but above all at the level of the European Union.”. European Commission Deputy Director General for Education and Culture reminded: “There are many financing opportunities in the cultural sector, but it is also true that access is not always easy due to lack of information.”.
Finally, Eldense journalist Pepa Blanes, who intervened electronically, said: “There are ideological prejudices that need to be broken to end precarity, but although public investment in recent years has improved the situation and working conditions of the sector, there is still an industry that is creating wealth and employment not only for artists but also in other sectors. Culture is not a luxury or a whim “And it should not be forgotten that artists in Spain have precarious jobs.”.
Eldense council member expressed his satisfaction in his speech “For choosing Elda to host this event where the social and professional situations of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sector will be discussed”. Rubén Alfaro emphasized: “We should feel content because we don’tOur country has been a pioneer in creating the most advanced regulations To guarantee decent working conditions consistent with the important work that artists carry out in our society. “Arts and cultural professionals suffer from instability, disorganization, interruptions, delays in receiving their wages, lack of economic returns, low salaries and the absence of a defined work regime.”.
Elda mayor reminded this “We are facing another challenge that goes beyond our borders. The aim now is to raise awareness in all 27 Member States of the European Union about the need to ratify a single legal framework that will contribute to improving the social and working conditions of European artists.” .