The European Commission has issued guidelines for reopening and relaunching Europe’s cultural and creative sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These guidelines come after GESAC and other umbrella organisations that represent the cultural live events sector pushed for their creation earlier in the year. In a letter to the Commission dated 28 April, the sector underlined the need for a coordinated, swift and safe reopening of live events, based on their experience and best practices.

The cultural sector has been hit severely by the economic crisis linked to the pandemic, an issue that was explored in detail in the EY study Rebuilding Europe: the cultural and creative economy before and after the COVID-19 crisis. The need for its swift recovery both for the EU economy and public health has been widely presented in several studies and policy documents at EU level.

GESAC welcomes this useful and timely initiative, where the Commission gives special importance, through a dedicated strategy, to the restarting of cultural events in its overall relaunch plan. The necessity of targeted funding schemes and the facilitation of national recovery and resilience funds for a sustainable relaunch of the sector are underlined. And Member States are invited to work closely with the sector to adapt to the changing conditions, first with a gradual reopening, then with a full opening perspective.

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