Today, more than 150 people from the Flemish creative industries gathered in Brussels to attend the formal presentation of the strategic plan ‘Creative Industries in Flanders’.
The conference started with a presentation of a brand new and comprehensive research report on the creative industries in Flanders. The main conclusion to be drawn from that study is that the creative industries have a larger impact than is usually assumed. The industry represents more than 120,000 professionals and a staggering 52,000 of those are self-employed. In terms of employment, it outranks such sectors as the hotel and catering industry, the food industry or even the ICT sector. The Flemish creative industries have a turnover of 42 billion euros and an added value of 7 billion euros annually, representing some 3% of Flemish GDP.
Following the presentation of the all-important research (commissioned by Flanders DC and conducted by Antwerp Management School), a strategic plan for the Flemish creative industries was outlined, comprising more than 50 policy recommendations. These recommendations are a means to attain six primary goals, namely (1) to offer the industry an international future, (2) to enhance clustering and cooperation, (3) to make CI more entrepreneurial, (4) to optimize fiscal and financial regulations and policy instruments, (5) to optimize existing infrastructure, (6) to strive towards an honest and fair remuneration and protection of creative work.
Mr Kris Peeters, prime minister of the Flemish Government and Mrs Ingrid Lieten, Flemish Minister for Innovation, listened attentively to the recommendations formulated by stakeholders from the creative industries and promised to tackle some of the problems that have been identified by the stakeholder organizations. “The creative industries are an important catalyst for innovation”, remarked Mrs Lieten, and prime minister Kris Peeters concluded afterwards that the economic importance of the creative industries can no longer be underestimated. He stressed the entrepreneurial potential of the sector and he assured the audience that the Flemish government is looking for ways to foster creative entrepreneurship across policy domains.
For the research report and the strategy document, please visit Vlaanderen in Actie (Dutch only)
