EIBF answers European Commission Consultations on the EU's Long-Term Budget

The European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) is pleased to announce the publication of our position papers on funding for culture, competitiveness, and EU external action in the European Commission’s next multiannual financial framework (MFF).

The MFF is the European Union’s long-term budget, usually covering a seven-year-period. It sets the maximum level of resources for each major category of EU spending for the period it covers, including for funding programmes like Creative Europe, which currently makes our RISE project possible. The seventh and upcoming MFF, covering the period 2028-2034, is currently being put together and will be negotiated in the next few months, including the share of money allocated to culture and the creative industries.

In line with this, EIBF actively participated in three of the European Commission’s public consultations on the next MFF, namely, the ones for funding for culture, competitiveness, and EU external action. Now more than ever it is crucial that funding for culture isn't disrupted, especially given the current veering towards competitiveness and defence spending. Such consultations are an opportunity to make our voice heard and highlight the added value that our sector brings to European culture, democracy, and society.

Moreover, EIBF has also signed a joint statement along with the other organisations representing the book sector in Europe: writers (EWC), translators (CEATL), publishers (FEP), librarians (EBLIDA), and reading promotion (EURead) as well as agencies promoting literature (ENLIT), which calls on the Commission to ensure that proper funding for authors, book professionals and literature and reading promotion is maintained in the next MFF and, ideally, increased.