The Official Journal of the European Union of November 4, 2009 includes the publication of the Media Program Mundus Programme for audiovisual cooperation with third countries, which since January 2011 will support the exchange of ideas and will make market access easier to films made in collaboration with third countries.

The Media Mundus Programme for audiovisual cooperation with third countries aims to increase the competitiveness of the European audiovisual industry, to enable Europe to play its cultural and political role in the world more effectively and to increase consumer choice and cultural diversity. The programme will seek to improve access to third-country markets and to build trust and long-term working relationships.

In order to get these targets, actions to facilitate the exchange of ideas, training actions, distribution of materials and production of films in cooperation with third countries will be financed with 15 million euros from January 2011 until December 2013.

EPs backed up Media Mundus Programme in May 2009, after the Commission approval of January. The Commision had previously considered to create a global film cooperation programme that 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.