The new Creative Europe programme for the cultural and creative sectors will be focused on audiences and artists. Audience development will be a key focus for projects according to the Commission, which will encompass and strengthen the existing Culture and MEDIA (cinema) programmes as well as launching a loan guarantee scheme to boost bank lending to SMEs in the cultural sectors.

The European Commission unveiled its plans for putting audiences, as well as artists, at the heart of its new Creative Europe programme for the cultural and creative sectors. This programme presented in November 2011 will focus in an audience development for projects supported through the proposed €1.8 billion EU fund, which will encompass and strengthen the existing Culture and MEDIA (cinema) programmes as well as launching a loan guarantee scheme to boost bank lending to SMEs in the cultural sectors.

The European Capitals of Culture will also be at the Programme's heart. Every year, two cities are selected as European Capitals of Culture to highlight the diversity of European culture and the impact of intelligent cultural investment on the sustainable development of cities. Launched in 1985, the initiative has become one of the European Union's most visible success stories, reaching millions of citizens.

The EU's cultural and creative sectors account for up to 4.5% of EU GDP and up to 8.5 million jobs. EU support for culture enables thousands of organisations, artists and cultural professionals to meet, exchange views, learn from each other, and ultimately create, tour and perform together in different European countries.