Cultural cooperation between Ukraine and the EU is carried out within the framework of the EU programme «Creative Europe».
«Creative Europe» is a framework programme of the European Commission aimed at supporting and strengthening the competitiveness of the European cultural, creative and audiovisual sectors, as well as preserving, developing and promoting the cultural and linguistic diversity of European countries.
Total budget of «Creative Europe» for 2014-2020 was EUR 1.46 billion.
«Creative Europe» consists of three sub-programmes:
- «Culture» (31% of the budget) – promotion of the cultural and creative sectors, aiming to share cultural content across borders,
- «Media» (56% of the budget) – support for the development and distribution of European films and audiovisual works,
- cross-sectoral strand (13% of the budget) – promotion of transnational policy cooperation, supporting a network of «Creative Europe» national desks and implementation of the Guarantee Facility targeting the cultural and creative sectors.
«Creative Europe» programme is managed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) on behalf of the European Commission.
Ukraine joined «Creative Europe» in 2016 after signing of the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission on the participation of Ukraine in «Creative Europe»: the Union programme for the cultural and creative sectors (Kyiv, November 2015).
Creative Europe Desk in Ukraine was established to implement the Agreement and to coordinate the involvement of Ukrainian participants to the programme.
Creative Europe Desk in Ukraine:
Ukraine is currently participating in the «Creative Europe» programme within Culture sub-programme and in several components of Media sub-programme [1].
In 2019 six Ukrainian participants were selected in the «Cultural cooperation projects» under Culture sub-programme. Three Ukrainian publishing houses won and got funding in the «Literary translation projects» under Culture sub-programme.
With the Creative Europe programme support 18 Ukrainian books were translated into different languages, two of them in 2019.
Two large Ukrainian film festivals received «Creative Europe» support (Media sub-programme), namely Kyiv International Film Festival "Youth" (2019) and Odessa International Film Festival (September 2020, in online format).
During 2019-2020 the «Creative Europe» programme supported production of three films with the participation of the Ukrainian film industry representatives, namely: "The Earth is Blue as an Orange" (2020); "Mr. Jones" (2019) and "The Painted Bird" (2019).
In addition, in 2019, Ukrainian authors took part in the European Union Prize for Literature for the first time. «Creative Europe» provides support to the winners of the Prize for translation and promotion of their works. Among Ukrainian writers the European Union Literary Prize in 2019 was won by the author Haska Shyyan for her new novel "Behind the Back" (Fabula Publishing House).
Ukraine-EU future cooperation plan within the «Creative Europe» programme depends on the approval by the European Union of a new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027. On July 21, 2020, the Council of the EU adopted a conclusion for which the «Creative Europe» programme in the next MFF proposes to allocate EUR 1.64 billion, which is 12% more than in the current EU seven-year financial framework (2014-2020).
On July 22, 2020 the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko had a telephone conversation with EU Commissioner for Innovation, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel. The interlocutors discussed current and new work programs and initiatives, exchanged ideas for potential cooperation in the field of culture and tourism. Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko also expressed an interest of Ukraine to join the EU programme «European Capitals of Culture».
[1] Before Ukraine's national audiovisual law is brought in line with EU legislation, applicants from Ukraine may participate in the Media sub-programme as lead partners only in four components: Support for Film Education, Film Festivals, Access to Markets and Training. In other Media sub-programme components Ukrainian applicants can participate only as project partners.