It was with great disappointment that we were informed that, as from next year, there will no longer be any media/digital-arts focused Platform and/or Network funded through the Creative Europe programme.

For a long time, Creative Europe has sensibly focused on digitalisation as one of the priorities of the European Union's cultural programme. Contrary to this priority, in the near future no European platform nor network was approved for funding by Creative Europe.

The discontinuation of such funding in the field of media art contradicts the European Union’s efforts to seriously address issues surrounding media illiteracy and disinformation, and it is at odds with its mission to foster a strong European media creative industry. It places this already precarious sector at a disadvantage as structures, ethical practices, and methodologies that have been meticulously developed over many years with the support of Creative Europe must now be dismantled until EU funding is reinstated.

The European Media Art Platform (EMAP) is an example of the good work that platforms, as open cascading grant funding models, can achieve. In the 7 years of its existence EMAP has supported 150 artists and co-produced with them 91 projects which received 54 international awards including the European Short Film Price and had been exhibited widely internationally including the Centre Pompidou, the Venice Architecture Biennale or The Barbican and connects next to 16 European members also 150 international partner organisations.

We believe that there is an urgent need for action on the part of the European Union, to reinstate a European platform with sufficient funding to produce new critically imagined media works and support and promote emerging European artists.

Please support EMAP by signing this petition.