Culture and audiovisual : celebrating Europe's cultural diversity.
Date: 2013-10-25
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communication
Subjects: audiovisual programme, cultural policy, cultural promotion, dissemination of EU information, public awareness campaign

T h e  eu r o p e a n   
un i o n  
e x p l a i n e d

Celebrating 
europe’s 
cultural 
diversity

Culture and 
audiovisual

Eu r op e’s   cul t ural   an d  c reat ive  s e c t or s 
ar e  ke y  c on tr ib uto rs   to   th e  ec o n o my 
and   em p l oy me nt

Contents 

Why we need a european  
culture and audiovisual policy  .  .  .  .  . .  3

how the eu goes about it .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  4

What the eu does  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

 6

outlook
Setting our sights on the future  .  .  .  .  .  . .  11

Find out more  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  12

the eU explained: Culture and audiovisual

European Commission
Directorate-General for Communication
Publications
1049 Brussels
BELGIUM

Manuscript completed in June 2013

Cover and page 2 picture: © iStockphoto — scanrail
12 pp. — 21 × 29.7 cm
ISBN 978-92-79-24685-2 
doi:10.2775/83639

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 
2013

© European Union, 2013
Reproduction is authorised. For any use or reproduction 
of individual photos, permission must be sought directly 
from the copyright holders.

the eUropean Union 
explained

This publication is a part of a series that explains  
what the EU does in different policy areas,  
why the EU is involved and what the results are.

You can see online which ones are available  
and download them at:
http://europa.eu/pol/index_en.htm

How the EU works
Europe 2020: Europe’s growth strategy
The founding fathers of the EU

Agriculture
Borders and security
Budget
Climate action
Competition
Consumers

Culture and audiovisual 

Customs
Development and cooperation
Digital agenda
Economic and monetary union and the euro
Education, training, youth and sport
Employment and social affairs
Energy
Enlargement
Enterprise
Environment
Fight against fraud
Fisheries and maritime affairs 
Food safety
Foreign affairs and security policy
Humanitarian aid and civil protection
Internal market
Justice, citizenship, fundamental rights
Migration and asylum
Public health 
Regional policy
Research and innovation
Taxation
Trade
Transport

3

Why we need a european culture   
and audiovisual policy

Fostering a wealth of culture and 
creativity

The rapidly changing pace of technology presents 
both opportunities and challenges for Europe’s 
creative industries. The European Union is committed 
to helping all those involved in the sectors — from 
local communities celebrating their cultural 
heritage to the producers of an award-winning 
film — to embrace the chances that come their 
way and overcome the obstacles they face.

The challenges are significant. New Member States 
bring a wealth of diversity, but linguistic and cultural 
differences lead to market fragmentation. The 
global economic crisis makes it more difficult to 
finance the creative sector. New digital technologies 
are having a great impact on traditional ways of 
distribution — vast content libraries have come 
off the shelves and onto hard drives, but it is 
difficult to build sustainable business models.

a creative boost to more than just the 
economy

Europe’s cultural and creative sectors contribute to 
economic growth, employment, innovation and social 
cohesion.

The benefit of an eu-wide approach

The countries in the European Union all have their 
own way of dealing with issues relating to culture and 
audiovisual. The work done by the EU complements that 
and adds a different dimension.

Information gathered from the EU as a whole can be 
used to support national policy decisions or provide 
examples of best practice that others can share. 
Programmes run across the EU can have a greater 
overall impact than those just run on national grounds, 
and policies put in place throughout the EU can help 
further national goals.

The eu culture programme enhances our shared 
cultural heritage. This EU-wide programme not only 
supports cultural actions generally, but also provides a 
platform to set up cultural organisations with European-
level expertise and promote intercultural dialogue.

A single market for audiovisual media and the 
establishment of a safer Internet programme to protect 
children online across the EU are just two ways in which 
an EU-wide approach can go further than tackling 
such issues at national level. The MEDIA and MEDIA 
Mundus programmes complement national funding to 
strengthen European cinema, increase the circulation 
of new films and make the audiovisual sector more 
competitive.

The sectors represent around 4.5 % of European GDP 
and account for some 3.8 % of the EU workforce  
(8.5 million people). Overall employment in creative 
sectors increased by an average of 3.5 % a year in the 
period 2000–07 compared to 1 % a year for the total 
EU economy.

TV remains the foremost source of information and 
entertainment in Europe, with most homes having a 
television and the average European watching up to 
4 hours a day. Audiovisual content is also increasingly 
provided through on-demand services.

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European diversity is a melting pot for creativity.

Culture and audiovisual 
 
 
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how the eU goes about it

More achieved by working together

Grassroots projects to enhance cultural tourism, urban 
regeneration in culturally significant areas, support for 
the distribution of independent films — all these and 
many other goals are best achieved when organisations 
at different levels combine efforts.

The European Commission doesn’t work in isolation, 
but builds on the support from, and contributes to the 
effort of, other groups. Here are some examples of how 
the Commission’s ideas complement the work of other 
organisations.

Cooperating on culture

The national level: National authorities, EU institutions 
and the cultural sector across Europe have been 
working closely together since 2007 to promote:

•	 cultural	diversity	and	dialogue	between	cultures;

•	 culture	as	a	catalyst	for	creativity	and	innovation;

•	 culture	as	part	of	the	EU’s	international	relations.

National authorities can appoint representatives to EU-
wide expert groups to discuss and establish examples 
of national and regional best practice. They can also 
suggest ways to cooperate on priority areas.

european institutions combining efforts: Many regions 
and cities see how culture and the creative sectors can 
boost their economic competitiveness and create jobs. 
Support is also offered through the EU Cohesion Fund, a 
special budget to assist the poorer regions in Europe.

involving the wider public in the eu’s cultural vision: 
To benefit economically from our cultural diversity 
and to gain respect and understanding across cultures, 
measures to improve access to culture in education, to 
boost cultural production and to support participation 
need to be included in policies at all levels.

With the aim of making the most of the expertise on 
the ground when it comes to formulating policies, the 
Commission has set up three platforms to promote 
discussion with the cultural sector and independent 

The best ideas come from all four corners of the EU.

organisations. These cover cultural and creative 
industries, intercultural dialogue and access to culture.

independent groups: There are many organisations 
across Europe dedicated to fostering culture. Many are 
gathered under the auspices of Europa Nostra, which 
supports the preservation and promotion of our cultural 
heritage. Around 250 non-governmental and non-profit 
groups, with a combined membership of over 5 million, 
form a network of professionals and volunteers all of 
whom are committed to safeguarding cultural heritage 
for present and future generations.

Cooperating for the benefit of the 
audiovisual sector

The national level: EU Member States support their 
audiovisual industries in a variety of ways with budgets 
allocated from national tax revenues, contributions 
from television and, in some cases, grants from 
lotteries. All have national film institutes or similar 
bodies that support their film industries.

When it comes to film production, there are rules 
that EU Member States have to follow to ensure fair 
competition for all films across the EU, for example 
national aid should in principle not exceed 50 % of the 
production costs.

The european union explained 
 
 
independent groups: There are many organisations set 
up by citizens across the EU to make the audiovisual 
sector more competitive and to foster creativity, such 
as the Federation of European Film Directors (FERA) and 
the European Film Academy.

eu prize For CulTural heriTaGe: Europe has a rich 
heritage, from architectural sites to industrial buildings, 
from art works to historical gardens. The European 
Union Prize for Culture Heritage, the Europa Nostra 
Award, is given annually to outstanding projects that 
preserve, research and raise awareness of our heritage.

5

eu Media prize: The first competition was held in 
2012 with the prize going to the film with the most 
box-office potential submitted by a screenwriter and 
production company. The films are selected from those 
put forward for development support from the MEDIA 
programme.

The european Border BreakerS aWardS: 
Europe’s rich cultural diversity is manifest in its 
emerging musicians. The European Border Breakers 
Awards (EBBAs) celebrate European artists who are 
successful in crossing borders with their first European 
release. The award highlights Europe’s great musical 
talent, encouraging artists to share their music across 
the EU.

european union prize F or liTeraTure: The EU 
Prize for Literature aims at putting the quality and 
diversity of Europe’s contemporary literature in the 
spotlight by promoting greater circulation of literature 
within Europe and by stimulating reader interest in 
non-national literary works. Authors from 37 countries 
participate and can receive support towards the 
translation of their works.

FERA brings together national directors’ guilds. It is 
committed to making sure that the craft, creative and 
economic rights and the artistry of film directors are 
protected.

The European Film Academy has 2 700 members, all 
professionals from the field. They have set up training 
workshops, conferences and other events with the goal 
of building bridges between creativity and industry.

Every year, the various activities of the European Film 
Academy culminate in the ceremony of the European 
Film Awards. Seventeen categories such as Best 
European Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best 
Actor provide the industry with the chance to celebrate 
the best the EU has to offer.

Getting europe’s citizens on board — 
prizes, awards and festivals

Involving citizens around the EU in culture and 
audiovisual expression is vital if we are to achieve the 
goals of inclusion, mutual respect and generation of 
growth brought by the creative industries. Across the 
EU, there are competitions and festivals as well as civic 
programmes, all run with the aim of reaching these 
objectives.

Some examples:

eu prize For ConTeMporary arChiTeCTure:  
Architecture, which can lift our spirits and make our 
lives easier through clever design, touches our daily 
lives on environmental, social and cultural levels. The 
European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture/
Mies van der Rohe Award celebrates the most creative 
and innovative European architects of today and 
tomorrow. The prize is the most prestigious award in 
European architecture.

Handshake between Croatian Writer, Lada Žigo, winner of the 
2012 European Union Prize for Literature, on the left, and 
Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, 
Multilingualism and Youth. 

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Culture and audiovisual 
 
6

how is eu money spent on culture?

Funding covers a variety of projects 
including the following.

 — Projects involving at least three 

organisations from three different 
countries and lasting up to 2 years may 
receive grants of between €50 000 
and €200 000 and need to match that 
money with their own. Under certain 
conditions, non-EU countries can also 
take part in such projects.

 — Projects involving at least six 

organisations from six different 
countries and lasting between 3 and 5 
years may receive grants of between 
€200 000 and €500 000 a year and 
need to match that money with their 
own.

 — Publishing houses can receive grants of 
€2 000 to €60 000 for the translation 
of literary works and need to match 
this with their own funding.

 — The European Capitals of Culture 
receive a grant of €1.5 million.

The culture programme’s main goal is the ‘emergence 
of European citizenship’. A recently published 
evaluation report shows that the large majority of the 
organisations involved in cooperation projects felt that 
their activity had indeed contributed to this goal.

What the eU does

The eu’s culture programme

A budget of €400 million over 7 years is available to 
encourage the circulation of cultural works, to promote 
the mobility of people working in the field of culture 
and to foster intercultural dialogue across Europe.

The European agenda for culture in a globalising world 
promotes:

•	 cultural	diversity	and	intercultural	dialogue;

•	 culture	as	a	catalyst	for	creativity;

•	 culture	as	a	vital	element	in	the	EU’s	international	

relations.

Other EU-funded programmes also provide support: 
since 2007, the European Regional Development 
Fund has allocated €3 billion for the protection and 
preservation of cultural heritage, €2.2 billion for the 
development of cultural infrastructure and €775 million 
to support cultural services. A further €150 million has 
been invested through EU framework programmes for 
research and technological development since 1998.

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The Lions’ Court at the Alhambra in Granada in Spain — 
winner of the Europa Nostra Award 2012.

The european union explained 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7

The Media and Media Mundus 
programmes

With a budget of €755 million, MEDIA support is part 
of the reason that 54 % of all the newly released films 
in 2009 in cinemas across the EU were home-grown, 
European-made movies. This is up from 36 % in 1989.

More than a dozen films, partly funded by MEDIA, have 
gone on to achieve success at the Oscars — The Artist 
(2012), Slumdog Millionaire (2009) and The Pianist 
(2002) are just some of the films that benefited from 
MEDIA support and achieved critical acclaim.

Development funding enables 400 quality European 
projects to be brought to the market each year.

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The MEDIA-supported network Europa Cinema has over 
2 000 screens across 32 countries, boosting cultural 
diversity in 475 cities.

The Europa Cinemas Network boosts the profile of European 
cinema.

Around 1 800 professionals (producers, distributors, 
script-writers) are trained annually thanks to MEDIA, 
helping them to acquire relevant qualifications and 
skills and to benefit from networking opportunities in 
countries across the EU. These networks now make up 
the backbone of the European cinema industry.

The MEDIA Production Guarantee Fund, which was 
launched in 2010, helps producers get private financing. 
The fund encourages banks to lend by sharing the risk. 
The fund was opened to applications in May 2011, 
resulting in more than a dozen guarantees with a loan 
value of around €15 million in 10 different EU Member 
States.

MEDIA Mundus was launched in 2011 and strengthens 
relations between Europe’s film industry and 
filmmakers outside Europe. The programme involves 
440 European cinemas and almost 200 cinemas in 
Asia, Latin America and the Mediterranean which work 
together to improve the circulation of European and 
world cinema.

M U N D U S

The audiovisual media services directive

If every EU Member States were to have its own 
different rules regarding TV, it would be difficult 
to watch TV programmes transmitted from other 
European countries. For this reason, the EU adopted the 
‘Television without frontiers’ directive in 1989, setting  
a common set of minimum rules for the entire EU.

Internet-enabled TV and new ways of circulating 
audiovisual content present regulators with new 
challenges, such as protecting young people 
from harmful content and banning incitement 
to hatred while ensuring freedom of speech.

In 2009, the ‘Television without frontiers’ directive was 
amended to become the audiovisual media services 
directive (AVMSD). The AVMSD covers all audiovisual 
media services — traditional television (linear service) 
and video-on-demand (non-linear services) — and 
modernised TV advertising rules. In May 2012, the 
Commission presented its first application report on 
the AVMSD. The main content of the directive is the 
following.

•	 The	directive	lays	down	minimal	rules	regulating	

alcohol advertising. However, Member States remain 
free to adopt stricter rules for their own domestic 
services. Twenty-two Member States have done so.

•	 The	directive	also	regulates	advertising	targeting	

minors. Analysis of the 100 most frequently 
broadcast advertising spots shows that they do not 
exploit the trust children have in their parents, directly 

Culture and audiovisual 
 
 
8

Street activities in Guimarães 
in Portugal — one of the 
European Capitals of Culture 
in 2012.

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encourage them to persuade parents to buy what is 
being advertised or unreasonably show children in 
dangerous situations.

•	 The	directive	does	not	regulate	the	use	of	stereotypes	
in advertising as such, but prohibits discrimination 
based on sex. While genuine discrimination very 
seldom appears, studies conducted in a limited 
sample of Member States showed that TV advertising 
is not immune to gender stereotypes.

As the convergence between traditional broadcasting 
and the online world is increasingly visible, the 
Commission has launched a public consultation to 
explore what this convergence could mean for Europe’s 
economic growth and innovation, cultural diversity 
and consumers. The questions for the consultation are 
outlined in the paper ‘Preparing for a fully converged 
audiovisual world: growth, creation and values’.

european Capitals of Culture

For more than 25 years, cities all over 
Europe have been competing for the 
coveted title of European Capital of Culture. 
Citizens are encouraged to meet and learn 
about their own cities and have many 
opportunities to contribute to the events 
hosted by their city throughout the year.

‘Winners should embrace the creation of 
new dynamics and new cultural habits, 
in the creation of new audiences, in the 

development of the city’s heritage, in 
helping young creators, in the involvement 
and participation of citizens in the event 
itself and in their cultural future.’
Simonetta Luz Afonso, member of the 
Board of Lisboa ‘94, Lisbon, Portugal, in 
charge of exhibitions

There’s no doubt that winning cities have to 
invest large amounts of money and energy 
in the organisation of their events and even 
in the reconstruction of parts of their cities 
and infrastructure.

When asked why they feel it’s all worth 
it, local authorities and organisers have 
many answers. They want to put their city 
on the map, launch long-term cultural 
development, attract visitors from inside 
the country and from abroad, build up 
confidence and attract investors and 
stimulate interest in culture. Others 
welcome the opportunity to have a year-
long celebration.

But it isn’t just all about international, 
high-profile competitions: here are two 
examples of grassroots projects which 
needed funding from the culture 
programme to come to life.

The european union explained 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9

Fantasy design — training young minds 
to be innovative

a european theatre house — helping 
companies create together

For 3 years, 4 000 school children from as 
young as 5, 57 designers and 200 teachers 
came together in classes to develop special 
material and training for design courses. 
Five EU Member States were involved in 
work aimed at stimulating the children’s 
interest in design, both in the classroom 
and in the workshops of the professional 
designers.

The professionals also made up a jury that 
selected examples of the children’s design 
work; 66 out of 233 examples were chosen 
to form part of an exhibition. Of these, 22 
went on to be developed into prototypes 
with the help of professionals. More than 
76 000 people saw the exhibition as it 
travelled to Helsinki, Ghent and Glasgow.

Magic Net is an EU-wide platform that 
gives theatre companies the chance to 
meet with colleagues from other countries 
to engage in artistic exchange. By living 
and working together, the artists gain 
professional insight and learn more about 
each other’s cultures.

Participants share ideas on theatre 
programming, acting methods, 
interpretations of directing, how to put 
on guest performances and theatre in 
education. These exchanges are particularly 
useful at a time when theatre is struggling 
with economic insecurity.

The network, led by a German theatre 
company, focuses on young people in youth 
theatre clubs and young audiences involved 
in new productions.

operation kino

Through the Operation Kino project, 
MEDIA Mundus reaches out to the most 
cinematically deprived and troubled areas 
in the Balkans and Turkey, encouraging 
local authorities to support multipurpose 
digital cinemas in cultural centres across 
the region.

©

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The Transylvania, Sofia, Sarajevo and 
Istanbul Film festivals send around 15 
feature films on a highly publicised tour 
throughout the countries.

Operation Kino — bringing cinema to some of the far-flung 
areas of the EU.

Culture and audiovisual 
 
 
10

Anders Kjærhauge, the Head of 
Administration, explains: ‘Since no one 
in Denmark at that time believed in the 
“Zentropa idea” the importance of this 
support from MEDIA was crucial to the 
survival of the company.’

The company’s significance is clear 
to those directors benefiting from the 
programme. Susanne Bier, director of the 
2011 Oscar winner ‘In a Better World’, 
explains: ‘In these days of globalisation 
we feel it is important that Europe has a 
common voice in many areas, including 
cultural exchange, and with this aim 
in mind the whole idea of the MEDIA 
programme should be supported.’

‘Zentropa and the MEDIA programme 
were “born” together at the beginning 
of the 1990s. We grew up together as 
engaged and passionate children; we 
were “teenagers” together, not always in 
agreement but always willing to listen to 
each other since we had a mutual aim — 
the development of quality European films. 
Now we will soon be 20-year-old adults 
with a lot of fantastic films under our belt, 
useful experience to bring to others and a 
sincere hope of growing old together!’

Anders Kjærhauge,
Head of Administration, Zentropa

MuBi europe — the online film library

MUBI is an online film library, set up in 
2007, that has caught on like wildfire: the 
site has over 200 distribution deals, 3 000 
films, 1 million people visiting the website 
per month and 1.2 million members.

‘With MEDIA’s help we’ve built a 
“cinémathèque” for the future: an online 
cinema, an international, online destination 
for watching, discovering and sharing the 
best of cinema, and a premiere cinema 
magazine.’

Efe Cakarel, Founder of MUBI

zentropa — an independent film 
production company

Directors such as Lars von Trier, Susanne 
Bier and other high-profile names will 
always have a very good chance of 
being financed, with or without MEDIA 
contributions. But to develop new talent 
into ‘high-profile’ directors very much 
requires sufficient financing.

The MEDIA programme has been a 
considerable support to Zentropa, a 
production company based in Denmark. 
When it was established at the start of 
the 1990s, it received substantial MEDIA 
support that basically carried it through its 
first years of operation.

The european union explained11

outlook

Setting our sights on the future 

What does the future hold, with economic instability 
and rapidly evolving globalisation? Here are some of  
the ideas the Commission is pursuing.

Creative europe — the next phase of 
the eu’s support to the culture and 
audiovisual sectors

Thousands of people working in cinema, TV, music, 
performing arts, heritage and related areas will benefit 
from increased EU support through the new ‘Creative 
Europe’ programme which the Commission presented in 
2011. The programme will run from 2014 to 2020 and 
give a much-needed boost to the cultural and creative 
industries, a major source of jobs and growth in Europe.

Creative Europe will respond to the challenges 
facing the cultural and creative sectors in terms of 
fragmentation, globalisation, the digital shift and 
the shortage of private investment. In a broader 
sense, creativity will play an essential role in modern 
education. It will drive innovation and entrepreneurship 
and contribute to social inclusion.

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We can’t tell what the future holds, but we can make sure our 
creative industries are ready.

The new programme will bring together the current 
programmes: Culture, MEDIA and MEDIA Mundus. It 
will offer increased support to the cinema and the 
audiovisual and cultural sectors. The Commission 
has also suggested setting aside a budget for a new 
financial guarantee facility, to give cultural players the 
possibility to access bank loans.

new opportunities

Creative Europe will provide a range of new 
possibilities:

 — 300 000 artists and other cultural 

professionals and their work will receive 
funding to reach new audiences abroad;

 — more than 1 000 European films will 
receive distribution support, helping 
them to reach audiences throughout 
Europe and beyond, on traditional and 
digital platforms;

 — thousands of cultural organisations and 
professionals from Europe will benefit 
from training to gain new skills, helping 
them operate internationally;

 — 2 500 European cinemas will receive 
support to help them ensure that at 
least 50 % of the films they show are 
European;

 — more than 5 500 books and other 

literary works will receive support for 
translation.

Culture and audiovisual 
 
 
 
12

embracing a digital future

Digital technology is having a huge impact on how 
we use media. As a result, film distribution practices 
are under review and digitisation is sweeping through 
cinemas.

To take account of these changes, the action plan 
‘Circulation of European films in the digital era’ has 
been granted a budget of €2 million to:

•	 improve	conditions	for	the	circulation	of	European	

films	in	the	EU;

Broadcasting is also evolving — the switchover to 
digital, Internet TV, new access to audiovisual services 
and how we manage our content are all opening up new 
horizons.

Developments in consumer equipment have enabled 
people to access and create content anywhere, anytime, 
using mobile devices such as tablets, laptops and 
smartphones.

•	 increase	the	number	and	expand	the	range	of	global	

audiences	for	European	films;

•	 help	market	players	and	decision-makers	stay	ahead	

of the game by keeping them up to date with changes 
that will have an impact on distribution platforms.

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Find out more

If the issues raised in this publication have sparked your interest, you can find more information on the following sites:

 X Culture: http://www.ec.europa.eu/culture

 X audiovisual (Media): http://www.ec.europa.eu/culture/media

 X Creative europe: http://ec.europa.eu/culture/creative-europe/index_en.htm

 X Questions about the european union? europe direct can help: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11   

http://europedirect.europa.eu

ISBN 978-92-79-24685-2 
doi:10.2775/83639

The european union explained