White Paper for Unlocking the Economic Potential of the Cultural and Creative Sectors in Romania [2016]

The White Paper aims at gathering under the broader concept of Cultural and Creative Sectors some fields which are traditionally market-oriented and, consequently, likely to generate economic development, as well as other, less market-oriented fields, which however have a more powerful role from social viewpoint (community inclusion and cohesion).

A White Paper document marks the zero point of a process, in this case of the process of a programmed valorisation of the potential of the cultural and creative sectors (CCS). The White Paper document is also meant to draw some guidelines on the basis of which punctual interventions for each sector or field can be built.

The objectives of the White Paper were: – defining the cultural and creative sectors, – presenting their current stage, – highlighting their economic and social potential.

The White Paper mapped the cultural and creative sectors in Romania, from the viewpoint of unlocking their economic potential, by considering their specific cultural and social value. Opinions of cultural and creative operators were considered, statistical data were processed and currently active regulations and funding schemes were documented. The White Paper starts from the performance of the cultural and creative sectors in the last years, highlighted by the evolution of the turnover, of the number of employees, of the profit and work productivity.

The proposed guidelines were:

1. Ensuring the institutional framework needed to support the CCS, by aligning the agenda of the various relevant public institutions and organisations at the Government’s initiative, including those referring to the protection of the intellectual property, of the cultural and natural heritage, public acquisitions, fiscal issues etc.
2. Assuming the policies and strategies referring to the cultural and creative sectors at central level and fostering the responsibilities of the local public authorities.
3. Optimising and facilitating the access to bank and non-bank funding for the economic operators in the CCS.
4. Catalysing the effects of dissemination of the CCS to as large a number of economic and social contexts as possible
5. Creating a participative organisational culture of public decision in favour of the CCS entrepreneurship.