Georgia joins Creative Europe 2021-2027 Program
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, December 9
Tea Tsulukiani, the Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia, and Mariya Gabriel, the European Commission's Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, remotely signed an agreement on Georgia’s participation in the Creative Europe 2021-2027 program. The EU will support the cultural, creative, and audio-visual sectors of the program's member countries with a budget of Euro2.44 billion.
The two main objectives of the program are to protect, develop and promote European cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as to increase the competitiveness and economic potential of the cultural and creative sectors. The program also aims to support the news media sector and use of technologies, as well as strengthen the resilience of media and audiovisual industries.
It is noteworthy that Georgia was the first country in the Eastern Partnership to officially join the Creative Europe program in 2015 with 33 projects from the country gaining Euro1.5 million in financing from the program until 2020. Cinematic, literary, museums, and other sectors were supported through Georgia's participation in the initiative.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Georgia is participating in the program for the second time as an associated country and will be able to once again partake in competitions in the field of culture, media, and audiovisual areas and also gain funding which will contribute to the integration of Georgian culture with the European space.
The ministry notes that the signing of the agreement is an important step in further developing the existing partnership between Georgia and the EU, promoting and strengthening Georgian culture, as well as popularizing European culture in Georgia.
