13/07/2025
๐ดCreative Europe programme is at risk. The European Commission wants to merge Creative Europe with other programs.
๐ดAct now. Swinging Europe - The European Swing Network, Lindy Hop Bulgaria and Swing in Greece have signed Culture Action Europeโs petition.
Culture Action Europe is a pan-European network that brings together 260 cultural networks, organisations, artists, and activists from 35 European countries.
๐ดSign here (It's free. Link also in the comments of this original post on SEN's FB Page):
https://cultureactioneurope.org/projects/cultureactionnow/endorse-the-campaign/
๐ปMerging a stand-alone programme with others means less opportunities for the Cultural and Creative Sectors to sustain initiatives and projects, such as Swinging Europe- The European Swing Network, which has been creating impact in the Swing Music and Swing Dance Sector for three consecutive funding circles since 2017:
(Read here: https://swingingeurope.eu/project/).
It jeopardises Creative Europeโs visibility, focus and impact.
Creative Europe boosts the competitiveness of Europeโs cultural and creative sectors, encourages democratic participation in culture and strengthens social cohesion.
https://creativesunite.eu/article/let-culture-lead-us-forward
๐ด"The European cultural sector has come together to call on the European Commissioni, European Parliament and Member States to reinforce the Creative Europe programme in the next EU long-term budget (MFF, Multi-annual Financial Framework), which is 16/7/2025.
๐ดThe open letter has been endorsed by 70+ European associations, collectively representing close to 20.000 organisations active across the performing arts, music, literature, architecture, heritage, visual arts, audiovisual, and media sectors throughout Europe. In addition, 200+ national cultural organisations have expressed their support for the initiative.
๐ดCreative Europe is the EUโs only programme fully dedicated to culture and the creative sectors. Yet it represents a tiny fraction of the EU budget. Doubling the budget of Creative Europe would be a modest investment financially, but a powerful signal of commitment to the values of solidarity, creativity, and European identity.
๐ดAcross Europe, cultural organisations are under pressure: facing cuts, inflation, and increasingly constrained freedoms. If we want artists and institutions to continue inspiring, connecting and challenging our societies, we must give them the means to do so.
๐ปThatโs why the sector is coming together to urge the European institutions and member states to:
๐ปSupport a stand-alone Creative Europe programme in the next MFF;
๐ปDouble the budget of Creative Europe to reflect its real value and potential impact;
๐ปDefend culture as a strategic investment in the future of Europe.
๐ดCulture is how Europe speaks to its citizens and to the world. Letโs give it the place and the support it deserves.".
(source: Creatives Unite)
Further actions (source: Culture Action Europe)
๐ด "1. Write to your national finance ministers and call for an independent Creative Europe programme and a minimum of 2% for culture in the next EU budget. You will find templates and instructions to make this simple that have been created by Culture Action Europe.
๐ด2. Endorse two campaigns demanding concrete action
๐ด Ask, Pay, Trust, which calls on EU leaders to recognise, fairly fund, and trust artists and cultural professionals
๐ดLet Culture Lead Us Forward, which urges the EU to double the Creative Europe budget and treat culture as a strategic investment in Europeโs future.
๐ดFurther reading post by Culture Action Europe:
๐ป "The ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น for 2028โ2034 is available. It outlines the main structure and objectives, but no budget figures yet!
๐ป๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ'๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ: https://ow.ly/IS4g50WnsN0
Our main findings:
๐ป1.โ โ The ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ:
1) Creative Europeโs Culture strand;
2) Creative Europeโs MEDIA+ strand;
3) Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme as a third strand.
๐ป2.โ โ The Cross-Sectoral strand is absent. Instead, the proposal introduces cross-cutting and horizontal priorities and activities, with Programme Desks (=Creative Europe Desks) mentioned among them.
๐ปStill, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐: ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ธ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ?
๐ป3.โ โ The ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป. Based on the proposed objectives of the Culture strand, the next programme will probably retain key schemes such as cooperation projects, networks, platforms, mobility, European Capitals of Culture, and the European Heritage Label. However, actions targeting specific cultural sectors (like music) are uncertain or not clearly mentioned.
๐ป4.โ โ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐. The proposal states that the implementation of the โCultureโ strand shall fully respect artistic freedom and contribute to improving working conditions for artists and cultural professionals. Might be new conditionality in the future.
๐ป5.โ โ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐น๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐๐๐บ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐๐ as the default funding method. Actual cost reimbursement will only be allowed where the objectives of an action cannot be achieved otherwise.
๐ป6.โ โ The proposal connects the ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐. Under the Fundโs โDigital Leadershipโ pillar, support for the creative industries is planned, complementing Creative Europe.
๐ป7.โ โ ๐ก๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ-๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ. The Commission proposes that monitoring and reporting for this programme follow the unified requirements set out in the new Horizontal Performance Regulation. Unlike the current regulation, no specific annex with programme indicators is included.
๏ฟผ
๐ป๐ง๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ:
The total budget of the programme and how it will be divided between strands is still unknown. In the current Creative Europe programme, allocations are fixed in the regulation. The Culture strand receives 33% of the total, amounting to around โฌ800 million over seven years. Whether this fixed share will be preservedโand how large it will beโremains an open question".
(source: Culture Action Europe)
