Creative Europe

Creative Europe

Company type	Incentive
Industry	Bank
Founded	2012
Headquarters	City of Brussels, Belgium
Parent	Independent (2012-2013) European Union (2013-present)

Creative Europe is a funding programme established by the European Union to support the cultural, creative, and audiovisual sectors across Europe. The main objectives of the programme are:

• safeguard, develop and promote European cultural and linguistic diversity and heritage
• increase the competitiveness and economic potential of the cultural and creative sectors, in particular the audio-visual sector

The programme aims to promote cultural diversity, creativity, and competitiveness while safeguarding and promoting Europe's rich cultural heritage.^[1] It facilitates cross-border cooperation and mobility for artists and cultural professionals within the EU and beyond.

In its first programme period from 2014 to 2020, Creative Europe had a budget of €1.46 billion. For the second phase spanning 2021 to 2027, the budget was increased to €2.44 billion to further bolster the cultural and creative industries.^[2]

Creative Europe comprises three main strands:

1. The Culture strand - Supporting cross-border cooperation projects involving performers, artists, cultural professionals, cultural institutions, and organizations in a wide range of cultural and creative sectors (including among others performing arts, visual arts, literature, cultural heritage, architecture and other areas).^[3]
2. The MEDIA strand - Strengthening the competitiveness and promotion of the European audiovisual industry through development, distribution, training, and other measures.^[4]
3. The Cross-sectoral Strand - Facilitating collaboration across creative sectors and covering news media sector.^[5]

Creative Europe for 2021-2027 introduces several key innovations compared to the previous programme period. There is an increased emphasis on transnational creative projects and innovative approaches across the cultural and creative sectors. Access to funding has been facilitated through higher co-financing rates, with greater contribution levels from Creative Europe for selected projects. For the audiovisual industry specifically, the programme prioritizes support for EU-wide cooperation to bolster its global competitiveness. A new mobility scheme aims to promote the cross-border movement of artists and cultural professionals. Additionally, the actions and initiatives have been tailored to address sector-specific needs and challenges facing different creative disciplines.^[6]