Neue European Federation für die Creative Economy

At this year’s Design month Graz, the creative industries Styria (cis) together with the
European Creative Business Network (ECBN) called under the European Creative industries Summit (#ECIS22) for methods and projects that show the efforts made by the creative industries for a „Green Transition”. The same time the ECBN announced, the launch of European Federation for the Creative Economy was announced in Graz, Austria, on the 9 May 2022. The new Federation is the evolution of the European Creative Business Network (ECBN), which brings together 174 industry defining agencies and intermediaries for creative industries in 44 countries and over 130 cities and regions.

ECBN director, Bernd Fesel, explains this milestone in the history of the network and the
sector: „Europe is in transition towards a climate-neutral continent – and so are the Cultural and Creative Sectors and Industries equally in transition. The European Creative Business Network, founded 2011, is laying the ground to support the CCSI in optimal transitions in next 25 years by transitioning itself: Toward the European Federation for the Creative Economy – the very first cross-disciplinary advocacy body for creativity as a game changing driver for skills, jobs, companies and a sustainable growth in Europe.“

Eberhard Schrempf (CEO creative industries styria) in his opening speech:
„Since 2011, ECBN has advocated for the interests of growing and successful cultural and creative sectors which support the European Institutions to reach high aims for
innovation and growth, acknowledging the diversity of cultural expressions as well as of
cultural and creative markets across Europe. The change into a Federation marks a
new era for its committed members to keep serving the sector with renewed forces
before new and ever-evolving challenges.“

The #ECIS22 started in Graz the conversation about this green creative future with two
Breakout Sessions. Green Skills and Great Green Creative Industries discussed and
presented more than 12 cases of projects and projects which aim to transform the way we think and produce our products but also how the CCSIs can transform society.

As Gerin Trautenberger (President of the Kreativwirtschaft Austria) stated it in his keynote: „Not only scientists claim climate change is man-made. It is a cultural rather than a natural phenomenon. This means: if we change our culture there is a way out. Cultural change is a task for creative people. If not we, then who? If not now, then when?“

The new Federation, as well as its main guiding principles and working lines, were presented to ECBN members at the General Assembly and Members Forum hold in a hybrid from (online and in Graz). These were organised prior to the Breakout Sessions (BoS) 1 and 2, one of the four events of the #ECIS22 “GREEN”. This year’s ECIS focuses on green transformation in the creative industry creative sector, to try to give an answer to the question about how CCSI can contribute to the race to zero emissions and make Europe the first climate neutral continent? The #ECIS22 will conclude with the final conference “ALL GREEN!?” on the 21-23 September, in Prague, under the Czech Republic Presidency of the EU.

Details.