Artikelen bij COM(2025)550 - 'AgoraEU' programme for the period 2028-2034

Dit is een beperkte versie

U kijkt naar een beperkte versie van dit dossier in de EU Monitor.

dossier COM(2025)550 - 'AgoraEU' programme for the period 2028-2034.
document COM(2025)550 EN
datum 16 juli 2025


Chapter I

General provisions

Inhoudsopgave

Article 1 - Subject matter

This Regulation establishes the ‘AgoraEU’ Programme (the ‘Programme’) and lays down the objectives of the Programme, its budget for the period 2028-2034, the forms of Union funding and the rules for providing such funding. 

Article 2 - Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definition applies:


‘award procedure’ means an award procedure, as defined in Article 2, point (3), of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, as well as procedures for entrusting the implementation and provision of support through financial instruments, for granting the budgetary guarantee, or for providing support under the budgetary guarantee.  

Article 3 - Programme objectives

(1) The general objectives of the Programme are to promote cultural and linguistic diversity and heritage, to increase the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors, in particular the media and audiovisual industries, to safeguard artistic and media freedom, and to protect and promote equality, active citizenship, rights and values as enshrined in the Treaties and in the Charter, thereby enhancing democratic participation and societal resilience.

(2) Within the general objectives set out in paragraph 1, the Programme shall have the following strands, implementing the following specific objectives:

(a)the ‘Creative Europe - Culture’ Strand shall: 

I.contribute to cross-border cultural creation, cooperation, participation and accessibility, and cross-border circulation of a diversity of cultural works, while strengthening the social, economic and international dimensions of the cultural and creative sectors (‘culture’);  

(b)the ‘MEDIA+’ strand shall:  

I.contribute to the cultural diversity and competitiveness of the audiovisual and video games industries, notably by enhancing creation and cross-border distribution of European content and its access by citizens (‘audiovisual’);

II.contribute to a free, viable and diverse Union information ecosystem, notably by supporting free and independent journalism and news media, enhancing citizens’ access to trustworthy information and tackling disinformation (‘news’);  

(c)the Democracy, Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (‘CERV+’) strand shall: 

I.contribute to protecting and promoting fundamental rights, equality and non-discrimination and Union citizen’s rights enshrined in the Treaties including free movement of citizens, and empowering civil society (‘rights, equality, citizens and civil society’); 

II.contribute to fighting against gender-based violence, violence against children and other groups at risk of such violence (‘Daphne’); 

III.contribute to enhancing democratic participation and upholding the rule of law (‘democratic participation and rule of law’). 

(3) To maximise impact and enhance synergies across the strands referred to in paragraph 2, the Programme shall support cross-cutting and horizontal activities contributing to the general objective referred to in paragraph 1, notably by developing synergies between the cultural, media and civic spheres and promoting cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation.

Chapter II

Creative Europe - Culture strand

Article 4 - Culture

Within the Creative Europe - Culture strand, the ‘Culture’ specific objective, covering the cultural and creative sectors, shall focus on:

(a)fostering cross-border creation, cooperation and exchanges across various formats, including through the mobility of artists and cultural and creative professionals, artistic residencies, as well as partnerships between organisations of all sizes;

(b)improving access to and participation in culture and cultural heritage for all, notably for young people, and strengthening social resilience and social cohesion, in particular intergenerational fairness, equality and diversity, through cultural engagement;

(c)supporting the circulation, distribution, promotion and visibility of diverse European cultural content through various channels across the Union and internationally, including through European platforms for emerging artists, support to entities aiming at training and promoting young artists, prizes that promote artistic talent and excellence, touring initiatives, festivals, and translation;

(d)strengthening the capacity and skills in the cultural and creative sectors to drive innovation and competitiveness and to navigate the green and digital transitions, including through support for networks of cultural and creative organisations, training and peer-learning activities;

(e)promoting cultural policy development through cooperation and exchange of good practices at Union level, and improving evidence base through enhanced data collection, analysis, and pilot actions;

(f)advancing the Union’s international cultural relations and contributing to the Union’s external action objectives through cultural cooperation;

(g)supporting the implementation of the Decisions No 445/2014/EU 35  and No 1194/2011/EU 36  of the European Parliament and the Council of the Union.

The implementation of the ‘Culture’ specific objective shall be carried out with full respect of artistic freedom and diversity of cultural expressions, and contribute to the improvement of working conditions for artists and cultural and creative professionals.


Chapter III

MEDIA+ strand

Article 5 - Audiovisual 

Within the MEDIA+ strand, the ‘Audiovisual’ specific objective shall focus on:

(a)supporting the creation of European audiovisual works across multiple formats and genres, with the potential to reach diverse audiences across borders; 

(b)fostering the cross-border circulation, distribution, prominence and visibility of European audiovisual works on all mediums across the Union and internationally, including through coordinated distribution strategies, marketing and promotion tools;

(c)building audiences for European audiovisual works, including through a network of European cinemas, festivals and outreach campaigns, and addressing in particular young Europeans and underserved communities; 

(d)supporting the development and prototyping of European video games and immersive content, including through market testing, promotion and discoverability audience-driven strategies, and distribution across all platforms;

(e)enhancing talent development, supporting access to finance, business-to-business exchanges and networking, adoption of innovative tools and business models and cross-media intellectual property exploitation strategies, particularly in response to creative, market and technological shifts;

(f)fostering policy dialogue, exchange of best practices, data collection and analysis, including the payment of the contribution fee for Union membership of the European Audiovisual Observatory;

(g)contributing to the implementation of Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council. 37  

The implementation of the ‘Audiovisual’ specific objective shall be carried out with full respect for artistic freedom and ensuring collaboration among entities from Member States with different audiovisual capacities.

Article 6 - News 

Within the MEDIA+ strand, the ‘News’ specific objective shall focus on:

(a)protecting news media outlets and journalists, especially where they face threats, monitoring, assessing and addressing risks to media freedom and pluralism in the internal market and promoting journalistic and editorial standards;

(b)enhancing the production, distribution and consumption of professional journalistic content, including coverage of Union affairs, investigative journalism, local news, and public interest media;

(c)supporting the digital transformation of news organisations, innovative practices, new production, distribution and business models, facilitating access to finance and encouraging cross-border activities and the reskilling and upskilling of news media professionals;

(d)enhancing cooperation and promoting measures  aimed at monitoring and safeguarding the online information space, including detecting and combating disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference, thereby contributing to greater resilience across the Union;

(e)promoting digital and media literacy activities in order to enable citizens, including young people, to use and develop a critical understanding of the information ecosystem;

(f)reinforcing policy dialogue, data collection and analysis and development of common standards, including by supporting the work of the European Board for Media Services.

The implementation of the ‘News’ specific objective shall be carried out with full respect for media editorial independence and professional standards.


Chapter IV

CERV+ Strand 

Article 7 - Rights, equality, citizens and civil society

Within the CERV+ strand, the ‘Rights, Equality, Citizens and Civil Society’ specific objective shall focus on:

(a)promoting equality, and preventing and fighting against discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, and all forms of racism and intolerance;

(b)promoting gender equality, gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment, and protecting and promoting women’s full enjoyment of rights;

(c)promoting accessibility and protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, supporting the EU implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

(d)protecting and promoting the rights of the child; 

(e)protecting and promoting freedom of expression, the right to privacy, the protection of personal data as well as rights in the digital space;

(f)nurturing a vibrant civic space by building the capacity of, and providing financial support to, civil society organisations, human rights defenders, and other relevant actors, which are active at all levels in protecting, promoting and raising citizen’s awareness of rights enshrined in the Treaty, promoting EU democratic resilience, non-discrimination and equality and more broadly Union values, such as the respect for fundamental rights, the rule of law, democracy and in protecting and promoting respect of the Charter. 

Article 8 - Daphne

Within the CERV+ strand, the ‘Daphne’ specific objective shall focus on:

(a)preventing, responding to and fighting at all levels all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls, domestic violence, and violence against children, young and older people, LGBTIQ people, persons with disabilities and other groups at risk;

(b)protecting and supporting all direct and indirect victims and survivors of violence as referred in point (a);

(c)supporting the achievement of the objectives of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in the Union.

Article 9 - Democratic participation and rule of law

Within the CERV+ strand, the ‘Democratic participation and rule of law’ specific objective of the Programme shall focus on:

(a)protecting and promoting Union citizenship rights as well as citizens’ participation and engagement in the democratic and civic life of the Union, and support open, resilient, rights-based, and equal societies based on the rule of law;

(b)supporting free, fair, resilient, accessible and inclusive electoral and democratic processes;

(c)promoting civic awareness and better understanding of the Union, its common history, memory and diversity to foster mutual understanding and tolerance.

Chapter V

Cross-cutting and horizontal priorities and activities

Article 10

Within the general objectives set out in Article 3, the Programme shall support the following cross-cutting and horizontal priorities and activities:

(a)cross-sectoral cooperation and innovation across the cultural, media and civic fields, and protection of the integrity of the public discourse, thereby bolstering democratic resilience, societal preparedness and cultural and civic engagement;

(b)a responsible use of innovative tools and content technologies, notably Artificial Intelligence, as well as skills development and capacity-building through cross sectoral approaches;

(c)actions for the development, implementation, and monitoring of relevant Union legislation and policy in the culture, media and civic fields, including, where applicable, through cooperation among national authorities and stakeholders.

(d)in line with the provisions of the Regulation (EU) [XXX]* of the European Parliament and of the Council [Performance], the promotion of the Programme, and its funding opportunities, including through Programme Desks, thereby enhancing outreach, visibility and the dissemination of the Programme results;

The financing of cross-cutting and horizontal priorities and activities shall be determined by their nature and scope.

Chapter VI

Financial provisions

Article 11 - Budget

1. The indicative financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period 2028-2034 is set at EUR 8 582 000 000 in current prices. 

2. Budgetary commitments for activities extending over more than one financial year may be broken down over several years into annual instalments.

3. Appropriations may be entered in the Union budget beyond 2034 to cover the expenses necessary and to enable the management of actions not completed by the end of the Programme. 

4. The financial envelope referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and the amounts of additional resources referred to in Article 12 may also be used for technical and administrative assistance for the implementation of the Programme, such as preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities, corporate information technology systems and platforms, information and communication activities, including corporate communication on the political priorities of the Union, and all other technical and administrative assistance or staff-related expenses incurred by the Commission for the management of the Programme.

Article 12 - Additional resources

1. Member States, Union institutions, bodies and agencies, third countries, international organisations, international financial institutions, or other third parties, may make additional financial or non-financial contributions to the Programme. Additional financial contributions shall constitute external assigned revenue within the meaning of Article 21(2), points (a), (d), or (e), or Article 21(5) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

2. Resources allocated to Member States under shared management may, at their request, be made available to the Programme. The Commission shall implement those resources directly or indirectly in accordance with Article 62(1), point (a) or (c), of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. They shall be additional to the amount referred to in Article 11(1) of this Regulation. Those resources shall be used for the benefit of the Member State concerned. Where the Commission has not entered into a legal commitment under direct or indirect management for additional amounts thus made available to the Programme, the corresponding uncommitted amounts may, at the request of the Member State concerned, be transferred back to one or more respective source programmes or their successors.

Article 13 - Alternative, combined and cumulative funding

1. The Programme shall be implemented in synergy with other Union programmes. An action that has received Union contribution from another programme may also receive a contribution under this Programme. The rules of the relevant Union programme shall apply to the corresponding contribution, or a single set of rules may be applied to all contributions and a single legal commitment may be concluded. If all Union contributions are provided based on eligible cost, the cumulative support from the Union budget shall not exceed the total eligible costs of the action and may be calculated on a pro-rata basis in accordance with the documents setting out the conditions for support.

2. Award procedures under the Programme may be jointly conducted under direct or indirect management with Member States, Union institutions, bodies and agencies, third countries, international organisations, international financial institutions, or other third parties (‘partners to the joint award procedure’), provided the protection of the financial interests of the Union is ensured. Such procedures shall be subject to a single set of rules and lead to the conclusion of single legal commitments. For that purpose, the partners to the joint award procedure may make resources available to the Programme in accordance with Article 12 of this Regulation, or the partners may be entrusted with the implementation of the award procedure, where applicable in accordance with Article 62(1), point (c), of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. In joint award procedures, representatives of the partners to the joint award procedure may also be members of the evaluation committee referred to in Article 153(3) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

Article 14 - Third countries associated to the Programme

1. The Programme may be opened to the participation of the following third countries through full or partial association, in accordance with the objectives laid down in Article 3 and in accordance with the relevant international agreements or any decisions adopted under the framework of those agreements and applicable to:

(a)members of the European Free Trade Association which are members of the European Economic Area, as well as European micro-states;

(b)acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates;

(c)European Neighbourhood Policy countries;

(d)other third countries.

2. The Association Agreements for participation in the Programmes shall:

(a)ensure a fair balance as regards the contributions and benefits of the third country participating in the Programmes;

(b)lay down the conditions of participation in the Union Programme, including the calculation of financial contributions, consisting of an operational contribution and a participation fee, to a programme and its general administrative costs;

(c)not confer on the third country any decision-making power in the Programme;

(d)guarantee the rights of the Union to ensure sound financial management and to protect its financial interests; 

(e)where relevant, ensure the protection of security and public order interests of the Union.

For the purposes of point (d), the third country shall grant the necessary rights and access required under Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 and Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013, and guarantee that enforcement decisions imposing a pecuniary obligation on the basis of Article 299 TFEU, as well as judgements and orders of the Court of Justice of the European Union, are enforceable.

3. The association agreements granting participation in the ‘Audiovisual’ specific objective referred to in Article 3 shall take into account the situation of the audiovisual market in the country concerned, including the proximity of their legal framework with the Union audiovisual media acquis and the access to its equivalent support schemes, in particular with regard to other European countries. The agreements concluded with the countries referred to in paragraph 1 (b) shall require the alignment of their national law to Directive 2010/13/EU to grant participation in the ‘Audiovisual’ specific objective.

Article 15 - Implementation and forms of Union funding

1. The Programme shall be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, under direct management or under indirect management with entities referred to in Article 62(1), point (c) of that Regulation.

1. Union funding may be provided in any form in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, in particular grants, prizes, procurement and non-financial donations.

2. Where Union support is provided in the form of a budgetary guarantee or a financial instrument, including where combined with non-repayable support in a blending operation, it shall be exclusively provided through the ECF InvestEU Instrument and implemented in accordance with the applicable rules of the ECF InvestEU Instrument through agreements concluded for that type of support under the ECF InvestEU Instrument.

3. Union support in the form of a budgetary guarantee shall be provided within the maximum amount of the budgetary guarantee established by the ECF Regulation.

4. Where the Programme makes use of the ECF InvestEU Instrument, it shall provide the provisioning for the budgetary guarantee and the financing to financial instruments, including when combined with non-repayable support in the form of a blending operation.

5. Where Union funding is provided in the form of a grant, funding shall be provided as financing not linked to costs or, where necessary, simplified cost options, in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. Funding may be provided in the form of actual eligible cost reimbursement only where the objectives of an action cannot be achieved otherwise.

6. For the purposes of Article 153(3) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, the evaluation committee may be composed partially or fully of independent external experts.

7. Entities applying for a funding under the Creative Europe - Culture strand of the Programme that have received over 50% of their annual revenue from public sources over the last two years, shall be considered as having the necessary financial, professional and administrative capacity to carry out activities under the Programme. They shall not be required to present further documentation to demonstrate that capacity.

Article 16 - Eligibility

1. Eligibility criteria shall be set to support achievement of the objectives laid down in Article 3, in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 and shall apply to all award procedures under the Programme.

2. In award procedures under direct and indirect management, one or more of the following legal entities may be eligible to provide or receive Union support:

(a)entities established in a Member States; 

(b)entities established in an associated third country;

(c)international organisations;

(d)other entities established in non-associated third countries where the funding of such entities is essential for implementing the action and contributes to the objectives laid down in Article 3.

3. In addition to Article 168(2) and (3) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, associated third countries referred to in Article 14(1) of this Regulation may, where relevant, participate in and benefit from any procurement mechanisms set out in Article 168(2) and (3) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. Rules applicable to Member States shall be applied, mutatis mutandis, to participating associated third countries.

4. Award procedures affecting security or public order, in particular concerning strategic assets and interests of the Union or its Member States, shall be restricted in accordance with Article 136 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. 

5. The work programme referred to in Article 110 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 may further specify the eligibility criteria set out in this Regulation or set additional eligibility criteria for specific actions.

6. An operating grant may be awarded without a call for proposals to the European Network of National Equality Bodies (Equinet), to cover expenditure associated with the permanent work programme of Equinet.

Article 17 - Work programme

The Programme shall be implemented by work programmes referred to in Article 110 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509. The work programmes shall set out, where applicable, the activities and related amounts of Union support to be implemented through the ECF InvestEU instrument.

Chapter VII

Final provisions

Article 18 - Repeal 

Regulations (EU) 2021/692 and (EU) 2021/818 are repealed with effect from 1 January 2028.

Article 19 - Transitional provisions

1. This Regulation shall not affect the continuation or modification of the actions concerned, until their closure, under Regulations (EU) 2021/692 and (EU) 2021/818 , which shall continue to apply to the actions concerned until their closure.

2. The financial envelope for the Programme may also cover technical and administrative assistance expenses necessary to ensure the transition between the Programme and the measures adopted under Regulations (EU) 2021/692 and (EU) 2021/81.

Article 20 - Entry into force and application

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 January 2028.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.