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ACP | Commission welcomes approval of Creative Europe programme by European Parliament

Commission welcomes approval of Creative Europe programme by European Parliament

European Commission - IP/13/1114   19/11/2013

Other available languages: FR DE DA ES NL IT SV PT FI EL CS ET HU LT LV MT PL SK SL BG RO

 

European Commission

Press release

Brussels/Strasbourg, 19 November 2013

Commission welcomes approval of Creative Europe programme by European Parliament

European culture, cinema, television, music, literature, performing arts, heritage and related areas will benefit from increased support under the European Commission's new Creative Europe programme, which was approved by the European Parliament today. With a budget of €1.46 billion1over the next seven years – 9% more than current levels – the programme will provide a boost for the cultural and creative sectors, which are a major source of jobs and growth. Creative Europe will provide funding for at least 250 000 artists and cultural professionals, 2 000 cinemas, 800 films and 4 500 book translations. It will also launch a new financial guarantee facility enabling small cultural and creative businesses to access up to €750 million in bank loans.

Welcoming today's vote, Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, stated:"This investment is great news for Europe's film industry, for culture and the arts, and for the public. Creative Europe will enable our dynamic cultural sectors to create new jobs and contribute more to the EU economy. It will enable thousands of talented artists to reach new audiences in Europe and beyond, while also promoting cultural and linguistic diversity. In addition to providing considerable levels of grant support, our guarantee facility will boost access to finance for hundreds of small companies," she added.

Creative Europe builds on the experience and success of the Culture and MEDIA programmes, which have supported the cultural and audiovisual sectors for more than 20 years. The new programme includes a Culture sub-programme, supporting performing and visual arts, heritage and other areas, and a MEDIA sub-programme, which will provide funding for the cinema and audiovisual sector. A new cross-sectoral strand will support policy cooperation, transversal measures and the new financial guarantee facility, which will be operational from 2016.

The European Capitals of Culture, European Heritage Label, European Heritage Daysand the five European prizes (EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards, EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture, EU Prize for Literature, European Border Breakers Awards, and EU Prix MEDIA) will also receive support from Creative Europe.

The programme will allocate at least 56% of its budget for the MEDIA sub-programme and at least 31% for the Culture sub-programme. This broadly reflects the share of funding that the two areas currently receive. A maximum of 13% of the budget will be allocated to the cross-sectoral strand, which includes support for 'Creative Europe Desks' in each participating country, providing advice to potential beneficiaries. Around €60 million is earmarked for policy cooperation and for fostering innovative approaches to audience building and new business models.

Creative Europe: who benefits?

Creative Europe will support:

·         250 000 artists and cultural professionals and their work, allowing them to reach new audiences beyond their home countries;

·         More than 800 European films will receive distribution support so that they can be seen by audiences throughout Europe and the world;

·         At least 2 000 European cinemas will benefit from funding, provided that at least 50% of the films they screen are European;

·         More than 4 500 books and other literary works will receive translation support, allowing authors to break into new markets and readers to enjoy them in their mother tongue;

·         Thousands of cultural and audiovisual organisations and professionals will benefit from funding for training to gain new skills and to strengthen their capacity to work internationally.

The European cultural and creative sectors represent up to 4.5% of EU GDP and employ more than 8 million people. Creative Europe will help them to contribute even more to the European economy by seizing the opportunities created by globalisation and the digital shift. It will also enable them to overcome challenges such as market fragmentation and difficulties in accessing financing, as well as contributing to better policy-making by making it easier to share know-how and experience.

Next steps

The Creative Europe programme will be definitively adopted by the Council (28 Member States) in the weeks to come and will enter into force in January 2014.

For more information

MEMO/13/1009

European Commission: Creative Europe

Creative Europeon Facebook


1:

€1.46 billion taking account of estimated inflation. This is the equivalent of €1.3 billion in 'fixed' 2011 prices.


Creative Europe: Frequently Asked Questions

European Commission - MEMO/13/1009   19/11/2013

Other available languages: FR DE DA ES NL IT SV PT FI EL CS ET HU LT LV MT PL SK SL BG RO

European Commission

MEMO

Brussels/Strasbourg, 19 November 2013

Creative Europe: Frequently Asked Questions

(see also IP/13/1114)

What is the Creative Europe programme?

Creative Europe is the new EU programme to support European cinema and the cultural and creative sectors, enabling them to increase their contribution to jobs and growth. With a budget of €1.46 billion1 for 2014-2020, it will support tens of thousands of artists, cultural and audiovisual professionals and organisations in the performing arts, fine arts, publishing, film, TV, music, interdisciplinary arts, heritage, and the video games industry. The funding will allow them to operate across Europe, to reach new audiences and to develop the skills needed in the digital age. By helping European cultural works to reach audiences in other countries, the programme will also contribute to safeguarding cultural and linguistic diversity.

Why does Europe need a Creative Europe programme?

Culture plays a major role in the EU economy. Studies show that the cultural and creative sectors account for up to 4.5% of EU GDP and nearly 4% of employment (8.5 million jobs and many more if account is taken of their impact on other sectors). Europe is the world leader in exports of creative industry products. To retain this position, it needs to invest in the sectors' capacity to operate across borders.

Creative Europe responds to this need and will target investment where the impact will be greatest.

The new programme takes account of the challenges created by globalisation and digital technologies, which are changing the ways cultural works are made, distributed and accessed, as well as transforming business models and revenue streams. These developments also create opportunities for the cultural and creative sectors. The programme seeks to help them seize these opportunities, so that they benefit from the digital shift and create more jobs and international careers.

Which countries can apply for funding from Creative Europe?

Creative Europe will be open to the 28 Member States, and, so long as they fulfil specific conditions, to the European Free Trade Association countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), to EU candidate and potential candidate countries (Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo) and to neighbourhood countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Israel). Non-EU countries have to pay an 'entry ticket' to participate in the programme. The cost is based on the size of their GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in relation to the budget of the programme

Can individuals apply for funding?

Creative Europe will not be open to applications from individuals, but around 250 000 individual artists and cultural and audiovisual professionals will receive funding through projects submitted by cultural organisations. This is a much more cost-effective way to achieve results and a lasting impact. The Commission estimates that millions of people will be reached directly or indirectly through the projects supported by Creative Europe.

What will Creative Europe exactly support?

Virtually all of the projects receiving support will have a cross-border dimension. Most of the budget will be used to provide grants to individual projects. However, the programme will also support initiatives pursuing similar objectives such as European Capitals of Culture, the European Heritage Label, the European Heritage Days and five European Union prizes (EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards, EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture, EU Prize for Literature, European Border Breakers Awards, and EU Prix MEDIA).

What challenges is the programme tackling?

The cultural and creative sectors do not currently make the most of the Single Market. One of the biggest challenges that the sector faces is market fragmentation, linked to different cultural traditions and languages: the European Union has 24 official languages, 3 alphabets and approximately 60 officially recognised regional and minority languages. This diversity is part of Europe's rich tapestry but it hinders efforts by authors to reach readers in other countries, for cinema or theatre goers to see foreign works, and for musicians to reach new listeners.

A Eurobarometer survey last month (IP/13/1023) has shown that only 13% of Europeans go to a concert by artists from another European country, and only 4% see a theatre performance from another European country. A stronger focus on support for audience building and on the sectors' capacity to interact with audiences, for example through media literacy initiatives or new interactive online tools, has the potential to open up more non-national works to the public.

How will Creative Europe differ from the current Culture, MEDIA and MEDIA Mundus programmes? Will these names disappear?

Creative Europe will combine the current separate support mechanisms for the culture and audiovisual sectors in Europe in a one-stop shop open to all the cultural and creative sectors. However, it will continue to address the particular needs of the audiovisual industry and the other cultural and creative sectors through its specific Culture and MEDIA sub-programmes. These will build on the success of the current Culture and MEDIA programmes and will be adapted to future challenges. MEDIA Mundus, which supports cooperation between European and international professionals and the international distribution of European films, will be integrated into the MEDIA sub-programme.

A single framework programme will maximise synergies between the different sectors and increase efficiency gains.

Creative Europe will include a cross-sectoral strand. What does this involve?

This strand will consist of two parts: the Financial Guarantee Facility, managed by the European Investment Fund and operational as of 2016, will make it easier for small operators to access bank loans. The cross-sectoral strand will also provide support for studies, analysis and better data collection to improve the evidence-base for policy-making, funding for experimental projects to encourage cooperation between the audiovisual and other cultural and creative sectors, and funding for the Creative Europe Desks which provide assistance to applicants.

How will Creative Europe be managed?

Creative Europe will be a simpler, easily recognisable and accessible gateway for European cultural and creative professionals, regardless of their artistic discipline and it will offer support for international activities within and outside the EU. The current system of management, through the Education, Culture and Audiovisual Executive Agency, will continue.

1:

€1.46 billion taking account of estimated inflation. This is the equivalent of €1.3 billion in 'fixed' 2011 prices.