18/05/2026 (Agence Europe) – Fifteen European Union countries (Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain) have highlighted “the major role played by cinema and the audiovisual sector in shaping our collective imagination” and the influence of the European Union “beyond our borders”, in a joint article published in the newspaper Le Monde on Sunday 17 May, on the fringes of the Cannes Festival – where 19 selected films were funded by the EU’s Media programme. “Faced with the risk of standardised narratives”, they emphasise “the essential role of independent production as a guarantor of cultural diversity”. And they are committed to giving all the cultural and creative sectors, in particular the audiovisual, film and media sectors, “real budgetary visibility” under the future AgoraEU programme for the period 2028-2034 (see EUROPE 13867/19). (MB)