European Parliament approves the new Creative Europe, EU’s culture programme

21 May 2021 | From UNICA - Funding

Last Wednesday, May 19, MEPs adopted Creative Europe, the EU’s programme for culture and the audiovisual sector, and the EU’s biggest ever financial commitment. The new programme will put more focus on music, inclusivity and promotion of female talent and will support news media for the first time.

With an investment of 2.5 billion euro (in current prices), the budget almost doubled when compared to 2014-2020. This follows the MEPs recognition of the importance of the continent’s cultural sector, and it’s support to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic which has left many music and cultural venues across Europe closed.

Alongside the significant increase in funding, MEPs secured greater focus on inclusion, on support for contemporary and live music sectors that are among those hit hardest by the pandemic, and higher co-financing rates for small-scale projects. MEPs were also successful in including an obligation for the programme to promote female talent and support women’s artistic and professional careers. Women are still underrepresented in decision-making positions in cultural, artistic and creative institutions.

UNICA embraces this step forward towards stronger cultural and creative sectors in Europe. As the Network of universities acting as a catalyst for the advancement, integration and cooperation of Member Universities throughout Europe, UNICA believes that cultural, artistic & creative expression and education & research are deeply intertwined and share a common goal in achieving social understanding, global collaboration, and sustainable development.