On 26 October 2018, the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) published its Draft Report on the future of the Creative Europe Programme for the period 2021-2027.
From a budgetary standpoint, the Draft Report is particularly encouraging, thanks to its mention of a robust overall allocation for Creative Europe (over €2.8b), “not less than 58%” of which is earmarked for the Creative Europe MEDIA strand. Currently, the Creative Europe budget (2014-2020) is broken down as follows: 56% for the MEDIA sub-programme, 31% for CULTURE and 13% for the CROSS-SECTOR strand.
On Monday 5 November, the European Parliament's Budgetary Committee (BUDG) voted on its preliminary position regarding the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 and, in doing so, approved such an increase of the Creative Europe Programme budget to over €2.8b. The Parliament’s position was confirmed in Plenary on 14 November, although the final decision will of course rest with Member States.
Going back to the Creative Europe Draft Report, amendment 93 perfectly encapsulates the value of cinema-going and its benefits for the entire sector through recognising “cinema theatres [as] the primary destination for movies in the value chain and highlighting public screenings as a social experience”.
This is precisely where the magic of the Big Screen experience lies and which also benefits the entire film value-chain. The shared experience of watching feature films in cinemas creates a strong sense of identity and community for audiences, represents the “gold-standard” of film viewing and - through its exclusive nature- creates unparalleled excitement around releases. This is a proven strategy that ultimately benefits the entire film value-chain, as the theatrical success of each film helps drive performance throughout its life-cycle, and we are extremely pleased that the abovementioned amendment reflects this.
Furthermore, amendment 94’s mention of the potential of mentoring and networking activities to address gender imbalance in the European audiovisual sector, along with the Rapporteur’s appreciation for a focus on gender is very welcome. UNIC firmly believes schemes such as our own Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme have the potential to promote a culture of change within the industry that values growth and equal opportunities, which is imperative for business success, better governance and more equity.
Based on what’s above, UNIC is very much looking forward to seeing how discussions unfold and will continue to stress the importance and value of cinema-going, ahead of the crucial CULT committee vote, scheduled for 20 February 2019.