AgoraEU: Member States want to cut the budget by 30 per cent; the audiovisual sector is mobilising
It is within the Council of the European Union, where Member States are negotiating the future EU budget, that Brussels’ cultural ambitions are now coming up against financial realities. In a joint statement published at the end of last week, sixteen European film and audiovisual organisations have raised the alarm over the proposed cuts to AgoraEU, the future programme covering culture, the audiovisual sector,… media and democracy for the period 2028–2034. A cut of 2.6 billion According to information published by Contexte, the Irish Presidency of the Council is reported to have proposed reducing the AgoraEU budget from 8.58 billion euros to just 6 billion, a cut of 30 per cent, compared with the 4 per cent reduction previously envisaged under the Cypriot Presidency. This proposal is currently under discussion…