Supporting EU’s cultural and creative sectors: the Council and the European Parliament reach a provisional deal on Creative Europe 2021-2027
The German Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament struck a provisional deal on the Creative Europe programme for 2021-2027. The programme supports European and international co-productions, distribution and sales of audio-visual works in Europe and beyond, development of video games, production of innovative TV content, and translation and promotion of literary works across the EU. Creative Europe also supports European cinema festivals, the music sector and heritage and architecture protection projects, as well as special actions such as the European Capitals of Culture, the European Heritage Label and the European Union Prize for Literature.
The budget of Creative Europe 2021-2027 comprises a financial envelope of €2.24 billion (€1.64 billion in current prices and an additional allocation of €600 million in 2018 prices).
Culture is at the heart of European cohesion. This made it all the more important for us during the German Presidency to set the course for the cultural and creative industries for the coming years under the Creative Europe programme. With its increased budget and enhanced focus on cross-border cooperation, the programme will play an even greater role in the further development of European culture, identity and diversity. Our goal is to develop new opportunities for European artists and creatives, as well as to ensure new jobs and strong growth in the cultural and creative sectors.
Monika Grütters, Minister of State for Culture and the Media
The programme covers three distinct strands:
- CULTURE strand
- MEDIA strand
- CROSS-SECTORAL strand
Priorities
The priorities of the CULTURE strand include the strengthening of the transnational cooperation and the cross-border dimension of creation, circulation and visibility of European works, as well as the promotion of capacity building of the European cultural and creative sectors, including grass-roots and micro-organisations, in order to enable them to be active at the international level.
The MEDIA strand of the programme will aim, among other things, to stimulate cross-border cooperation, mobility and innovation in the creation and production of European audiovisual works, as well as to enhance their circulation, promotion, online and theatrical distribution within and outside the EU in the new digital environment.
The CROSS-SECTORAL strand will prioritise actions to support cross-sectoral transnational policy cooperation on promoting the role of culture for social inclusion and on artistic freedom, among other things. It will also promote activities aiming at adapting to the structural and technological changes faced by the media, including enhancing a free, diverse and pluralistic media environment, quality journalism and media literacy.
European added value
The European added value is a key ingredient of the activities supported by Creative Europe 2021-2027, which are supposed to complement regional, national, international and other Union programmes and policies. The programme aims to support European talent, wherever located, to operate across borders and internationally. It also takes into account the differences across countries regarding audiovisual content production, distribution, and access and consumption trends, and, in particular, their linguistic and geographical specificities. The objectives of Creative Europe 2021-2027 will be pursued in a way that encourages inclusion, equality, diversity and participation.
Background and next steps
The current Creative Europe programme runs from 2014 to 2020. The Commission presented the proposal for the new period in May 2018. The partial general approach of the Council was adopted in December 2018.
The provisional agreement will now be submitted to EU member states’ ambassadors for endorsement. The adoption of the Creative Europe regulation for 2021-2027 will follow at a later stage.
