A COALITION representing Ireland’s creative and cultural industries has made a submission to the European Commission to support and develop these industries in Ireland.
The submission, made by the Temple Bar Cultural Trust on behalf of a "creative coalition" of representatives of the industries including the Digital Hub, Business to Arts, Project Arts Centre and Design Business Ireland, delivered the submission in response to the commission's green paper entitled Unlocking the Potential of the Cultural and Creative Industries.
The submission was drafted following a meeting of representatives from the cultural and creative industries which met last month to determine how to make the most of the economic potential of the cultural and creative industries in Ireland.
Gráinne Millar, head of cultural development at Temple Bar Cultural Trust, said that the creative and cultural sector wanted to ensure that Ireland’s case was well made in Europe.
“We want to give Commissioner Vassiliou and Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn two things: firstly, an understanding that Ireland will need support and help in creating the right support structures if we are to perform to our full potential in the creative economy and, secondly, to submit a realistic shopping list of specific structural and regulatory reforms to remove barriers and impediments to cultural and creative enterprise.”
The submission suggests that the cultural and creative industry needs its own representative organisation in Ireland to secure policy change and connect with other networks across Europe.
The “cultural coalition” is due to meet again in the coming months to work on the establishment of a representative organisation or network that can represent the sector on an ongoing basis at European and national level.