Europe and Central Asia

This case study offers a review of cultural and creative sectors in Lithuania, highlighting issues and trends in employment and business development, financing and cultural participation. It brings a specific focus on three municipalities within the County of Klaipėda located on the Baltic coast – Klaipėda City, Neringa and Palanga – small cities specialised in port activities, logistics, traditional manufacturing and seaside resort tourism.

Cultural and creative sectors and industries are a significant source of jobs and income. They are a driver of innovation and creative skills, within cultural sectors and beyond. They also have significant social impacts, from supporting health and well-being, to promoting social inclusion and local social capital. As national and local governments reconsider growth models in the wake of COVID-19, cultural and creative sectors can be a tool for a resilient recovery if certain longer-term challenges in the sector are addressed.

The Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022 selects gender equality as one of the five sectoral priorities for EU action. The purpose of this study is to provide background information and context on the specific challenges faced by women in the cultural and creative sectors for the OMC Working Group. The main focus of the report is on understanding the current state of affairs concerning women in the CCSs, the gender gaps at work, and the underlying drivers of those gender gaps.

The work of Europe's creative industry professionals is not only relevant from an economic perspective. It is also important for the promotion of Europe’s diverse cultural identity and European values including equality, democracy and sustainable development.

This booklet contains the collected recommendations of the OMC expert group report ‘Towards Gender Equality in the Cultural and Creative Sectors’ (2021). All recommendations are based on practical experience and good practise case studies. They highlight the importance of political commitment to improving gender equality in the cultural and creative sectors (CCS).

Empty cultural places, drastically reduced mobility and tourism blockade as an effect of COVID-19 confinement measures not only generate an evident economic damage to cultural institutions, companies and workers but also create a strong economic and social discomfort at city level. Although many EU member states are now entering into a de-confinement phase, many cultural places remain closed or subject to stringent physical-distancing measures.

Statistical data confirm the continued rise in the contribution of culture and art to the economy and employment in the EU and worldwide. The number of cultural professionals and artists is growing steadily, while their employment conditions become more and more unstable. This situation spreads to other sectors and needs to be addressed both in terms of social security and benefits, and revenues and taxation aspects. The EU competence in cultural, social and employment policies is limited, consisting of guidance and coordination without any possibility of harmonisation.

The present book comes at a pivotal moment in the fight against the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises. These crises – without any exaggeration – threaten our very survival as humanity. Tipping points are getting dangerously near, and the window for decisive action is closing fast. The circular economy is the model of the future, for Europe and the world. This is why it is one of the pillars of the European Green Deal.

Using product case studies and economy-wide analysis, this report details the potential for significant benefits across the EU. It argues that a subset of the EU manufacturing sector could realise net materials cost savings worth up to US 630 billion per annum towards 2025—stimulating economic activity in the areas of product development, remanufacturing, and refurbishment.

This study provides an overview of impact investment and skills creation in innovation, covering the main features of impact investment, the historical development of the phenomenon, and how it can be linked to the skills creation process. The study examines the emergence of impact investing and explains its principles and defining features.