Impact Study: UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals

During this period, CARIFORUM States were able to access funding for six projects, half of which can be defined as Caribbean-themed projects that were executed by European partners working in partnership with Caribbean stakeholders (see Table 2). The latter projects involved film production and training in the audiovisual sector and accounted for 55% of the funds dedicated to the Caribbean. The other projects were coordinated by Caribbean-based firms and involved film production and distribution. The total funds for Caribbean- coordinated and themedprojects amounted to 1,774,031 EUR or approximately 8% of the total funds allocated (22,270,000 EUR). The funding allocated represented a share of the total budget ranging from a low of 23% to a high of 80%. Awardees were required to access funding from strategic partners. In February 2019, the Assistant-Secretary-General of the ACP Group, Léonard-Emile Ognimba, together with the Director General for Development and International Cooperation of the European Commission (DEVCO), Stefano Manservisi, launched the newACP-EU Culture Programme on the occasion of the 26th edition of the Ouagadougou Pan-African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO). The general objective of the ACP-EU Programme “Towards a viable cultural industry” is to support the contribution of the cultural and creative sectors to the socio-economic development of ACP countries through: (a) the creation/production of quality goods and services at a competitive cost and in increased quantity through digital technology; (b) access to national, regional and international markets, the circulation/diffusion/promotion of ACP goods and services and image education; (c) improved access to financing through innovative mechanisms, that allow co-financing and are aimed at reducing the dependence of ACP cultural operators on international funding. A dedicated call of support for ACP audiovisual co-production with a budget of 6 million EUR has already been launched 26 . The Caribbean Regional Indicative Programme, which sets the main priorities for cooperation between both regions in the framework of the EDF, and with a budget of 346 million EUR (2014-2020), does not mention culture as an area of focus for EU support.

44 Culture in the CARIFORUM-EU EPA

26. ACP-EU programme:“Towards a viable cultural industry”,“Support for ACP audiovisual co-production”, Reference: EuropeAid/164206/IH/ACT/Multi, Deadline for submission of full application: 3 June 2019.