Contracting Authority: European Committee of the Regions (CoR) (as part of the framework contract No CDR/2021/C3/1/SEDEC/LOT2/1)
Period: 2024-2025
URL: Evaluating the impact of the Creative Europe programme in cities and regions
Description:
Cultural resources and products of human creativity are amongst those goods whose beneficial effects on individuals and society as a whole are extremely complicated to quantify. The positive effects of culture and creativity range from education, a sense of belonging, and social cohesion to innovation, as well as physical and mental well-being, and more tangible areas such as income and economic growth. Also, due to this difficulty in measuring its benefits – as with many public goods – culture and creativity require the support and upholding of public actors and institutions to thrive and produce their effects to the fullest.
In this context, the Creative Europe Programme (CEP) emerges as a central instrument of the European Union’s (EU) cultural policy architecture. Launched in 2014 with a total budget of EUR 1.47 billion and renewed in 2021 with an increased budget of EUR 2.44 billion, the Programme consolidates earlier initiatives and has become the EU flagship funding mechanism explicitly dedicated to the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS). With its three strands (i.e., Culture, Media, and Cross-sectoral), the CEP plays a leading role in supporting cross-border cooperation, nurturing innovative creation, and amplifying the visibility of European artistic and cultural expressions.
By investing in a wide range of creative initiatives and fostering mobility, networks, and digital innovation, the CEP not only sustains the dynamism of the cultural ecosystem but also brings culture closer to the lives of citizens in every European region. Its reach is further enhanced by its capacity to complement other major EU programmes, such as the New European Bauhaus, Horizon Europe, and the European Regional Development Fund. Still, amongst all these, the CEP stands out as the only EU initiative dedicated exclusively to the CCS.
The Programme is centrally managed by the EU, and although several studies have been produced on the effects generated, its impact and effectiveness at the local and regional level need further investigation. It should, in fact, be considered that the effects a funding programme produces at place-based level depend greatly on territorial characteristics and its alignment with specific local needs, especially in a field such as the CCS, which, at the European level, is highly diversified due to its various cultural influences.
In this framework, the present study aims to offer an assessment of the extent to which the CEP has supported the CCS at local and regional levels. The research builds on a wide set of evidence, ranging from in-depth literature review and desk research to case studies and stakeholder consultations with e.g., representatives from organisations involved in managing CEP funding and EU representatives, to statistical analyses. The ambition is to offer an analysis of the cross-sectoral benefits of investment in culture and to identify obstacles to successful implementation at local and regional levels, also in view of the challenges and crises that the CCS have faced in recent times, stemming from both local and global phenomena.
Moreover, a thorough assessment of the CEP’s impact at local and regional level is particularly pertinent in the context of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (2028-2034), so as to inform any future editions of the Programme. Ultimately, the increasing acknowledgement of culture as a driver of regional development, social cohesion, and innovation underscores the need for a more comprehensive understanding of how EU programmes contribute to these objectives across local and regional contexts.