On the initiative of the French Minister for Culture, Aurélie Filippetti, the Chaillot Forum held on the 4 and 5 April in Paris brought together some 15 European Ministers of Culture. Also present were Irina Bokova (Director-General of UNESCO), Martin Schultz (President of the European Parliament), European Commissioners Michel Barnier (Internal Market) and Androulla Vassiliou (Education and Culture), a certain number of well-known artists and representatives of cultural and digital economy sectors.
Debates addressed issues of funding culture, intellectual property and creation, from points of view as wide-ranging as cultural diversity or taxation.
Making a surprise appearance, President François Hollande reminded participants that culture was not an unnecessary expense but represented an opportunity for the European economy and a source of employment and activity.
The European Arts and Entertainment Alliance (EAEA) ‑of which FIM is a member- and the European Federation of Journalists handed out a joint declaration calling on public powers to support and develop the sector of the arts, culture and media. During the forum, a group of artists also launched the “Chaillot call for a new Cultural Europe”.