13 Mar 2012, 17:58
The Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht has unanimously agreed to support a new EU proposal to establish a new single Creative Europe Programme with an allocation of €1.8 billion to support groups, organisations and businesses in the creative and cultural sectors throughout Europe.
The Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the Creative Europe Programme - EU proposal COM (2011) 785 - aims to establish a single Creative Europe Programme, that will bring together the existing Culture, MEDIA and Media Mundus Programmes, and includes a new financial facility to improve access to finance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)s and organisations in the cultural and creative sectors. The new programme would allocate more than €900 million in support of the cinema and audio visual sector (currently covered by the MEDIA programme) and almost €500 million for culture.The Programme will complement other EU Programmes and will build on successful brands experience such as MEDIA and the European Capitals of Culture.
Committee Cathaoirleach Ciarán Lynch, TD said: “The Committee supports the proposal, particularly the efforts to simplify measures by the amalgamation of the existing programmes. The Committee hopes that many organisations in the creative and cultural sectors, irrespective of size, will be able to benefit from the programme and that the relevant departments and agencies work together in a genuine spirit of cooperation and partnership to fully realise the potential benefits this Programme can offer to the creative and cultural sector in this country. We would encourage cultural and creative organisations in Ireland to enquire into and follow up on this initiative.”
Organisations seeking further information on the supports available should contact 'MEDIA Desk Ireland, 6 Eustace Street, Dublin 2, Tel: (01) 6791856; Fax: (01) 6790158, e-mail: info@mediadeskireland.eu; website: www.mediadeskireland.eu.
For further information please contact:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551
Committee Membership
Deputies:
Ciarán Lynch, Labour Party (Chairman)
Noel Coonan, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
James Bannon, Fine Gael
Paudie Coffey, Fine Gael
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Fine Gael
Tony McLoughlin, Fine Gael
Patrick O’Donovan, Fine Gael
Brian Walsh, Fine Gael
Kevin Humphreys, Labour Party
Gerald Nash, Labour Party
Seán Kenny, Labour Party
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil
Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil
Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil
Sandra McLellan, Sinn Féin
Dessie Ellis, Sinn Féin
Brian Stanley, Sinn Féin
Clare Daly, Socialist Party
Catherine Murphy, Independent
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent
Senators:
Fiach Mac Conghail, Independent
Cáit Keane, Fine Gael
Catherine Noone, Fine Gael
Denis Landy, Labour
Labhrás Ó’Murchú, Fianna Fáil
Ned O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil