Creative Europe 2021-2027: Contact your local authorities

In May 2018, the European Commission published its proposal for the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, including the Creative Europe programme 2021-2027. In the proposal, its budget amounts to € 1 642 million (the budget of the current one is € 1 403 million).

The Budget Committee proposed € 2 806 million for the programme, and this position was confirmed in the Parliament’s resolution on 14 November 2018.

The European Parlimant's Creative Europe report (by rapporteur Silvia Costa, S&D) was unanimously adopted in the Culture Committee on the 20th of February. The rapporteur put forward the recognition of the intrinstic value of culture, double increase of the budget, safeguarding the freedom of artistic expression, mobility of artists and circulation of works.

Both the Parliament and the Commission have expressed their willingness to make an effort to reach agreement on the package before the May 2019 European elections. Meeting this deadline would help allow the new programmes to start without delay on 1 January 2021. However, on 13 December 2018 the European Council decided to continue work at the level of the Council with a view to achieving an agreement only in autumn 2019.

The Austrian Presidency of the Council has put forward the Partial general approach* on the future Creative Europe, which will be the guiding document for the Council's position during the negotiations with the European Parliament and the Commission in autumn 2019. All provisions with budgetary implications have been set aside in the document pending further progress on the MFF negotiations.

On 7 February, the Committee of the Regions also issued its opinion on Creative Europe and the new Agenda for Culture.

At this point, you can reach out to your national Ministers of Finances and Foreign Affairs and convince them that Creative Europe should continue in 2021-2027 and support many more projects than it currently does. You can use the template letters we drafted for you: in English, French and Portuguese.

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*Once a Commission proposal has been received by the Council, the text is examined simultaneously by the Council and the European Parliament. This examination is known as a 'reading'. There can be up to three readings before the Council and the Parliament agree on or reject a legislative proposal.

The Council may sometimes adopt a political agreement pending first reading position of the Parliament, also known as a 'general approach'. A general approach agreed in the Council can help to speed up the legislative procedure and even facilitate an agreement between the two institutions.