The Ministry of Education established, on 16 September 2005, a Committee to identify and explore existing statistical information, as well as information needs, on the economic importance and impact of cultural industries. The Committee was to propose ways of improving the statistical knowledge base on the economic impact of culture through co-operation between different ministries, research bodies and Statistics Finland. The Committee was also to identify key economic contributions of the sector and propose measures to improve the production of statistical information.

The Committee examined the current available statistical information, methodologies and studies concerning the economic impact of the culture sector and copyright-based and creative industries both nationally and internationally. The Committee developed a framework for the analysis of the industries and activities to be studied based on the methodological work of Statistics Finland and international examples.

The Committee is of the opinion that strengthening the knowledge base on the economic impact of culture is a key challenge for cultural policy. Assessing the impact of public measures, and thereby maximising their effectiveness, also necessitates the building of a systematic and extensive knowledge base. Furthermore, the Committee proposes that different international initiatives on the issue be closely followed and active contribution be given to their development.

The Committee proposes that a pilot study for the development of a satellite account, based on the System of National Accounts, for the culture sector in Finland be started without delay. The objective of the pilot project is to prepare the model for the actual satellite. According to the Committee, piloting should be commenced in 2007 on the basis of the sectoral classification it has produced and the functioning satellite account system should be put in production use as soon as possible.

On the basis of its terms of reference, the Committee has concentrated on the development of a system to assess the economic importance and impact of culture. Interest in the economic contribution of culture and in its statistical assessment complements more traditional approach to cultural statistics. The satellite account proposed by the Committee represents a statistical tool that enables for the first time the production of extensive and coherent statistical information covering all the sectors of culture. It can also provide a basis for the assessment of social impact of culture, which is another key challenge when developing the knowledge base for cultural policies.