Why this support is needed
The European book sector is incredibly rich and diverse, with more than 575 000 titles published every year. Yet many readers across Europe do not have access to the richness and diversity of European literature. One reason is that literature from many European countries is too rarely translated into other European languages.
The books and publishing sector also faces challenges including a transformation brought by the digital and green transitions, the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery, social inclusion and individuals' changing reading habits.
Meanwhile, publishing is one of the largest cultural sectors in Europe, with an estimated market value of more than €36 billion. The entire book value chain employs more than half a million people, according to the 2022 European Publishers Federation report.
Types of support under Creative Europe
Explore what the European Union does for the book and publishing sector through funding, prizes and policy actions.
Funding and prizes
Circulation of European Literary Works
The Creative Europe programme provides dedicated funding to publishers and organisations operating in the book and publishing sector to translate, publish, distribute and promote European works of fiction, mainly from less-widely spoken languages.
Creative Europe supports over 500 book translations every year in more than 40 original and 30 target languages, involving 300 translators and 400 contemporary writers, thereby promoting cultural and linguistic diversity.
The European Union Prize for Literature
Since 2009, the European Union Prize for Literature rewards the best European emerging authors, particularly in the field of fiction and celebrates the linguistic diversity and excellence of literature in countries participating in the Creative Europe programme.
Thanks to the prize, more than 175 emerging authors from 41 countries reached new markets and their works were translated into several languages since 2009. The Federation of European Publishers and the European and International Booksellers Federation organises the European Union Prize for Literature with the support of the Creative Europe programme.
Day of European Authors
The Day of European Authors is a new initiative of the European Commission to connect younger generations with book reading and help them discover the diversity of European literature. The Day of European Authors is also an opportunity to take stock of existing initiatives already running in EU countries and share good practices in reading promotion.
Culture Moves Europe
Culture Moves Europe offers mobility grants to writers, translators, and professionals from the book sector, as well as to artists and cultural professionals in all 40 Creative Europe countries. Covering sectors such as architecture, cultural heritage, design and fashion design, literature, music, performing arts, and visual arts, this initiative supports a wide range of creative fields. With a budget of €21 million, Culture Moves Europe provides mobility grants to around 7 000 artists, cultural professionals, and host organisations from 2022 to 2025.
Cooperation Projects, Networks and Platforms
Creative Europe also supports the book and publishing sector through the funding schemes of European Cooperation Projects, Networks of Cultural and Creative Organisations and Platforms for the Promotion of Emerging Artists.
The following projects are an illustration of how Creative Europe supports the book sector throughout the value chain, from author to reader:
Talent development
CELA – Connecting Emerging Literary Artists trains and connects 30 emerging authors, 80 emerging translators and six emerging literary professionals, thereby offering a bigger opportunity to less-widely spoken languages and driving change.
Multilingualism
The ambition of ARCHIPELAGOS - Expanding Literature Routes in Europe project is to make the diversity of European literary voices more visible and more widely read. The project encourages diversity of representations and imaginations by fostering the discovery of new voices in less widely spoken languages.
Poetry promotion
The Platform Versopolis creates opportunities for more than 300 emerging poets. It supports the translation of their works into European languages and enables their publication in printed booklets, e-books and on the Versopolis website. It also supports poets’ mobility by organising guest appearances at more than 30 European literary festivals.
Book fairs
The project ALDUS UP - European Book Fairs’ Network is an international network of the largest book fairs in the world (Frankfurt and Bologna), several national fairs and publishing associations. Its ultimate goal is to further professionalise the fast-changing European landscape of publishing.
Booksellers
The Network RISE Bookselling is a three-year project managed by the European and International Booksellers Federation, numbering 33 members from 23 countries. It focuses on the resilience, innovation, and sustainability of the European bookselling sector.
Reading promotion
The project "Our Little Library: Through Literary Bridges to Reading Adventures" aims to establish a mutual publishing market, increase circulation of literary works, promote transnational mobility of EU books and authors. In doing so it benefits 19 000 children and 2 800 mentors, as well as organising meetings with foreign editors, involving 76 professionals to produce children's books and e-books.
Accessibility
The EU Accessibility Act requires that by 2025 all e-books sold in Europe should be fully accessible to people with disabilities and the elderly. The project ABE LAB - “Accessible Backlist E-Books Laboratory” contributes to the implementation of the Accessibility Act and the end of “book famine”. It analyses the process and workflows by which e-books of different types and formats can be transformed into accessible EPUB in the easiest and least costly way. The project will deliver guidelines to help European publishers in selecting e-books which can be made accessible for an acceptable cost.
Policy actions
Dialogue and cooperation with EU Member States and stakeholders
The European Commission is in constant dialogue with the sector through the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) groups, which bring together representatives and policymakers from the EU countries, practitioners and other stakeholders from the whole book value chain.
OMC report on translation and multilingualism – “Translators on the cover”
The EU Expert Group on multilingualism and translation published a February 2022 "Translators on the Cover" report on the role of translators in the cultural and creative sectors and the circulation of books in Europe.
The report explores the crucial role of translators in bridging language barriers and enabling the dissemination of European literature. It delves into the challenges the translators face and proposes solutions to support their work, promote their visibility and recognition.
The report emphasises the importance of fair remuneration for translators. It also includes recommendations on how the EU and the Member States’ public institutions can work together to stimulate the translation and the promotion of European books.
OMC group on libraries
Libraries play a key role in Europe’s democratic, social, cultural, and educational landscape at all levels. An OMC group on public libraries is running since 2024, as provided for in the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026 endorsed by the Member States Culture Ministers.
The group explores the future of public libraries and, in particular, how to strengthen the multiple roles of libraries as gateways to and transmitters of cultural works, skills and European values.