France

In July, the Ministry of Culture has presented a summary of the sums and measures implemented to support the cultural sector since March 2020. In total the government support amounts to around EUR 5 billion:

• EUR 2.9 billion dedicated to governmental support mechanisms for culture and media stakeholders: complement to partial activity, solidarity fund, state-guaranteed loans, charges-exception;
• EUR 120 million for emergency measures allocated via some operators: national centres for music, cinema, book; emergency fund for performing arts in the private sector; loans and granted guarantees by the public bank for cultural and creative businesses;
• around EUR 1 billion increase in the national budget for culture and media in 2021, in different forms: additional credits, tax expenditure, exemptions from social security contribution;
• EUR 950 million will be devoted to preserving the specific rights of temporary/occasional performing and audiovisual artists and technicians (intermittence du spectacle) until 31 August 2021 (“White Year” scheme).

More information including the distribution per sector is available here. 

In parallel, the study and statistics department investigated the impact of the crisis on the cultural sector. Before the pandemic, with a turnover of EUR 97 billion euros and a value added of EUR 47 billion, the weight of culture was estimated at 2.3% of the economy, with a market sector composed of 79,800 companies. 635,700 people were employed primarily in culture. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis will translate into an average revenue decline of 25% in 2020 compared to 2019 (EUR 22.3 billion). The largest impact will be on the live performing arts sector (-72%), heritage (-36%), visual arts (-31%) and architecture (-28%).

More information and documents are available here.

Additionally, the cultural sector is included in the national recovery plan that was announced in September 2020. Within this plan, EUR 2 billion will be allocated to the cultural sector, which is expected to consolidate and complement the previous measures. Five priorities are defined: 1. Heritage restoration; 2. Support to the performing arts and public creative institutions; 3. Support for artists and young creators through specific employment aids, an exceptional public commissioning programme and the strengthening of higher cultural education; 4. Consolidation of strategic cultural sectors (press, cinema and audiovisual, books, public audiovisual …); 5. Strategic investments for the future evolution of cultural and creative industries.

More information including the distribution per sector is available here.

Moreover, the Ministry of Culture edited a series of technical guides to help cultural and artistic institutions resume their activities under the current sanitary rules.

May 6th

On May 6th, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, unveiled a Plan for Culture, with specific measures especially regarding cultural workers’ social rights:

• The extension until August 2021 of the unemployment rights of the temporary performing artists and technicians (intermittents du spectacle). This “blank year” was a query from the unions, who felt that the “neutralisation” of the confinement period for calculating the 507 hours over 12 months was required to qualify for the intermittent scheme and that unemployment insurance was insufficient.
• The creation of a compensation fund for cancelled series or shootings, which could not be resumed as the sector was not insured against pandemics.
• Artist-authors will benefit from a 4-month exoneration of the social security contributions.
• The launch of a major programme of public commissions aimed in particular at “young creators under 30 years of age”, with the ambition of “inventing an extraordinary season” and reaching out to audiences sometimes forgotten in the world of culture.
• The self-employed and very small businesses in the cultural sector will be eligible for the EUR 7 billion solidarity fund set up by the government for the months of March, April and May, in order to deal with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.