Like many other organisations, the AEC has published a Message of its President on the corona crisis and launched a section on its website listing Tools & Suggestions how to keep the Music Higher Education business running online. In the meantime, we received not only a lot of positive feedback for this website, but also manifold helpful input for its further development. AEC thanks all those who contributed. Moreover, the AEC recently published an article that provides a growing number of individual experiences and good practice examples how AEC member institutions handle corona.
From the very beginning, AEC has of course also supported initiatives at European level aiming to support those musicians who are most immediately and directly affected by the pandemic: those who are about to lose their jobs and their income as a result of the crisis – not only performing freelancers, and music educators, but also operators of concert venues and festivals. AEC has signed together with more than 40 other European associations, a call addressing political decision-makers to consolidate the music ecosystem and to make every possible effort to preserve and enhance cultural diversity. AEC is also signatory of a similar initiative which was launched by a group of Members of the European Parliament from across all parties.
It is good news that the new Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel, seems to be aware of the urgency of the situation and has responded promptly to these initiatives, both in terms of making additional funding available to help artists in need and to allow more flexibility in the implementation of EU-funded projects. In the meantime, EACEA and DG Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth provide monthly updates on the state of affairs regarding special measures how to overcome the damages on the arts and culture sector caused by the corona crisis.