The latest developments regarding our advocacy activities are as follows: Joining forces with partners (Challenging the Frascati Manual), Strengthening the sector (The Creative Pact for Skills) and responding to world affairs (Initiatives to support Ukraine). These developments exemplify the wide range of advocacy activities in which the AEC is engaged as part of its day-to-day work.
Joining forces with partners to challenge the Frascati Manual
At this point we have repeatedly reported on actions that have originally been initiated by the AEC to fight in close cooperation with some of our partners for better recognition of Artistic Research as an independent research domain. This initiative gave rise to the Vienna Declaration and, subsequently, the elaboration of a joint paper including very concrete proposals for a revision of the OECD Frascati Manual, taking into account the specific needs and requirements of the arts sector. We are happy to share the news with our readers that this paper has been submitted to the committee responsible for the revision of the Frascati Manual at the OECD.
Joining the Creative Pact for Skills
A few weeks ago, the European Commission launched a Creative Pact for Skills, published a Creative Pact for Skills (C-P4S) Manifesto and invited all organisations active in the Cultural and Creative Sector (CCS) to join this pact. The Creative Pact for Skills provides learning opportunities enabling the players in the sector to improve their capabilities to deal with the challenges of a professional field under change. The focus is on digital, green, entrepreneurial and technical skills. A few days ago, AEC also joined this pact. This allows AEC on the one hand better access to various training programs. On the other hand, AEC thus commits to complying with certain indicators and criteria in order to strengthen the resilience of the sector.
Responding to world affairs (Initiatives to support Ukraine)
The war in the Ukraine has been keeping us in suspense for three months now, and we are slowly preparing for the fact that this war taking place in Europe will not be over any time soon. The AEC has taken various measures to help both the people who remained in Ukraine and those who fled the country due to the war. This included, among other things, a joint action together with our sister organisations from the field of Higher Arts Education to urge Commissioner Mariya Gabriel to issue special regulations allowing the use of Erasmus funds to support Ukrainian music students (and teachers) in an unbureaucratic way. We have finally received a reply in which the Commissioner expressly thanks the AEC for its contribution to the support of the Ukrainian people and announces further concrete measures for a more flexible use of not only Erasmus+, but also Creative Europe funds.
