20/12/2012 - The culture commission approves a new programme for the creative and cultural sectors within the 2014-2020 cultural plan

The Creative Europe programme was approved by the Culture Commission in the European Parliament, with 22 out of 24 votes in favour.

For the dossier’s relator, Silvia Costa, this almost unanimous vote recognised “the strategic importance of the cultural sector. A concrete and important response for the sector which contributes 5% of the Union’s GDP and gives work to 3.8% of European citizens.”

Among the programme’s novelties are a more precise definition and a larger amount of autonomy for the creative and cultural sectors, as well as the audiovisual one, all of which are under the Culture Programme and Media Programme umbrellas. 

The Culture Programme will continue its support towards festivals, improve measures in support of travelling artists and bodies of work, and put value on the role of training and media and digital education. Together with new measures on subtitles for audiovisual pieces of work, Media will help develop the digitalisation of the audiovisual industry, in order to support widespread distribution in cinemas as well as online.

“While putting value on the novelty of a more integrated and transversal approach within the Creative Europe programme,” Silvia Costa explained, “we wanted to maintain and consolidate the Media brand known and appreciated by sector workers over the last twenty years.”

For Marco Scurria, “beyond the clear contribution to the GDP, the sector undoubtedly has positive consequences on tourism and should play an essential part in the promotion of entrepreneurial spirit. The proposed budget is of €1.8 billion for the 2014-2020 period, a 37% increase compared to current spending levels.” 

The programme aims to focus on the cultural and creative sectors’ needs with the goal of transcending national borders and promoting cultural and linguistic diversity, Scurria underlined. “The programme will be integrated with other EU programmes, like the structural funds for investments in the culture and creative sectors, the restoration of national heritage, the cultural services infrastructure, the funds for the digitalisation of heritage, and the instruments in the field of external relations.” 

(Translated from Italian)