Elena Polivtseva
Culture has been high on the European Union’s agenda for the last few years, its value recognised in terms of economic development, social cohesion and international relations. Yet it’s over a decade since any official effort was made to establish a comprehensive picture of the working conditions of artists and cultural professionals. The sector is characterised by high precarity: low and unstable incomes, increasingly complex professional statuses and limited access to social security and benefits.
The harmful impact of the Covid-19 crisis, especially on the live arts, reveals structural problems which can no longer be disregarded. With the pandemic, we find ourselves in a historic moment for the EU to take collective action, protecting and improving the working conditions of artists and cultural professionals across Europe. Failure to take such action will make it difficult to safeguard a sector Europe needs for its revival and recovery.