Brussels, 23/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Many people working in the cinema, television, culture, music, the performing arts, heritage and related areas will soon benefit from increased EU support. On Wednesday 23 November, the European Commission adopted a communication and proposed regulation aiming to establish the new programme, Creative Europe.
With a budget of €1.8 billion for the period 2014-2020, the proposed programme aims to give a shot in the arm to the cultural and creative sectors, which are an important source of work and growth in Europe. More than €900 million in aid will go to the cinematographic and audiovisual sector (currently covered by the MEDIA programme) and nearly €500 million to culture.
The Commission is also proposing to grant more than €210 million to a new fund designed to guarantee bank loans to small operators of up to €1 billion, and some €60 million for political cooperation and fostering innovative approaches to audience building and new business models.
If the proposed Creative Europe is adopted as it stands by the European Parliament and the Council, it will allow:
- 300,000 artists and cultural professionals to benefit from financial support to reach new audiences outside their country of origin; - more than 1,000 European films to receive distribution support, allowing them to be distributed throughout Europe and the world; - at least 2,500 cinemas in Europe to receive aid to ensure that at least 50% of the films they screen are European; - more than 5,500 books and other literary works to be translated, so that readers can enjoy them in their mother tongue; - thousands of cultural organisations and professionals to benefit from training to gain new skills and strengthen their ability to work internationally; - at least 100 million people to be reached via the projects funded by the programme.
The budget of €1.8 billion proposed for Creative Europe represents a 37% increase compared to the budget of the programmes it takes over from, which are MEDIA (€775 million), MEDIA Mundus (€15 million) and Culture (€400 million). (OL/transl.fl)