Impact Study: UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals

European Union

CARIFORUM

Encourage all EU Member States to ratify the EPA. Establish a specific implementing body for the cultural provisions of the EPA, in particular for the purposes of the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation.

Encourage all CARIFORUM States to ratify the EPA. Strengthen inter-regional cooperation for the implementation of the cultural components of the EPA and coordinate efforts in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. Adapt domestic cultural policy and legal frameworks to acknowledge the value of Caribbean creativity in trade.

Ensure transparency and raise awareness of the opportunities available to Caribbean cultural businesses and artists in all EU Member States.

Enforce intellectual property rights in the creative sector, particularly on digital platforms.

Invest in economic and market intelligence through creative sector mapping to identify cooperation opportunities, develop a database of main stakeholders, and outline funding opportunities for cultural operators. Increase funding for creative industries in the CARIFORUM region (e.g. by earmarking EDF resources). Implement commitments on contractual service suppliers for the entertainment sector (and other service sectors) under the EPA. Introduce an EU touring visa for artists, to increase trade in services from the Caribbean. Relax additional modalities, such as ENTs and qualification requirements, for Caribbean entertainment service providers. Encourage EU Member States to conclude bilateral and/or regional cultural cooperation agreements with CARIFORUM States as envisaged under the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation, with increased incentives for audiovisual co-productions and co- distribution in the digital environment.

Build a framework for market intelligence (i.e. a database) of relevant EU industry professionals and firms in key sub-sectors. Establish sustainable access to EU trade fairs, expos, festivals for CARIFORUM cultural professionals. Strengthen regional industry associations in key creative sub-sectors and establish strong cluster and incubation/accelerator programmes for better market integration. Promote and implement innovative financing mechanisms through regional development banks and export-import banks that allow for the collateralization of intellectual property assets. Develop proposals for implementing the provisions of the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation by making formal proposals to specific EU governments on cultural cooperation initiatives, including for the transition to new digital and mobile platforms.

73 Culture in the CARIFORUM-EU EPA