Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 129 together.

There are two programmes operated by the European Union in the areas for which I have responsibility. These are the media programme and the culture programme and both run from 2007 to 2013, inclusive.

The media programme is the EU support programme for the European audio-visual industry and details in this regard, including in regard to the operation of the programme and the funding provided, are available www.mediadeskireland.ie. The culture programme is the EU support programme for organisations working in the field of culture. Assistance and information is available to arts and culture practitioners who wish to apply for grants under the culture programme from the European Cultural Contact Point Ireland. The CCP provides information, advice and technical assistance to anyone in Ireland interested in applying to the European Commission for such funding. It also provides additional information and assistance which might help to establish links and partnerships with colleagues in Europe and beyond. All details are available from a dedicated website at www.ccp.ie.

The way the programmes operate is that periodically there are calls for proposals from the European Commission seeking applications for support under the two programmes. The applications are then assessed by an independent body, the Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture. Decisions on what support is provided are based on the merits of the applications. There is no quota for each country or no amount allocated to each country. There is further comprehensive information available on all projects which received funding across the Union at the website

Discussions are currently underway between the member states, the European Commission and the European Parliament on a new framework programme for the cultural and creative sectors. This will run from 2014 to 2020 and be called the creative Europe programme. It includes a proposal to amalgamate the current culture and media programmes under a common framework and create an entirely new facility to improve access to finance. Once the new programme is finalised, details of how to seek funding from the programme will be made available through appropriate information outlets.

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