Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The European Union established its Cultural Policy (1993) as the answer to that global processes, which deeply affected the EU member states’ culture on national, regional, and local levels. The EU decided then to protect richness of cultural and lingual diversity, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue, which were standing in the way of the marching globalization forces. The EU faces an analogous situation right now. The digital era “has facilitated the distribution of cultural and creative content and services, but it has also intensified competition of content across borders on a global scale.” Audio-visual sector of the EU is internationally recognised but it is not competitive enough within the Digital Single Market. Therefore in the next multiannual financial framework (2021-2027) the EU is planning to re-open “Creative Europe” programme dedicated to culture and media in post-industrial and global era. This paper defines and explores links between the principles of the “Creative Europe” programme and increasingly competitive international markets. It also investigates which particular instruments are used to protect European culture from global-market players. Furthermore, it attempts to understand how the EU would like to connect cultural and audio-visual players into the communication/online platforms, webcast portals and social media pages while at the same time still maintaining core European values. Finally, the paper offers analyses (critical and constructive) and tries to offer an answer to the question whether the EU’s proposals codified in “Creative Europe” will strengthen the position of European actors in both the European and global markets.