Cultural industries

One of the European Union's tasks is to ensure the necessary conditions are in place for Community industries to be competitive (Article 157 of the Treaty).

The cultural industries, including cinema and the audiovisual media, publishing, the craft industry and music, are an important source of jobs, as approximately seven million Europeans work in the field of culture; they are also vehicles of cultural identity and diversity. This is why the Community takes the cultural aspects of these industries into account when implementing its actions (Article 151 of the Treaty).

The EU has set up support programmes for certain cultural industries to encourage them to develop a structure and to grasp the new opportunities offered by the single market and digital technologies.
The Union is also striving to create an environment conducive to the development of these industries so that they can benefit from the results of research, easier access to funding, an encouraging regulatory environment, and the advantages of cooperation both within the Union and with third countries.
Support programmes
A competition-friendly environment
Cultural industries in third countries