Culture, EU – Baltic States, Funds, Modern EU
International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics
Tuesday, 19.03.2024, 09:56
Promoting “creative business”: Commission’s proposal for the next budget
Present Commission’s “Creative Europe” program expires at the
end of 2020; the proposal for a new program goes in line with the "Investing
in people" chapter of the EU's long-term budget proposal. Its main
objective is to promote European culture that contributes to a European
identity. The new programme will also empower citizens by promoting and
protecting fundamental rights and values and to create opportunities for
engagement and democratic participation in political and civil society.
On the EU budget see: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-3570_en.htm
European support to culture and the audiovisual sector has
been provided through various funding programmes for many years. The Creative
Europe programme 2014-20 constitutes a unique platform for coordinated and
constructive support to cultural and creative sectors across the continent. The
new proposed programme builds on the experiences and sets out to continue and
strengthen well working elements. It also builds on the 2018 European Year
of Cultural Heritage which aims to raise awareness of Europe's shared yet
diverse heritage, and to strengthen European identity.
On European Year of Cultural Heritage see: https://europa.eu/cultural-heritage/
Commission’s opinion
Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, said that the
digital environment has transformed European
cultural landscape, bringing new challenges and opportunities to Europe's
cultural and creative sectors. “We want EU authors, creators and producers to
make the most out of these new digital opportunities”, he underlined.
Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics added that
culture had been always been at center of EU activities, as it helps to unite
Europeans. The cultural and creative sectors also have a crucial role in
driving economic and social development, and they enable the EU states to build
strong international relations. He called on all EU states and the European
Parliament to back this approach.
Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel underlined
that the Commission’s support for the
cultural sectors is essential in helping Europe's industry foster its
competitiveness. For example, strong audiovisual sector, which can be achieved
through Creative Europe's MEDIA programme, will bolster European culture,
identity and diversity, and will help reinforce EU’s common values of media
freedom and pluralism.
All citations from: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-3950_en.htm
New proposal: main items
The Commission's proposal to reinforce the EU's cultural and
creative sectors is focused on three areas: Media (the Creative Europe program
to support the EU's film and other audiovisual industries), culture and cross-sectoral
action:
1. Media: Over €1 bln will fund audiovisual projects and stimulate
competitiveness in the European audiovisual sector in. The MEDIA programme will
continue to support the development, distribution and promotion of European
films, TV programmes and video games. More money will be invested in the
international promotion and distribution of European works and innovative
storytelling, including virtual reality. An online directory of EU films will
be created to reinforce the accessibility and visibility of European works.
2. Culture: About €609 mln will be allocated to promoting Europe's cultural and
creative sectors. Cooperation projects, networks and platforms will be set up
to connect talented artists across Europe and make it easier for creators to
cooperate across borders.
3. Across cultural & media sectors: €160 mln will fund SMEs and other
organisations working in the cultural and creative sectors. The funding will
also be used to promote cultural policy cooperation across the EU, to promote
free, diverse and pluralistic media environment, as well as supporting
qualitative journalism and media literacy.
Culture has a positive role to play in reinforcing the
resilience of European society in general and the member states economy. Due to
digitisation and global competition, stronger support is needed for the
European cultural and creative sectors. More can be done to stimulate
cross-border productions, to ensure that European works are more widely
distributed, and to ensure that the member states are making the most out of
digital technology, while maintaining Europe's cultural and linguistic
diversity.
The Commission is proposing an increase of funding for the
Creative Europe program due to the need for reinforcing European culture and
creativity, stimulating and supporting media freedom and pluralism, which are crucial
for maintaining open, inclusive and creative societies.
Next steps
A swift agreement on the overall long-term EU budget and its
sectoral proposals is essential to ensure that EU funds start delivering
results on the ground as soon as possible.
New long-term budget shall be adopted without delays, as thousands
of cultural and creative organisations, networks and/or business would not be
able to start their projects on time. Festivals featuring European movies or
European music may also face financial troubles and thousands of audiovisual
professionals would be unable to attend Creative Europe-funded projects.
An agreement on the next long-term budget in 2019 would
provide for a smooth transition from the current budget (2014-20) to the new
one and would ensure predictability and continuity of funding for the Creative
Europe program.
More Information in the following websites:
- Legal
proposal and factsheet;
General source at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-3950_en.htm;
Latvian version at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-3950_lv.htm.