Brussels, 03/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - The 39 member organisations of the Federation of European Film Directors (FERA) have given their backing to Creative Europe, highlighting the positive impact of the MEDIA and Culture programmes in the audiovisual and cultural sectors in Europe. The Creative Europe programme “could play a crucial part in helping our sectors adapt to the digital shift. It provides the means and the tools to tackle challenges and seize opportunities”, argue European film makers. FERA also backs the European Commission's proposal for a 37% increase in the budget enjoyed by current programmes, though it points out that this is still a minuscule proportion (0.002%) of the total EU budget. Before adopting the programme, political decision-makers should ensure that: the new scheme reserves a fair share of the budget for each sector; all players have equal access to the available funding; the culture and media sectors remain independent to preserve their respective natures. At the Nordic Council Culture Ministers meeting in Oslo on 29 April, more than 100 cultural organisations called for Creative Europe to be supported, ahead of the discussion on the programme to be held by EU ministers at the next Culture Council in Brussels on 10 May. The Nordic countries' cultural organisations support the programme put forward by the Commission and encourage their governments to back the proposal at the ministerial meting and to improve national policies for culture to give more opportunities to Nordic cultural operators to access EU funding. They also call for greater cooperation at official levels. Last week, several European audiovisual and cinema organisations came out in support of Creative Europe (see EUROPE 10602). (IL/transl.rt)