1. A THRIVING AND PLURALISTIC MEDIA LANDSCAPE GUARANTEES A FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY 1.1 The domestic media’s operating conditions must be secured through media support. Finland is the only Nordic country without permanent media support. Finnish independent and reliable journalism also needs protection and support in competing against international platform giants. According to Statistics Finland, the number of journalists has declined by around three thousand over the past fifteen years. Swift action is needed to prevent news deserts from emerging in Finland. VAT on newspapers and books must be abolished, as Finns need to be able to access affordable reading material. A permanent annual direct media subsidy of €30 million must also be established for the news media, specifically for editorial work and digital development. In addition, the funding of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) must be sufficient and predictable, as required by the European Media Freedom Act. Yle is an important part of the infrastructure of information and democracy, and its fate must not be subject to the fluctuations of political cycles. 1.2 Finland must develop a sustainable and long-term media policy. Decisions concerning the media are made in a fragmented manner across different government ministries and without clear direction. Media policy coordination must be improved so that the impact of economic decisions and regulatory initiatives on the entire media sector can be assessed and measures to promote the sector’s vitality can be implemented. As artificial intelligence makes the spread of disinformation easier than ever before, investment is needed both in journalistic media and in media and AI literacy. A functional, vibrant journalistic media is the best remedy against misinformation and attempts to influence public opinion. 1.3 Democracy’s defenders must be able to do their work without fear. Harassment and targeting of journalists in the course of their work constitute attacks on the public’s right to information. These acts must be recognised in law as crimes against democracy, and it must be ensured that they are investigated. In addition to journalists, judges, prosecutors and researchers also face threats and harassment in the course of their work. Democracy’s defenders must be protected from harassment and online violence. Finland must also demand that the European Commission update its recommendations to promote journalist safety and improve the operating environment for journalists throughout the Union. 2. CREATIVE WORK MUST BE FINANCIALLY VIABLE 2.1 The right creators to earn a living from their work must be safeguarded. Copyright royalties are a key source of the income of many creators in the cultural sector. The copyright system must therefore guarantee appropriate and proportionate compensation for all content creators. The implementation of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (the DSM Directive) has not been wholly successful. Creators must have a genuine opportunity to obtain information about how their work is used and what proceeds have been generated from it. This would make it possible to assess whether the compensation received by the creator is reasonable. In addition, an alternative dispute resolution method, as required by EU regulations, must be established for copyright disputes. It is important to find effective, legally sound ways to promote the use of copyright-protected content that also financially benefits original creators. A good way to achieve this is to introduce a general contractual license based on the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian models. Finland must also promptly rectify the situation — which is contrary to EU law and the DSM Directive — whereby private copying levies are paid from the state budget rather than being collected from consumers. 2.2 AI must be developed and used in a manner that respects copyright. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the creative sector at an unprecedented pace. Technological development is an opportunity for those working in the creative field, provided that AI is developed and used responsibly — with respect for creators and copyright. However, AI development companies do not operate on terms set by the public and creators, and, at worst, they undermine the digital security of us all. In the age of AI, it is especially important to ensure that the creative sector is protected by up-to-date copyright legislation. This legislation must safeguard the outputs of creative work so that they cannot be used as training data for language models without permission and remuneration. It is also essential to develop European solutions to the technological dependency on companies that disregard regulation. 2.3 The self-employed must be guaranteed fair bargaining. Many creators in the media and cultural sector generate their own employment. Freelancers and micro-entrepreneurs must have a genuine opportunity to negotiate the terms of their work and their copyright arrangements, and trade unions must be able to represent them. The collective bargaining rights of the self-employed must be secured by incorporating the European Commission’s guidelines into national law or by influencing EU legislation. In order to make it easier to combine self-employment with salaried work, it is necessary to ensure that the combined insurance scheme has a sufficiently broad funding base, and that the continuity and fairness of the YEL system are safeguarded. Collective bargaining rights and other improvements in the position of the self-employed encourage entrepreneurship and reduce the need for social security. 3. A VIBRANT DOMESTIC CULTURAL SECTOR CREATES JOBS AND TAX REVENUE 3.1 Funding for culture must be increased. The creative sector has the potential to drive economic growth in Finland. However, it is currently under pressure due to austerity cuts. The cultural sector creates significant employment and generates more tax revenue for the state than it receives in public funding. Given this, the current level of public funding for the sector is inadequate. Funding for culture should be increased to one per cent of the state budget. The funding of actors that distribute grants in the audiovisual sector — such as the Arts and Culture Agency, Avek, and the Finnish Film Foundation — must be increased. Yle is also a significant funder and commissioner of culture. Cuts to the company therefore also weaken employment more broadly across the cultural sector. The growth strategy for the creative sector provides a ready-made toolkit for promoting the growth of businesses in the creative economy. 3.2 Finland must be made an attractive location for producing series and films. Finland is losing film and television productions to other countries that support foreign productions more generously and predictably. The audiovisual production incentive must be established permanently and incorporated into the state expenditure framework. Its criteria must also be amended so that it is easier for domestic production companies to obtain funding. The conditions attached to support paid by the Finnish Film Foundation do not require that productions be carried out in Finland or even with domestic labour. In the future, it must be ensured that funding is primarily used to employ domestic audiovisual professionals. 3.3 Global services must be obliged to create content for Finnish audiences. International streaming giants attract audiences with their content, but are inclined to offer everyone one and the same thing. They must therefore be obliged to produce content for small language and cultural regions as well. This is made possible by the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive, which gives states the right to require companies to fund Finnish audiovisual productions. The implementation of a payment obligation would support both cultural and economic policy and, above all, Finnish creators and companies. It could bring more than ten million euros in additional income to the Finnish audiovisual sector, primarily from foreign sources. It is important that the criteria for the obligation ensure that it provides employment for audiovisual professionals residing in Finland, enables the development of the sector and increases tax revenue.