Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 March 2017
442. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the extent to which local community-based festivals have benefited from EU grant aid directly or indirectly with particular reference to the specific grant aid for festivals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12147/17]
View answerCreative Europe 2014 - 2020 is the European Union’s funding programme to support the audiovisual, cultural and creative sectors. It consists of MEDIA and CULTURE sub-programmes as well as a Cross-sectoral strand.
The Creative Europe - Culture sub-programme has granted over €13 million in project funding to projects with Irish partners in its first three years. The majority of the funding available under the Culture sub-programme is via the co-operation projects strand.
To date, at the mid-way point of the Programme, under the co-operation projects strand there have been four Irish festivals involved as partners in projects with a total project grant allocation of just under €3 million:
- Babóro Galway International Children’s Festival (Small Size, Performing Arts for Early Years)
- Photo Ireland Festival Ltd (Flaneur – New Urban Narratives)
- First Fortnight Ltd (Networking European Festivals for Mental Life Enhancement)
- Cuirt – Galway Arts Centre (Sharing the Wor(l)D)
The Culture sub-programme also funds EU networks and platforms via operating grants for the lead organisations. There follows a summary of Irish festivals which are members of Creative Europe supported platforms and networks:
- Dublin Dance Festival is a member of the Aerowaves Platform
- Galway Early Music Festival is a member of the European Early Music Network,
Galway Film Fleadh has received €162,750 for the period 2014 - 2016 under the Access to Markets support scheme for the Galway Film Fair – the industry market which runs parallel to the Festival.
A complete list of funding results is published on the Education, Audio-Visual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) website: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/selection-results_en.
