EU funding sources relevant to Regional and minority languages

Nia Lewis

Swyddfa Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru i’r UE, Brwsel

Welsh Assembly Government EU office, Brussels

nia.lewis@cymru.gsi.gov.uk +32 2 506 44 78

Three kinds of EU funding programme

• Trans-national funds - support co-operation or exchange projects involving organisations or individuals from several EU countries (including Culture 2007, Media Plus, Youth, 7th Framework for Research and Development etc)

• The Structural funds – these aim to address economic imbalances in disadvantaged areas of the European Union and are provided direct to specific geographical locations in the EU (the Convergence, Competitiveness and Co-operation funds)

• Funds for Third countries – i.e. for co-operation with countries who are not members of the European Union 

Culture 2007

• Budget EUR 400 million

• Simplified structure with three objectives – mobility of artists, works and intercultural dialogue

• Programme open to all sectors, all kinds of operators and all languages

• Essentially 2 kinds of projects: 1-2 year with 3 partners in 3 countries or 3-5 year with 6 partners/6 countries

• Increased emphasis on:

Visibility (strategies for dissemination/maximising impact of projects)Accessibility of small projects Sustainability after life of project (of partnership, of funding) Streamlining administrative procedures

Examples of Culture 2000 projects

Literature across frontiers: Promoting literatures in lesser usedlanguages/in translation through workshops, book fairs etc (Universityof Wales Aberystwyth)

KILDA - Island of the Birdmen: creation of contemporary opera inScottish Gaelic (Gaelic Arts agency)

Offspring productie: production of multi-lingual (minority language)

theatre piece at festival in Friesland, then toured. Aim to promote regional theatres working in minority languages (Tryater, NL)

Citizens for Europe

• Budget EUR 215 million • Aim is to bridge gap between citizens and the Union and

promote active citizenship • 4 strands: town-twinning, citizens panels and capacity

building (45%), civil society projects (31%), funding for European level think tanks and sites of memory (24%)

• current citizens panel pilot on encouraging citizens from nine regions in Europe to give their views on rural development

• Wide scope for cultural sector to engage with this programme

Media 2007

• Budget: EUR 755 million

• Industry programme which supports development, distribution and promotion of television and films as well as training

• Supports 50 training initiatives (1500 trainees) per year on script-writing, animation, new technologies, legal aspects etc. Emphasis on international dimension and partnership with industry.

• More emphasis in new programme on adapting to digital marketplace and on SME access to finance

• Sector in Wales benefits principally from Development and TV Broadcasting strands: from 1997 to 2003 amount of EC funding increased from EUR 70,000 to EUR 890,000.

Media programme: 2 Welsh examples

Aur y Byd/Gold: History of an obsession (Tinopolis) 3 x 60

minute documentary

Media Development supported work on the script, visiting television

Markets/other European broadcasters and setting-up of co-

production and distribution deals

TV broadcasting provided 20% of costs for co-production (S4C, RTE,

France’s La 5), after which programme was sold to 8 countries

Holi Hanna/ Hanna’s helpline (Calon)

TV broadcasting contributed 12% of total cost (£2.4million) for this

Agony Aunt Duck animation series aimed at international market.

14 partners in co-production (from 5 Member States)

Youth and Lifelong

Learning programme

Youth in Action programme worth EUR 885 million supports volunteering in other

countries including non- European countries, exchanges, local youth projects

• Arts, culture, heritage, language, media and sport prevalent in the EU Youth programme

UNA Exchange/Promo Cymru hosts young people as part of a volunteer project which helps them develop skills in creative industries (events management, marketing, filming etc.)

Welsh youth movement (Urdd) also involved

Lifelong Learning programme (EUR 6.9 billion)

Structural Funds

• Wide range of projects supported during the current round in Wales which have a welsh language dimension

• 2007-13 closer alignment between strategy and projects (Lisbon earmarking issue) and greater concentration of funds

• Three strands: Convergence, Competitiveness and Co-operation

European Territorial Co-operation• Cross-border West Wales/Ireland of most interest to

cultural sector (EUR 52.7m) Arts Wave + Cultural Co-operation and Touring CCAT good examples of projects funded under current programme

• Atlantic Area (EUR 100m) and North West Europe (EUR 350m) trans-national programmes European Route of Industrial Heritage (Torfaen)

• Inter-regional strand

European Cultural Tourism Network

FP7 – 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development

• Digital Libraries and technology enhanced learning prioritised within ICT work programme for 2007 (EUR 50 million available in 1st 2007 call for projects)

• Aim is to fund research projects on preserving, developing and disseminating cultural assets, improving learning and education systems and strengthening creativity of society”

• Particular attention to cost effective digitisation and digitisation in multi-lingual environments in short term and to creating radically new approaches to digitisation in longer term

• UK Contact Point – Peter Walters, National Physical Laboratory, Tel: 0870-1910112 http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/

• Other elements of FP7 potentially of interest includes actions on protecting, conserving and enhancing cultural heritage (environment strand) or socio-economic and humanities strand

e-content plus andCompetitiveness and Innovation Programme

• econtent plus worth EUR 149 million runs to 2008 (after which it’s integrated into the Competitiveness and Innovation programme which has an ICT strand worth EUR 728 million)

Aims of e-content plus are to: • underpin regulatory/research work of the Commission to stimulate

emerging digital economy • provide a bridge between research investment and wide adoption,

by providing a testing ground for pan-European electronic services • reinforce European cultural and linguistic identities by support for

the production and distribution of European digital content • assist the development of an open and inclusive European

Information Society through stimulating innovative approaches to inclusion, quality of life and public services

Other sources of funding • European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

• Funds for co-operation with countries outside the EU usually include a cultural element e.g.

- supporting co-operation aimed at protecting historical and cultural heritage, or joint working between cultural bodies, is part of European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument (countries on the Eastern and Southern borders of the EU)

- European Development Fund for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries has a cultural dimension (cinema, festivals, heritage etc)

- Cultural exchanges via the Asia-Europe Foundation

• Non EU e.g. European Culture Foundation

Conclusions

• Opportunities for culture and welsh language projects under a variety of programmes – be creative (www.adum.info)

• Start early and ensure alignment with EU policy priorities

• Sector already engaging with EU programmes – good case studies exist that we can learn from

• Increased emphasis on visibility and sustainability

• Importance of involvement in pan-European networks!

• Proven benefits to trans-national working – administrative simplification should make it easier