COVID-19 - EU Guidelines for safe resumption of activities in cultural and creative sectors

In its Communication C(2021)4838 adopted in June 2021 (shortly before this report was submitted), the European Commission proposes coordinated measures aimed to ensure both the safe reopening and the sustainable recovery of cultural activities across the EU, in line with the specific national, regional and local conditions of the Coronavirus pandemic. The EU guidelines aim to provide a coordinated approach to orient the design and implementation of measures and protocols in EU countries to cover both the safe reopening as well as the sustainable recovery in the cultural and creative sectors. The European Commission publishes these guidelines at a time when the epidemiological situation is improving and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns are speeding up, Member States are gradually reopening cultural venues and activities. The guidelines are based on the expertise of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and exchanges with the EU Health Security Committee. They take into account the different epidemiological situations in the Member States and their evolution. They provide indicators and criteria (such as the viral circulation, the vaccination coverage, the use of protective measures, the use of tests and contact tracing), to be taken into account when planning the resumption of certain activities. The Commission also proposes a range of actions in the guidelines to ensure the sustainable recovery of the entire sector. These complement Member States’ and the sectors’ initiatives already taken to accompany the reopening of cultural venues. The Commission has taken measures to support Member States’ actions to address the consequences of the pandemic on the creative and cultural sectors. One next step will be the publication, in autumn 2021 of an online guide on EU funding for culture, covering all existing EU funds that Member States and the sector can use. The Commission is also working to support Member States and the cultural and creative sectors in their recovery from the pandemic, and resilience in rebuilding - including through the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility and Member States' respective national plans.