Europe House, in cooperation with the Creative Europe Desk of BiH, organised on 27 February an info day about the opportunities available through the Creative Europe programme of the European Union for the development of the BiH cultural sector. Representatives of institutions, organisations and those implementing projects within the programme, as well as interested citizens and representatives of cultural institutions, gathered at Europe House in Sarajevo.
Adebayo Babajide, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasised the importance of encouraging artists and cultural workers and the benefits from this such as the creation of new jobs, the development of the economy and the strengthening of the creative sector. “Art and cultural activity have a great power to unify, reminding us of our common heritage, playing a crucial role in our societies. We are pleased that Bosnia and Herzegovina has actively participated in the Creative Europe programme for over a decade now and received over 4 million euros for more than 100 projects. It is important that artists and creators are supported and we are proud to cooperate with local initiatives that contribute to the exchange of knowledge and support the presentation of various cultural activities to local, regional and European audiences”.,” said Babajide.
Creative Europe is the largest and most successful EU programme to support the development of the audio-visual and creative sector with a budget of 2.44 billion euros for the period 2021-2027. By participating in this programme, the BiH cultural sector has the opportunity to learn about the policies of the European Union, and the work of European institutions, its laws and their application in practice. Participation in Creative Europe as well as other EU Programmes has proven to be very useful for candidate countries as a preparation for using the available funds of the European Union.
Suvad Džafić, Assistant Minister for Science and Culture of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, noted that institutions and organisations from Bosnia and Herzegovina that participate in EU programmes, including Creative Europe, are completely equal to other beneficiaries. “Bosnia and Herzegovina was very successful in the first cycle of the programme, and we are pleased that the main cultural manifestations have attracted significant funds. Our desire is to expand participation, and to move in the direction of better and stronger participation through the new cycle,” Džafić added.
Ilija Papac, coordinator of the Creative Europe Desk in BiH, emphasized that the role of the Desk in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to provide support and assistance in the application process and improve the quality of project proposals. “Our goal is for the application process to continue on an upward trajectory, as well as the withdrawal of funds. The process is more positive compared to before, we have more applications and approved projects, and today we have examples of successful practices that will show and explain experiences,” said Papac.
Cultural workers had the opportunity to hear the experiences of project managers from Sarajevo, and Zenica who, thanks to the support of the European Union, have implemented projects of networking, international cooperation and capacity building of cultural institutions. During the interactive workshops on the application process, representatives of institutions, organisations and companies working in the field of culture, expressed great interest and received practical information on the procedures for searching for project partners, how to contextualize ideas and which calls to apply for.
Creative Europe invests in actions that strengthen cultural diversity and respond to the needs and challenges of the cultural/creative sector. The main objectives of this EU programme are the preservation, development and promotion of European cultural and linguistic diversity, and heritage, thus increasing the competitiveness and economic potential of the cultural /creative sector, especially the audiovisual sector. More information is available at www.kreativna-europa.ba
