The Annual Congress of the European Council of Artists (ECA) which convened in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 8. - 9. October. reached accord on the need to effect essential changes in the life of this important super-umbrella of European national artists’ associations.
Ludwig Laher (writer/Austria) was unanimously elected president. In his capacity, he can rely on newly (and likewise unanimously elected Executive Committee members Narcy Calamatta (actor, stage and film director/Malta), Renate Christin (visual artist/Germany), Simon Pellar (literary translator and authors’ rights activist/Czech Republic) and Tomo Vran (visual artist/Slovenia). The election of the above-named individuals amounted to an impressive show of ECA unity. The terms of Franz Ernst (Denmark) and Bert Holvast (The Netherlands) continue for one more year.
Dialogue with European and international institutions, presence and active participation in international fora and the strengthening of co-operation among the 25 national members remain major topics on the action plan for the coming year.
- There shall be regular bimonthly newsletters circulated via e-mail and informing on the activities of the EC and its membership.
- ECA will be represented by its new president at the UNESCO General Conference meeting in Paris next week and expected to adopt the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions.
- ECA shall support its current and future members in their particular efforts promoting their interests (ranging from the danger of revocation of artists’ tax exemption in Ireland to problems facing public libraries in Finland).
- ECA shall do its best to convince new countries to join (Italy, Finland etc.)
In the context of the UNESCO negotiations in Paris the following resolution was adopted by the general assembly:
The Congress of the European Council of Artists (ECA), representing professional artists umbrella organisations in 25 European countries, considers the adoption of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions by the UNESCO General Conference in October 2005 a major step to signal to the world that culture and art are more than goods and services. ECA will do its best to spread information on the relevance of the document and assist our members in their struggle to monitor the implementation of the convention by adjusting the national law where necessary, especially for the benefit of the artists.
The Congress also adopted a resolution in support of the struggle of the International Council of Authors and Composers to defend cross-border collective management of copyright works.