My name is Alexandra, and I’m currently part of the CUMEDIAE team as Projects and Communication Intern!
On November 20th I had the opportunity to attend the XII Cultural Industries Forum, an online event organized by Fundación Alternativas that brought together senior managers from the EU and the Spanish Government, where CUMEDIAE was represented by CEO Ignasi Guardans.
The debate focused on the current situation of the Creative and Cultural Industries sector, especially in the light of the EU Recovery Fund.
The first aspect that has been highlighted is the paradoxical situation of the CCIs: despite being the highest consumed industry during the pandemic, is at the same time the one who suffered its consequences the most. The discussion went on to analyze both the European and local Spanish landscape, to have a clear overview of the European Recovery Fund, its potential impact and how to exploit it at its most. According to the Spanish Minister of Culture and Sports, José Manuel Uribes, in the current situation there are different aspect of culture that require a special attention, in particular the right to cultural access, the importance of culture in terms of its economic contribution to GDP, and culture as a value and a relevant factor in social cohesion and strength.
Dr. Guardans initiated the discussion on the newly allocated funds for culture – an increase that was of course welcomed, but that needs close monitoring to ensure profitable outcomes. In his opinion, the situation can be seen from the macro level, that of the European and State institutions, appearing as a great “window of opportunity”; however, at the micro level, from the point of view of civil society, we face a landscape of challenge and risk, that the cultural sector approaches with confusion and hope: “we have the what, but we lack the how“. Thus, it is necessary “to agitate all those who have to do with cultural management and convert these funds into concrete projects” in order not to miss this opportunity.
As an intern coming from Spain and interning at CUMEDIAE, participating in the Forum was an enriching and fruitful opportunity, since this kind of events give a very tangible perspective of what the management of the cultural and creative industry sector implies. Also, it has been helpful to understand more clearly the process of managing EU funds, especially from the State point of view. Finally, it was very interesting to see the different perspectives of how to face the complicated situation that the cultural sector is experiencing, and the future possibilities of how to deal with it.
Alexandra