"Cultural industries must consolidate position as essential driver in the future of our societies", says José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes

"The institutionalisation of culture is more necessary now than ever, especially in those societies forming part of the Ibero-American Community, as culture not only provides incalculable value from an historic perspective, but also at an economic and creative level", said the minister.

In this context, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes quoted the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, designed by the Government of Spain as a positive tool to tackle the consequences of the pandemic, a Plan which identifies the cultural and sports industry as the ninth guiding policy of the structural reform, to which end 825 million euros have been allocated towards its recovery, and towards strengthening, promoting and developing this sector. "The cultural industries must be consolidated as an essential driver in the future of our societies", he stressed in his speech.

The Creative Mexican Forum, Sustainable Cultural Development, which will run until 23 October, seeks to boost the design of a public policy model, legislative reforms and new schemes for relations between State and society which will help strengthen the development of cultural creators, artists and industries as an instrument to enhance the cultural and creative sector and to redistribute cultural wealth. Organised by the Government of Mexico, it includes 17 dialogues, five keynote speeches and more than 100 national and international speakers who will talk about a creative economy with a social dimension.

Digitalisation, sustainability, cohesion and gender equality

The minister highlighted digitalisation, sustainability, territorial and social cohesion and gender equality as the four cross-cutting pillars on which the Spanish Recovery Plan is structured. "Our objective is to move towards a quality cultural policy model that is sustainable, digital and integrating", said the minister, who considers it essential to facilitate citizen participation and dialogue with all the stakeholders involved in order to generate suitable regulatory and informative instruments.

Framed within the plan to enhance the cultural industry developed by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes highlighted the boost he wishes to give to digital culture, with a special emphasis on the book sector, increasing protection for intellectual property, an area in which "Spain is a pioneer", according to the minister.

"We believe that protecting intellectual property is essential in truly institutionalising the cultural architecture of a country. Along this line, we have designed a plan to enhance copyright and related rights, which includes a project to create a Spanish Intellectual Property Office", stated José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes.

Consolidation of Ibero-American cultural space

Increasing ties with such a natural market as Ibero-America, with which "we share historical and cultural links, but also, and this is essential, a common language", was stated by José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes as a primary goal of his department, within the Recovery and Transformation Plan for Culture.

"We want to strengthen and create new Ibero-American collaboration networks in all areas of our cultural policy, and boost the Iberian pole of the European Union with Latin American countries", claimed the minister, who urged the excellent experiences of the Ibermedia programmes, on audio-visual collaboration, to be further developed. With more than 20 years' experience, this has had a tremendously positive impact on the industry and on Ibero-American audio-visual heritage. Similarly, he encouraged Iberbibliotecas, redesigned at the 21st Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, in 2011, which makes a decisive contribution to the consolidation of Ibero-American Cultural Space, to be built on and reaffirms the social role of libraries; together with Iberescena and Iberorquestas, in the field of the performing arts.

Non official translation