On the occasion of the second event of the European Creative Industries Summit (#ECIS22), the European Federation for the Creative Economy was announced in Graz, Austria, on the 9 May 2022. The new Federation is the evolution of the European Creative Business Network (ECBN), which brings together 174 industry defining agencies and intermediaries for creative industries in 44 countries and 130 cities and regions.

ECBN director, Bernd Fesel, explains this milestone in the history of the network and the sector:

“Europe is in transition towards a climate-neutral continent – and so are the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries equally in transition. The European Creative Business Network, founded 2011, is laying the ground to support the CCSI in optimal transitions in next 25 years by transitioning itself: Toward the European Federation for the Creative Economy – the very first cross-disciplinary advocacy body for creativity as a game changing driver for skills, jobs, companies and a sustainable growth in Europe.”

Since 2011, ECBN has advocated for the interests of growing and successful cultural and creative sectors which support the European Institutions to reach high aims for innovation and growth, acknowledging the diversity of cultural expressions as well as of cultural and creative markets across Europe. The change into a Federation marks a new era for its committed members to keep serving the sector with renewed forces before new and ever-evolving challenges.

The new Federation, as well as its main guiding principles and working lines, were presented to ECBN members by Dr. Henning Berthold – Bayern Innovativ and ECBN Board member – at the General Assembly and Members Forum hold in a hybrid from (online and in Graz). In the words of Dr. Berthold,

“Creativity is the vanguard of our economy, and Europe a creative powerhouse. The new European Federation for Creative Economy will champion its cultural and creative professionals as key driver of value creation – be it economic or otherwise – and a transformative force in the realisation of a more inclusive, sustainable and optimistic Europe.”

The ECBN General Assembly and Members Forum were organized prior to the Break out Sessions (BoS) 1 and 2, one of the four events of the #ECIS22 “GREEN”. This year’s ECIS focuses in green transformation in the creative industry creative sector, to try to give an answer to the question about how CCSI can contribute to the race to zero emissions and make Europe the first climate neutral continent. The #ECIS22 will conclude with the final conference “ALL GREEN!?” on the 21-23 September, in Prague, under the Czech Republic Presidency of the EU.