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Shaping Europe’s digital future

Creative Europe MEDIA Programme

The MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe programme is designed to support European film and other audiovisual industries.

    Banner for 30 years of the MEDIA programme

What is Creative Europe MEDIA Programme?

Creative Europe is the EU programme supporting the cultural and creative sectors. The new Creative Europe 2021-2027, with a budget of €2.44 billion, will invest in actions that reinforce cultural diversity and respond to the needs and challenges of the cultural and creative sectors. Its novelties will contribute to the recovery of these sectors, reinforcing their efforts to become more digital, greener, more resilient and more inclusive.

The programme is split in three different strands: MEDIA, CULTURE and CROSS-SECTORAL.

In 2021, the MEDIA programme celebrated 30 years of support to European audiovisual content and started a new programme for the 2021-2027 period, which supporting actions are divided in 4 thematic clusters, according to the goals they pursue:

  1. content: encouraging collaboration and innovation in the creation and production of high-quality works.
  2. business: promoting business innovation, competitiveness, scalability and talents to strengthen Europe’s industry vis-à-vis global competitors.
  3. audience: strengthening the accessibility and visibility of works for their potential audiences, through distribution channels and audience development initiatives.
  4. policy: supporting policy discussion/exchange fora, studies and reports. Promoting awareness-raising activities.

The MEDIA strand focuses on:

  • encouraging cooperation both across the value chain and at EU level in order to scale up audio-visual enterprises and European content globally;
  • nurturing talents, wherever they come from, and broadening participation and collaboration across countries;
  • enhancing global circulation, promotion and distribution of European audiovisual works, taking into account the new digital environment;
  • supporting the engagement and development of audiences of all ages, in particular young audiences, across Europe and beyond.

MEDIA in 2022

Every year, the Commissions develops an Annual Work Programme for the implementation of the Creative Europe Programme. The budget for the 2022 Creative Europe is €385.6 million, of which €226.5 million will be devoted to its MEDIA sub-programme, an increase of 31% compared to 2021.

With the objective to raise the competitiveness and the economic potential of the audiovisual and news media sector, MEDIA has been strengthened by adding new actions to its programme and by focusing on increasing cooperation at EU level, through support to co-productions, structured networks and partnerships.

View the 2022 Annual Work Programme

2022 Creative Europe MEDIA calls will be published here

Why?

The digital revolution and the COVID-19 crisis have reshaped the audiovisual sector. New issues arose as key challenges, such as the protection of intellectual property, securing access to finance in a rapidly changing sector and ensuring the proper distribution of works.

The objective of Creative Europe is to focus on initiatives that can have a real impact on the sector across Europe. This impact can come either from supporting individual works and initiatives that promote new skills in the sector or initiatives in favour of international cooperation in the sector.

In addition, the programme promotes efforts and best practices that contribute to the achievement of key European Commission priorities such as the Green Deal, inclusiveness and gender balance.

At a time when museums, cinemas, cultural heritage sites, theatres, all start to reopen, I want to reiterate the Commission's support for the cultural and creative sectors. With an increased budget, Creative Europe will strive to reinforce the recovery of the sectors while promoting the immense diversity and creativity that they offer us.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

Where can I find out more?

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