Overview: Previous programmes

i2i Audiovisuel

Background

At the Lisbon European Council in March 2000, the heads of state set a new goal for the EU: "to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world".

The European Council called on "the Community and the Member States, with the support of the EIB, to make available in all European countries low cost, high-speed interconnected networks for Internet access and foster the development of state-of-the-art information technology and other telecom networks as well as the content for those networks".

To this end, the EIB therefore launched an initiative - Innovation 2000 - to foster investment in information technology, R&D, innovation, competitiveness and human capital.

In 2001, the Commission launched a preparatory action "Growth and Audiovisual: i2i Audiovisual" to complement the EIB Group initiative. Implemented by the MEDIA Unit, the initiative facilitates access to credit facilities for film and audiovisual production companies. It provides a grant towards the guarantees required by banks, etc., and/or credit.

Grants available

Help is available for three types of costs:

• filming insurance (module 1),
• performance guarantee (module 2)
• financial costs (module 3).

The i2i action addresses companies directly, without going through financial institutions, as is the case with the EBI Group initiative. It had a budget of €1 million in 2002 and €2.2 million in 2003, with a funding cap of €50 000 per project.

Évaluation

The evaluation of the i2i initiative carried out half way through the MEDIA Plus programme (2001-2003) illustrated how useful it was. It can help bridge the gap between the interest rates applied to micro-enterprises and those available to larger businesses. It has also helped reduce the cost of performance guarantees. The evaluation highlighted the need for policies to encourage private investment in the European audiovisual sector. It also called for i2i to be integrated into the MEDIA Plus programme. This happened in 2004. The financial support granted under i2i audiovisual amounted to €2.7 million in 2004 and €1.6 million in 2005. The budget for i2i in 2006 was €1.4 million.

i2i and MEDIA 2007

The objectives for i2i support under the MEDIA 2007 programme are far broader. They will become one of the four cross-cutting priorities of MEDIA 2007 as opposed to focusing on a particular line of action, as was the case with i2i audiovisual. All MEDIA 2007 action must aim to strengthen the production structures of small and medium-sized businesses to make the European audiovisual industry more competitive, as they constitute its core. This will mean contributing to the spread of a business culture for the sector and facilitating private investments.