The European Commission has launched new actions in support of the cultural and creative sectors in Europe and in the rest of the world, following the adoption of the work programme for the first year of the Creative Europe 2021-2027 programme. In 2021, Creative Europe will allocate an unprecedented budget of approximately €300 million, to help professionals and artists from all cultural sectors to collaborate on an interdisciplinary and cross-border level as a way to gain more opportunities and reach new audiences. Today’s adoption of these new guidelines opens the way for the first calls for proposals under the new programme, which will be open to all organisations active in the relevant cultural and creative sectors. The total budget of the programme is €2.4 billion over 7 years, an increase of 63% over the previous budget. Creative Europe also aims to increase the competitiveness of cultural sectors, while supporting their commitment to becoming greener, more digital and more inclusive. Particular attention shall be paid to strengthening the resilience and recovery of cultural and creative sectors in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the year 2021, the Creative Europe programme shall set common objectives for the cultural and creative sectors: it shall place greater emphasis on transnational creation, global circulation and the promotion of European works, cross-sectoral innovation and easy access to finance through higher EU co-financing rates. In the design and implementation of their activities, all actions and projects financed must respect gender equality and EU environmental commitments.
Within the framework of Creative Europe, the MEDIA sub-programme supports the development and distribution of international films and audio-visual works in Europe and worldwide. It helps cultivate talent and manages targeted actions to improve media literacy, pluralism and freedom. The programme will continue to promote European cultural and linguistic diversity.
Actions under the Creative Europe programme include:
- a scheme to support the translation of literary works and the development of publishing partnerships;
- EU prizes in the fields of literature, music, architecture and cultural heritage, as well as "European Capitals of Culture" and "European Heritage Label" initiatives;
- strengthening the accessibility and visibility of European audio-visual works beyond platforms and borders;
- the Laboratory for Creative Innovation, which encourages innovative approaches to the creation, access, distribution and promotion of content in different sectors;
- the promotion of media literacy, pluralism and freedom as European values.