28-11-2011

New EU funds to support cultural and creative sectors

Could you and your creative business use a boost? You might benefit from the new programme ‘Creative Europe’, proposed by the European Commission today. It should give thousands of creative professionals across Europe a chance to reach new audiences, improve their skills and strengthen their organisation’s capacity.

The aim of Creative Europe is big. With a proposed budget of €1,8 billion for the period 2014-2020, 30,000 artists, creative professionals and their work would receive funding to reach new audiences beyond their home countries; more than 1,000 European films would receive distribution support; thousands of cultural organisations and professionals would be able to attend training programmes, and millions of citizens would be reached through projects financed by the initiative.

The European Commission highlights the importance of more investments in the cultural and creative sector, and the contribution it makes to economic growth, employment, innovation and social cohesion. Androulla Vassiliou (Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth): ‘The cultural and creative sectors offer great potential to boost jobs and growth in Europe. EU funding also helps thousands of artists and cultural professionals to reach new audiences. Without this support, it would be difficult or impossible for them to break into new markets.’

Don’t start searching for calls yet - The proposal needs to be approved by the Council (27 member states) and the European Parliament first.

Read more in the leaflet or online