Paris (AFP)
Culture Minister Franck Riester announced Tuesday "an action plan" for artists and authors "too long left on the fringes of public policy", who should be represented for the first time in a "national council".
"Good intentions are no longer enough. An action plan for artist-authors is ready," announced the minister to representatives of the various sectors concerned (writers, painters, translators, screenwriters, comic strip authors, musicians, etc. ).
Franck Riester responded to the 23 proposals in the report by the former president of the National Library of France (BNF) Bruno Racine on how to improve income and the recognition of trades often impoverished.
A decree to "translate the diversity of income" from these trades and "simplify the opening of social rights" will be presented to artists.
This plan provides for a future "national council of artist-authors", which will be responsible for conducting collective bargaining, in particular with publishers. It should be set up after elections "in all sectors where it seems appropriate", at most in the second half of 2021.
"It is essential that all of the sectors have" a legitimate and indisputable representation of authors, "insisted the minister, wishing" very concrete advances "to correct an" imbalance "with the players downstream: publishers, producers, broadcasters, etc.
He criticized the passage of "large digital players who generate significant revenues without contributing either to the funding of the works they broadcast, or to the remuneration of their creators". "It is not acceptable," he said.
He also spoke out for "negotiations as soon as possible on the framing of the order contract", claimed loudly by many artists.
This contract could remunerate in copyright the working time linked to the creative activity. One of the difficulties of these professions is that working time, which is very variable and difficult to measure, is not remunerated as such.
An "artistic creation directorate" will be created at the ministry and a future national "barometer" will identify the factors of inequality.
Another measure: "The ceiling on income from incidental activities (a situation which affects many artists) will be increased by 50% compared to the current ceiling," announced the Minister.
A device for smoothing income over several years is proposed, as well as compensation when artists intervene in the school setting.
Mr. Riester's responses to the Racine report were eagerly awaited, in particular from comic book designers and scriptwriters, who feel badly recognized.
The minister said he agreed that "the BD festivals engage in a programming which gives more room to the participation of the authors". "The National Book Center (CNL) will have to assume part of the amount that will be paid to them for the signing sessions, on the basis of a daily fee," he said.
The income of artist-authors, especially young people and women, is deteriorating in France, despite the general increase in value created. France is said to have some 270,000 artist-authors, full or part time.
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