MEDIA Programme 2007-2013
A key objective of EU action in the audiovisual area is to strengthen the competitiveness of the European audiovisual sector, increase the circulation of European audiovisual works inside and outside the EU, enhance European cultural and linguistic diversity and preserve its cinematographic and audiovisual heritage.
The MEDIA Programme 2007-2013 (€ 750 million) is the EU funding instrument for the cinema and
audiovisual sector. Since 1991, a total of € 2 billion have been used to support the European
audiovisual industry through its predecessor programmes.
MEDIA 2007 supports the European audiovisual industry by facilitating access to financing and promoting use of digital technologies. Support focuses on distribution, development, promotion and training, while the programme encompasses a Production Guarantee Fund. In addition to EU Member States, the Programme is open to European countries (ie. EFTA, candidate and potential countries) parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Trans-frontier Television, subject to the compatibility of their national legislation with the EU legislation (including the ratification of the Convention), or to other third countries which have concluded Association and Cooperation Agreements with the EU
incorporating clauses on the audiovisual sector and sharing a common approach on cultural diversity.
In a global context the international dimension of audiovisual policy appears increasingly important. Cooperation with the European film industry is indeed in strong demand, as shown by the initial success of the MEDIA International Preparatory Action (2008-2010, € 8 million). Against this background, the EU launched MEDIA Mundus (2011 – 2013), an international cooperation programme aimed at strengthening cultural and commercial relations between Europe's film industry professionals and their counterparts in third countries. With a total budget of € 15 million, the programme supports some 35 projects per year.24 The programme focuses on strengthening skills, information and knowledge sharing, and building sustainable networks. It is also designed to improve the circulation of audiovisual works worldwide and increase public demand for culturally diverse audiovisual content. In this context, the EU is supporting an important number of projects, for example international networks of distributors, sales agents or cinemas for the circulation of culturally diverse content worldwide.