The day Brexit negotiations started in Brussels, June 21 2017, the European Committee on Culture and Education held a hearing on the implications of Brexit for Culture and Education.

The implications, you might ask.

To begin with, it is expected that the gross value added (GVA) of the European cultural and creative sectors of 509 Billion Euro will shrink by 18%! Indeed: UK GVA amounts to 95 Billion Euros in 2016. (DCMS Press Release, 26 January 2016). Given these figures it is legitimate to talk non-statistics: the implications are a disaster.

Higher costs or prohibitive visa regulations to access future UK markets outside the European Union will lead to a loss of wealth and jobs in the Cultural and creative sectors – within the EU28 and the UK. It is a lose-lose-situation. ECBN estimates that up to 240.000 jobs in EU28 must expect negative impacts.

At the hearing, our chairman Bernd Fesel, presented details of the expected Brexit implications. While funding schemes for public sector projects are unchanged and show no immediate deterioration, negative effects are taking place in the cultural and creative markets already. Some data point to a 1 percent reduction of EU exports to UK in 2016 and 2017. Given this dramatic speed of the market reactions, ECBN calls on the European Parliament and European Commission to insist  on the „cultural exception“ as it has done in other international treaties – at least for the next five years.

 

Download the complete Hearing Document here.