Minister Martin welcomes launch of the EU Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027 with a budget of €2.44 billion to support the Culture, Audiovisual and Media Sectors

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., welcomes the launch of the EU Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027 with a budget of €2.44 billion to support the culture, audiovisual and media sectors.

Minister Martin said:

“I encourage the culture, audiovisual and media sectors in Ireland to fully engage with the funding, partnership, training and networking opportunities presented by the Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027. The Programme offers not alone funding to support the recovery and sustainability of these vital sectors of our society but also the important opportunities to achieve closer co-operation with partner organisations across Europe. I am also pleased to see the inclusion of schemes to support a free and pluralistic media environment and the emphasis placed on cross cutting objectives to support gender equality, greening, inclusivity and diversity.”

The Creative Europe Programme is the EU’s central programme which aims to foster artistic and cultural cooperation across Europe in the fields of literature, music, architecture, cultural heritage, design, cultural tourism and more, as well as a scheme for mobility of individual artists. It also aims to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of the European audiovisual sector through support for slate projects, co-productions, structured networks, high-quality TV series, in addition to gaming and virtual reality experiences. There are also schemes to support training, distribution of audiovisual content and audience development.

For the first time, the Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027 will also operate a scheme and issue calls for the news media sector, with a focus on promoting media literacy, pluralism, press freedom and quality journalism. Objectives that are woven across the programme include a commitment to greening, gender balance and inclusivity.

Irish organisations can apply to avail of the €300 million funding which is to be allocated in 2021 to schemes across the cultural, audiovisual and news media sectors with EU co-financing rates for some schemes as high as 80%.

Ireland has already achieved many successes through the previous Creative Europe programme 2014-2020 with over €13 million awarded to Irish audiovisual companies and €5 million to cultural and artistic organisations.

Audiovisual recipients have included Cartoon Saloon for Wolfwalkers, Element Pictures for The Killing of a Scared Deer, Fantastic Films for Sea Fever and Vivarium and Dead Pan Productions for TV series Dead Still. Cultural and artistic recipients have included The Ark children’s cultural centre for The Big Bang Festival, Waterford Walls for Murals for Communities, Blue Teapot Theatre Company for Trasna na Líne and the Glucksman Gallery for Voyage Inside a Blind Experience.

Minister Martin concluded:

“I would really encourage organisations to examine the various schemes under the new Creative Europe Programme and apply to this Programme which has provided such huge benefits and opportunities for the many previous successful applicants from Ireland.”

Full information on the programme and supports is available through Ireland’s dedicated Creative Europe Desk - https://www.creativeeuropeireland.eu/

Notes

Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027

The Creative Europe programme 2021-2027, the European Union’s flagship programme to support the cultural, creative and audiovisual sectors, and with a budget of €2.44 billion, an increase from €1.47 billion under the programme 2014-2020, is divided into three sub-programmes:

Culture to support the cultural and creative sector;
Media to support the audiovisual sector; and,
Cross-sectoral to support common opportunities and address common challenges for the cultural and audiovisual sectors. Cross-sectoral also includes the newly introduced schemes for the news media sector.

Main objectives of Creative Europe

The two main objectives of Creative Europe are to:

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

Key aspects of Culture Sub-Programme

Support to cultural cooperation projects, networks of professional organisations, platforms for the promotion of European artists and works, individual mobility scheme.
Sector-specific support for music, book & publishing, cultural heritage and architecture as well as other sectors.
Special actions to reward and promote excellence and creativity such as awards for literature, music, architecture and cultural heritage, European Capitals of Culture, and the European Heritage Label.

Key aspects of Media Sub-Programme

Audiovisual funding schemes include support for: European Co-development for Animation, Creative Documentary or Fiction project for Cinema, TV and Digital Platforms; Film Festivals; TV & Online Content; Markets & Networks.

Key aspects of Cross Sectoral Sub-programme

News media: supporting media literacy, quality journalism, media freedom and pluralism
Transnational policy cooperation: promoting knowledge of the programme and supporting the transferability of results.
Creative Innovation Labs: promoting innovative approaches to content creation, access, distribution and promotion across cultural and creative sectors.

Ireland’s results under Creative Europe Programme 2014-2020

Culture

Under the Culture sub-programme, 68 Irish organisations involved in co-operation projects received direct funding of just over €5 million.
Irish cultural organisations partnered in projects with organisations in 34 other countries out of a possible 41.
These projects took place across every region in Ireland, engaging with local communities. The successful projects covered a range of art-forms including visual arts, dance, music, theatre, literature, circus, craft, design and cultural heritage.
Some of the highlights included the street arts project Murals for Communities, led by Waterford City and County Council; the Limerick-based visual arts project Memory of Water with Irish partner Ormston House; and The Ark presenting the first music festival for young people, with the large-scale Big Bang Project.
Individual artists have benefitted directly as well. As part of the CULTURE programme, 12 individual artists were awarded funding under the Artist Mobility Award i-Portunus, travelling to Germany, Portugal, Serbia and Denmark, and working in theatre, visual arts, dance, music, architecture and curatorial practice.

Media

Between 2014 and 2020, over €13 million was awarded to Irish companies through MEDIA, with direct funding going to Irish companies across the film, documentary, animation, TV and video games sectors.
MEDIA funding awards helped the Irish audiovisual sector to grow and internationalise by investing in the creation of international projects through the Producer Support Schemes, and by giving Irish professionals access to international markets and training. Irish films like Float Like A Butterfly, Katie, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Breadwinner have also been seen across Europe thanks to MEDIA distribution support.
Almost €2 million of this funding was invested in the development of film, TV, video games and Market Access supports. This included €500,000 for Gaeltacht companies for the development of film and TV projects.

Minister Martin welcomes launch of the EU Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027 with a budget of €2.44 billion to support the Culture, Audiovisual and Media Sectors

Notes

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