EU culture ministers call for support for young artists and cultural professionals, including on protecting their intellectual property rights

On 13 May 2025, the Council of the EU in its Culture configuration, composed of the ministers responsible for culture from all EU member states, adopted the Council’s conclusions on supporting young artists and cultural and creative professionals in starting their careers. The conclusions define the cultural and creative sectors (CCS) as sectors including many activities that have the potential to generate innovation and jobs, in particular from intellectual property.

The Ministers recognised the fact that young artists and cultural and creative professionals entering the labour market often have limited knowledge in relation to entrepreneurship, economics, accounting, legal frameworks (including copyright and other intellectual property rights), access to finance and awareness of social security.

In response, they invite Member States to develop, where relevant, content in arts education, to facilitate young people acquiring all the necessary competences in the CCS and learning about important subjects such as, among others, entrepreneurship; fair practices; copyright and the broader intellectual property framework; and digital and technological tools, including artificial intelligence (AI) – both its potential uses and its possible risks.

In addition, the Council’s conclusions recognise the need for due respect for copyright and related rights as well as other intellectual property rights accorded to artists and cultural and creative professionals in connection with the results of their professional activities.

The adoption of these conclusions marks a significant step towards supporting young artists and cultural professionals, ensuring they have the resources and knowledge to thrive in their careers while safeguarding their IP rights. This aligns with the EUIPO’s commitment under Strategic Plan 2030 to promote IP awareness and enforcement among young creatives (including content creators – see IP for Influencers) and to create an EUIPO Copyright Knowledge Centre supporting EU copyright policy objectives and initiatives.

Source: https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/news/observatory/eu-culture-ministers-call-for-support-on-protecting-their-intellectual-property-rights