Ahead of an online meeting of Culture ministers tomorrow, the President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) has written to the President of the European Commission to urge her to put Europe’s cultural and creative industries at the core of the recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

Sergei Stanishev wrote to Ursula von der Leyen to draw attention to the risks facing the sector, which is a major employer and contributor to the Union’s economy.

COVID-19 has forced the closure of bookshops, museums, cinemas, film sets, concert halls and festivals, leaving cultural and creative industries paralysed. Plummeting advertising revenue is threatening media outlets. Without strong EU action, they may never recover.

Read the full statement here.