Development and distribution of works

While it is the responsibility of the Member States to provide assistance for production, the European Union plays an important role in encouraging the creation and distribution of cultural works, particularly in the audiovisual industry.

The MEDIA programme thus supports the development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works, whether fiction (cinema and television), creative documentaries, animation or multimedia.
This programme spends 60% of its funds on the international distribution of European audiovisual works, for example by supporting the "Europa Cinemas" network, which includes 379 cinemas in 53 countries.
It also promotes works via the many festivals and exhibitions which it funds. Lastly, it encourages the use of digital technologies in the creation and distribution of audiovisual works.

Some of the projects in receipt of funding from the eContent programme, the aim of which is to stimulate the digital content market, involve creating audiovisual databases and developing tools to facilitate, for example, searches for information in several languages or the subtitling of audiovisual works. The User-friendly information society programme funds the development of and experimentation in Internet platforms incorporating the management of video data or facilitating collaboration between professionals in the audiovisual industry.

Global standards need to be set for the launch of electronic cinema services and for the international distribution of European digitised works. A European Digital Cinema Forum was set up in 2001 to work on drawing up common standards and also to develop and understand this new market.
Projects involving the installation of equipment for audiovisual or multimedia services may be included under regional development activities financed by the EU's Structural Funds.

Lastly, access to capital is facilitated by the activities of the European Investment Bank (EIB) group.
Under its Innovation 2000 initiative, the EIB provides long-term funding for large companies and promotes the development of SMEs by providing bank loans or venture capital instruments for companies involved in the audiovisual and content industries (fiction, animation, documentaries and multimedia).

Activities Architecture Visual arts Cinema and audiovisual media Training Development and distribution of works Preservation Legal and financial environment Education in the visual image Cooperation with third countries Dance Education and training in the arts Books Music Cultural heritage Theatre Events Events National Cultural sites	Europe in action National Cultural sites Financing Activities Development and distribution of works While it is the responsibility of the Member States to provide assistance for production, the European Union plays an important role in encouraging the creation and distribution of cultural works, particularly in the audiovisual industry. The MEDIA programme thus supports the development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works, whether fiction (cinema and television), creative documentaries, animation or multimedia. This programme spends 60% of its funds on the international distribution of European audiovisual works, for example by supporting the "Europa Cinemas" network, which includes 379 cinemas in 53 countries. It also promotes works via the many festivals and exhibitions which it funds. Lastly, it encourages the use of digital technologies in the creation and distribution of audiovisual works. Some of the projects in receipt of funding from the eContent programme, the aim of which is to stimulate the digital content market, involve creating audiovisual databases and developing tools to facilitate, for example, searches for information in several languages or the subtitling of audiovisual works. The User-friendly information society programme funds the development of and experimentation in Internet platforms incorporating the management of video data or facilitating collaboration between professionals in the audiovisual industry. Global standards need to be set for the launch of electronic cinema services and for the international distribution of European digitised works. A European Digital Cinema Forum was set up in 2001 to work on drawing up common standards and also to develop and understand this new market. Projects involving the installation of equipment for audiovisual or multimedia services may be included under regional development activities financed by the EU's Structural Funds. Lastly, access to capital is facilitated by the activities of the European Investment Bank (EIB) group. Under its Innovation 2000 initiative, the EIB provides long-term funding for large companies and promotes the development of SMEs by providing bank loans or venture capital instruments for companies involved in the audiovisual and content industries (fiction, animation, documentaries and multimedia).	Europe in action Cultural cooperation Cultural industries Access to culture The culture professionals Cultural facilities Linguistic diversity Regulatory aspects International relations Intercultural Dialogue Cultural Diversity Financing European Commission: Information Society and Media Education and Culture Agriculture Enlargement Employment and Social Affairs Environment Fisheries Regional Policy Research European Development Fund European Investment Bank
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Last update: 02-03-2007