The cultural and creative industries (CCI) in Europe have navigated challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis. While CCI employment has shown signs of recovery, with 7.36 million people employed in 2021 after a drop to 7.14 million during the pandemic, this recovery varies across EU Member States. Digitalisation has been a lifeline for many CCI professionals, enabling them to adapt and innovate during lockdowns, but it has also introduced concerns about working conditions and the dominance of global platforms. The energy crisis has further strained CCI organizations, with energy bills for live performance organisations increasing up to 600% in 2022. Despite these challenges, advanced technologies like AI, extended reality, and blockchain offer new opportunities, albeit with complexities, and interdisciplinary cooperation between CCI and other sectors is seen as essential for fostering innovation and resilience in society.
The European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) project has produced its first yearly report on the Cultural and Creatives Industries ecosystem, highlighting data on its progress in terms of its green and digital transition across several dimensions, including industrial performance, environmental impact, technology generation and uptake, start-up trends, investments and funding, and skills.
The data collected and used for this report is also shared in the data package below, relating to the abovementioned dimensions. Wherever possible, the data package allows for time series analyses, as well as comparisons among industrial ecosystems, Member States, and between the EU and other major economies such as the US and China.
