Our vision

Creativity Works! is Europe’s leading coalition representing our vibrant cultural and creative sectors. Our geographically-diverse, creative ecosystem-spanning membership sets us apart, bringing together writers; book publishers and booksellers; picture agencies; music publishers and independent music labels; producers, publishers and distributors of film and audiovisual content; cinema operators; commercial broadcasters and sports event organisers, as well as video game companies, all under one single European umbrella. We are committed to promoting creativity, enhancing cultural diversity, and protecting intellectual property rights in both physical and digital worlds.

Europeans benefit from an astonishing amount of creative and cultural content. Our citizens can access more than 150 million musical tracks on several thousand licensed digital streaming services; over  3 million e-books in addition to Europe’s rich bookshop selections; countless images; more than 12,000  audiovisual media services, counting linear TV channels as well as non-linear services such as SVOD, TVOD, AVOD and other forms of online video services, beyond the experience offered by over 10,000 European cinemas in more than 27,000 screens; and a vast array of video games enjoyed by over half of the EU’s population. Creativity Works! stands for nurturing and investing in these sectors to maintain their positive impact.

Europe proudly stands as a beacon of cultural and creative excellence. The monumental talent and long-standing business partnerships of European creators and businesses have positioned our sectors at the forefront of culture, with artistic masterpieces and innovative services created, produced, distributed, published and exhibited in Europe while cherished and admired worldwide. Beyond these tangible capacities, what truly sets us apart is the rich tapestry of diverse languages and cultures lying at the heart of our collective identity.

As an alliance committed to the continuous improvement of the European continent’s cultural ecosystem, Creativity Works! values sincere, open dialogue with European decision-makers. Together, we can drive policies that empower Europe’s creative sectors, driving innovation, growth, and societal development for a prosperous future.

Creativity Works! envisions a future where the creative and cultural sectors flourish, increasing their contribution to Europe’s economy, cultural diversity, democratic values and global influence. The Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) create new and skilled jobs: the cultural and creative sectors employ 17 million people in Europe – directly and indirectly – and our sectors account for 6.9% of EU GDP (EUIPO, 2022). The economic contribution of CCIs exceeds that of the telecommunications, high technology, pharmaceuticals and automotive industries (“Rebuilding Europe” EY report, 2021), while SMEs comprise the overwhelming majority of businesses (90%) and employment in our sectors.

We believe that by fostering innovation, embracing digital progress, and supporting talent in our sectors, we can maintain a thriving ecosystem that benefits consumers, lovers of culture, and society as a whole. We strive to achieve this vision by supporting creative projects and investing in artistic works that will fuel economic prosperity while enhancing our unique European cultural identity and diversity. Promoting partnerships across disciplines can stimulate innovation and talent development. The EU’s policy makers must put skills development in focus to ensure that Europe retains a strong talent pool to support growth and attract investments for its creative sectors..

The creative sectors are among the most innovative and digitally driven sectors in Europe, and globally. We champion the seamless integration of technology to enhance user experiences and deliver tailored content and services to European consumers.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not new in the creative sectors as our industries have always embraced innovation and looked for new technologies to enhance music, film, photo, sport events, video games, book lovers’ experiences. Our sectors are keen to seize the potential of Artificial Intelligence in new areas with a human centric AI in focus, maintaining a forward-looking perspective that prioritises innovation, and places copyright – the cornerstones of our sectors – at the forefront. Robust enforcement of intellectual property (IP) protection will remain vital to fostering creativity and supporting the livelihoods of artists, performers, businesses, and emerging professionals.

We firmly believe that IP protection is crucial to the continued growth and sustainability of the cultural and creative sectors in all areas of life – offline and online, including in metaverses and other emerging virtual environments. Accordingly, we advocate for strong IP rights in all situations to safeguard the creative works of individuals and businesses, thereby promoting creativity, encouraging investment, and ensuring European artistic and cultural productions are duly valued and promoted. Our work in this space entails protecting IP rights, combating piracy, and enforcing copyright laws both online and offline.

Effective copyright enforcement is essential to nurture creativity and support the livelihoods of creators, businesses, and emerging talent. Our aim is to foster a sustainable, thriving creative ecosystem that rewards originality while enabling continued innovation and artistic expression. To this end, it is crucial that Europe ensures that all instruments on copyright protection and enforcement which were hard fought for in the past by our democratic institutions, are effectively enforced at Member State level to create tangible results.

The principle of territoriality in copyright and related rights is anchored in EU and international copyright law and plays a vital role in the availability of culturally and linguistically diverse content for European consumers. For the creative sectors, their commercial freedom, in combination with a strong copyright framework, is paramount for attracting investment in content creation, unlocking the development, production, marketing, distribution and exhibition of captivating content, and enabling the creation of diverse cultural experiences tailored to audiences across Europe. Our rich cultural fabric has long offered unique experiences to European citizens, and we want to do everything in our power to protect and continue being proud of this heritage!

A vibrant cultural ecosystem requires sustainable financing. Therefore, consumer policy and advertising rules should be proportionate and flexible. One-size fits all approaches – which do not take into account their potential impact on the financial sustainability of the cultural and creative sectors – also need to be avoided. This should ensure the continued production of creative content and services, while enabling the creative sectors to adapt effectively to technological evolutions and cater to the tastes and needs of their audience. In particular, the role of self-regulation should be recognised as a complement to regulation as it can address market evolutions and consumer concerns in a timely and efficient manner.

Our vision embraces the responsibility of the cultural and creative sectors to be active players in the field of sustainability. We believe in harnessing our power to promote environmental consciousness and social responsibility. By integrating ethical and greener production methods and circularity, among other practices, we aim to lead the way towards a sustainable future. Through thought-provoking works and captivating narratives, we aim to inspire people to reevaluate their relationship with the environment and with other cultures and nations, and to join a collective cultural effort to integrate creativity with sustainability.

CW! members believe in promoting environmental consciousness and social justice and aim to engage and innovate towards a sustainable future.

The cultural and creative sectors are essential elements of our daily lives and European soft power. We must recognise and support their influence, as they shape our continent’s collective identity, project our common democratic values and contribute to our global standing. Creativity Works! stands for nurturing and investing in these sectors to maintain their positive impact, promote cultural understanding, and strengthen Europe’s position as a cultural powerhouse.

We advocate for a balanced ecosystem that encourages creativity to flourish, facilitates a broad range of consumer offers, and incentivises investment in original projects acknowledging the values of artists’ and performers’ achievements as well as the investments by their business partners. Funding programmes, such as Creative Europe and Horizon Europe, have a key role to play in supporting the creation, promotion, access to and dissemination of European culture within the EU and beyond. We therefore advocate for an open approach enabling all actors to participate in such programmes and contribute to freedom of expression, diversity, creativity and democracy.