Press Release: MEDIA MUNDUS: Commission considers global film cooperation programme

The Commission is currently exploring the benefits of adding to the EU's MEDIA programme – created in 1991 to promote the development and the distribution of European films across borders – a new MEDIA MUNDUS programme to strengthen cultural and commercial relations between Europe's film industry and film-makers of third countries. This could help audiovisual professionals from Europe and equivalent film makers outside the EU to reciprocally improve their competitiveness by better exploiting the potential for joint projects such as the development, distribution and promotion of audiovisual works. Such a MEDIA MUNDUS programme would follow the model of the student exchange programme ERASMUS MUNDUS that had been added in 2001 to the already existing ERASMUS programme in order to make an exchange between European universities and universities in third countries possible. A public-online consultation on the main features and priorities of a possible MEDIA MUNDUS programme is open until 15 June 2008 and a public hearing will be held in Brussels on 25 June.