Press Release: Culture contributes to 2.6% of EU’s GDP and employs at least 5.8 million Europeans, says a study published today in Brussels

In a study presented to the EU’s Ministers of Culture on 13 November 2006, the European Commission shows the importance of the culture sector for the EU economy, and underlines its potential for creating more and better jobs in the future. With its 5.8 million employees, the Culture sector employs more persons than the total employed in Greece and Ireland put together. Further, the culture sector accounted for 2.6% of EU GDP in 2003, and experiences higher growth rates than the average of other sectors of the economy.