AKEL – GUE/NGL Conference on Culture
Monday 9th November 2020, Journalists House in Nicosia
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 22nd October 2020, Nicosia
The AKEL delegation in the Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament are organizing a Conference on “Culture in the Age of Economic Crisis and COVID-19 pandemic: Impact-perspectives”.
According to the European Commission’s estimates, those employed in the field of Culture, during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic, lost 80% of their turnover. Given that the European Culture and Creation sectors account for 4% of European Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over 7.4 million jobs across the EU, one can easily estimate the magnitude of the impact on the overall socio-economic life of member states.
At the same time, the experience from the policies pursued by EU governments so far with regards Culture obliges us to be pessimistic about the future, as Culture has never been one of their priorities. The proposals for the EU Multiannual Financial Framework Budget do not meet the expectations of either the Culture Sector or Parliament. The situation is even worse particularly in Cyprus, given that in addition to the constantly reduced budgets of the Cultural Services, any measures taken were delayed, insufficient and in most cases ineffective.
That is precisely why the forces that recognize the value of culture as an indicator of the prosperity of a society need to be vigilant and demand the elaboration of a comprehensive policy for the further development of cultural activity, as well as the institutional recognition of the professional status of artists-cultural creators.
The event will take place on Monday, 9th November 2020, at 18:00 at the Journalists House in Nicosia (RIK Avenue). The proposals of AKEL and GUE/NGL on Culture will be submitted by the General Secretary of the C.C. of AKEL Andros Kyprianou and the coordinator of GUE/NGL in the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament, AKEL – Left – New Forces MEP Nyiazi Kizilyurek.
A discussion and interventions by representatives of organizations and working people in the field of culture will follow.
The provisions of the health protocol, as defined by the Ministry of Health, will be strictly observed. It is necessary to register your participation at 99419060 and 22589585 or by email: politistikografeio@marioskosma.com and xpittaras@gmail.com
