Open letter to the attention of Ministers of Culture ahead of the Education, Youth,Culture and Sport Council on 12-13 May 2025
Brussels, 6 May 2025
Dear Ministers,
We are writing to you on behalf of a coalition of organisations representing the collective voice of hundreds of thousands of writers, translators, journalists, performers, composers, songwriters, screen directors, screenwriters, visual artists, as well as other artists and creative workers.
On 13 May, EU national ministers responsible for culture policies will convene in Brussels for the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council. Ahead of this meeting, Spain and Portugal have called for a discussion (https://www NULL.cultura NULL.gob NULL.es/dam/jcr:98b14ff9-0ecd-42ed-b5df-e30a486a1551/250430-carta-ai-and-copyright NULL.pdf) on the value of the cultural and creative sectors in AI development, focusing on the importance of safeguarding copyright and related rights, as well as ensuring transparency in the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice under the AI Act. In particular, they have urged to revise the current code so that a) it reflects the fundamental principles of the Al Act and protects European fundamental rights, including copyright, and b) it provides “authors, artists, performers and rightsholders with clear, strong and accessible tools to exercise and enforce their rights, while recognising their vital contribution to the training and development of Al systems”
Our organisations strongly support Spain and Portugal’s position. Efficient transparency obligations as well as the respect for copyright law (both on the Code of Practice and the template) are essential to stay faithful to the AI Act and to foster the development of an ethical and responsible AI ecosystem in our sectors.
Ahead of the AI strategy for the cultural and creative sectors and the Cultural Compass initiatives announced by the European Commission, we also need a democratic debate about the impact of generative AI on human artistry and on the cultural and creative sectors at large. Today, generative AI models have been trained without any transparency on our members’ works and personal data, scraped and copied from the internet without any authorisation nor any remuneration for the creators we represent. AI-manipulated content also poses significant threats to European values, including democracy and cultural diversity, as well as to our members’ reputation and moral rights, and citizens’ trust in the veracity of digital content. As the deployment of generative AI continues to expand at a rapid pace, such multi-faceted challenges must be addressed at EU level.
Up until now, the EU has approached AI from the perspective of innovation and competitiveness, while the Council of the EU has touched on certain aspects of its impact on education, training and copyright. EU Culture Ministers now have a prominent role to play, as it is high time for the European Union to consider the specific impact of AI on European cultural diversity and artistic freedom, which are cornerstones of European values and essential pillars of well-functioning democracies.
List of signatories
CEATL (European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations) was created in 1993 as a platform where literary translators’ associations from different European countries could exchange views and information, and join forces to improve status and working conditions of translators. It now unites 36 member associations from 27 countries across Europe, representing some 10,000 individual literary translators. Web: www.ceatl.eu / EU Transparency Register ID: 65913704675-82
ECSA (European Composer and Songwriter Alliance) represents over 30,000 professional composers and songwriters in 29 European countries. With 59 member organisations across Europe, the Alliance speaks for the interests of music creators of art & classical music (contemporary), film & audiovisual music, as well as popular music. Web: www.composeralliance.org / EU Transparency Register ID: 71423433087-91
EFJ (European Federation of Journalists) is the largest organisation of journalists in Europe, representing over 320,000 journalists in 73 journalists’ organisations across 45 countries. The EFJ is recognised by the European Union and the Council of Europe as the representative voice of journalists in Europe. The EFJ is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Web: www.europeanjournalists.com / EU Transparency Register ID: 27471236588-39
EGAIR (European Guild for Artificial Intelligence Regulation) is a network of creatives and associations from all over Europe, lobbying for the protection of artists’ works and data from AI companies. Originally founded by MeFu, the Italian association of comic book creators, EGAIR now represents over 20.000 creatives, artists and associations. Web: www.egair.eu / EU Transparency Register ID: 385629348610-21
EWC (European Writers’ Council) is the world’s largest federation representing solely authors from the book sector and constituted by 50 national professional writers’ and literary translators’ associations from 32 countries. EWC members comprise over 220.000 professional authors, writing and publishing in 35 languages. Web: https://europeanwriterscouncil.eu / EU Transparency Register ID: 56788289570-24
FERA (Federation of European Screen Directors) represents film and TV directors at European level, with 48 directors’ associations as members from 35 countries. Founded in 1980, FERA speaks for more than 20,000 European screen directors, representing their cultural, creative and economic interests. Web: https://screendirectors.eu / EU Transparency Register ID: 29280842236- 21
FIA (International Federation of Actors) is a global union federation representing performers‘ trade unions, guilds and professional associations in about 70 countries. In a connected world of content and entertainment, it stands for fair social, economic and moral rights for audio-visual performers working in all recorded media and live theatre. Web: www.fia-actors.com / EU Transparency Register ID: 24070646198-51
FIM (International Federation of Musicians) is the only body representing professional musicians and their trade unions globally, with members in about 65 countries covering all regions of the world. Founded in 1948, FIM is recognised as an NGO by diverse international authorities such as the ILO, WIPO, UNESCO, the European Commission, the European Parliament or the Council of Europe. Web: https://www.fim-musicians.org / EU Transparency Register ID: 01953872943-65
FSE (Federation of Screenwriters in Europe) is a network of national and regional associations, guilds and unions of writers for the screen in Europe, created in June 2001. It comprises 25 organisations from 19 countries, representing more than 7,000 screenwriters in Europe. Web: www.federationscreenwriters.eu / EU Transparency Register ID: 642670217507-74
IAO (International Artist Organisation) is the umbrella association for national organisations advocating for the rights and interests of the Featured Artists in the music industry. Our main interests are transparency, the protection of intellectual property rights and a fair reflection of the value an artist’s work generates. Web: www.iaomusic.org / EU Transparency Register ID: 490166825799-90
IFJ (International Federation of Journalists) is the world’s largest organisation of journalists, representing 600,000 media professionals from 187 trade unions and associations in more than 140 countries. Web: www.ifj.org / EU Transparency Register ID: 999725935832-94
UNI MEI – UNI – Media, Entertainment and Arts unites over 140 unions and guilds to raise standards and enforce rights for more than 500.000 creatives, technicians and auxiliary workers. Together, our members work for a fair, inclusive, equal, and sustainable global entertainment industry and a just transformation. Web: www.uniglobalunion.org / EU Transparency Register ID: 605859248462-93
UVA (United Voice Artists) is a global coalition of voice acting guilds, associations, and unions that have united to pursue their shared goals of protecting and preserving the act of creating, in particular, through the human voice. This collaborative effort brings together prominent associations and unions from the European Union, including France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Poland, as well as organizations in Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America, Africa and in South America. Web: www.unitedvoiceartists.com / EU Transparency register ID: 810100650765-18