Wednesday 22.02.2012 8:58 pm
'Action plan for music in Flanders' resolution ratified
On 14 December 2011, the plenary meeting of the Flemish parliament approved the ‘Action plan for music in Flanders’ resolution, which proposes 15 concrete recommendations and offers useful and effective guidelines for a sustainable and stimulating government music policy.
The proposal was made by the politicians Philippe De Coene, Johan Verstreken, Lieven Dehandschutter, Paul Delva, Herman Schueremans, Bart Caron and Yamila Idrissi. The recommendations concern internationalisation and talent development, copyright, financing and standards for noise control, as well as music education and heritage, and respond directly to current needs and recent developments in the music industry. The proposal also emphasizes how deeply music is rooted in our society and how socially important a strong and affluent music industry really is.
Music unites politics
The broad and strong general support for the text of the resolution demonstrates that music knows no political boundaries. The initiators all belong to different political families and the Culture, Youth, Sports and Media Commission’s approval was unanimous.
Philippe De Coene (sp•a) emphasizes that this resolution does not address the culture minister alone: it actually addresses almost the entire government: “Together with the sector itself, we have to see to it that the recommendations are taken in hand.”
Paul Delva (CD&V) expects this resolution “to boost a transversal music policy in Flanders."
Herman Schueremans (Open Vld) hopes this resolution “will not remain dead letter among our policy-makers and that it will be fully implemented in order to stimulate the music industry to expand.”
Seventeen organisations, one voice
The industry, represented in the “MuziekOverleg” deliberation platform, played a part in laying the foundations of the proposal. In 2010 the “MuziekOverleg” published ‘Music is Life! An integrated vision for the music industry’, which presented a clear survey of the challenges the Flemish music sector is facing and the building blocks that are needed to meet these challenges. Bart Caron (Groen!) also believes that the approval of the resolution holds a new challenge for the music industry: “The MuziekOverleg [has] to assume the role of guardian angel of politicians’ conscience and memory."
The “MuziekOverleg” platform was started in 2007 by the Flanders Music Centre, a service desk for the professional music industry. The idea was to initiate structural dialogue with the government and to develop long-term views for the entire industry. The platform was recently recognized as an official discussion partner by culture minister Schauvliege. The first recommendation to be followed...
