Sector Consultation: Policy Recommendations
Perform Europe, run by IETM, EFA, EDN, Circostrada and IDEA Consult, is a pilot project aimed to test innovative models of cross-border touring and presentation of the performing arts.

Perform Europe is approaching its final phase - development of policy insights on how European, national and international policy-makers can support sustainable and inclusive cross-border touring and presentation of the performing arts.

We started our journey with a large-scale research on the current trends, gaps, issues and geographic flows of touring and presentation in the 40 countries of Creative Europe and the UK. Together with 19 ambitious projects, which represent 250 presentations of over 45 artistic works, we have been testing innovative practices and models of bringing artistic works and concepts to new places and people. We have learned a lot, and now we are in the full swing of translating our insights into policy recommendations. At this point, we need your input - to make sure our vision reflects the aspirations and challenges of the performing art sector as much as possible.

Below we have written seven statements on what a future European support scheme for sustainable and inclusive performing distribution should be like. These statements reflect the essence of the recommendations we would like to put forward. Please let us know whether you find those statements relevant and feel free to share with us any thoughts you may have in this regard.

**Deadline for contributions: 23 May 2022**

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1. Ecological practices
Green practices require more money and time, and this should be reflected in any funding scheme, in regard to all applicants. At the same time, funders must recognise the existing inequalities and differences related to geographic location, economic development, as well as level of cross-border connectedness / isolation of countries where applicants are based, and reflect these differences in selection processes and the levels of support provided. Moreover, special financial and knowledge sharing mechanisms should be set up to stimulate solidarity between professionals and organisations based in different countries, when adopting and practicing green models.
Clear selection
Your thoughts (500 words max)
2. Geographic balance
Geographic balance must become one of the key aims of any funding scheme supporting cross-border distribution of the performing arts. It must be communicated in the guiding values of the funding programme (clearly indicating the countries/regions that  are currently less represented in the international / European touring landscape) and translated into eligibility and / or selection criteria as well as the structure of the scheme and selection process. Evaluators must be guided by double criteria: identify quality and ensure geographic balance through a quota system. Selection criteria related to geographic balance must be aligned with the relevant data on the actual presence of countries in the European/international performing arts distribution system. For that, research should be conducted to map the size of population and performing arts markets in the countries that are eligible for the funding programme.
Clear selection
Your thoughts (500 words max)
3. Inclusivity and access
As touring and presentation are only the beginning of the value chain, inclusivity issues must be addressed by policy-makers and the sector at all other levels and steps: education, employment, programming, access to funding, project collaboration, promotion strategies, etc. Funders should practice equity by offering targeted support to various minority groups (specific calls with a geographic/minority focus, quotas, etc.). There must be additional access support in every funding scheme - for interpretation, personal assistance, private transportation, etc. A special budget line must be previewed in budget templates, applicants should be proactively informed that these types of costs are encouraged and eligible, and jury members must be made aware of the essential nature of these expenses.
Clear selection
Your thoughts (500 words max)
4. Multidisciplinary approach
The future of the performing arts is multidisciplinary: there is a growing trend of artistic interaction between various art forms - dance, theatre, circus, outdoor arts. A strict discipline-based categorisation can create constraints for artistic development and even exclude some art forms which do not fit any of the boxes. Therefore, a cross-border support scheme for touring and presentation should embrace all disciplines of the performing arts in an equal way. At the same time, such a funding programme must be flexible and comprehensive of the peculiarities of various artistic disciplines: for example, including Jury members / evaluators with practical and artistic expertise in various performing arts disciplines; respecting timelines of programming in different sub-sectors, considering the difference in digitalisation potential in various art forms, etc.
Clear selection
Your thoughts (500 words max)
5. Digitalisation
Digital performing arts is an autonomous art form, and it is different from digitisation of live arts for purposes of streaming, recording, dissemination, archiving, etc. A funding scheme supporting cross-border touring and presentation of performing arts should not favour any sub-discipline or artistic form of performing arts. The same way, it should not have a specific focus on digital performing arts. If a funder wishes to stimulate the development of the digital performing arts form, it should set up specific calls for projects in this area, clearly conveying the difference between the creation of digital art (where digital is an integral part of the artistic value) and digitisation of performing arts.  At the same time, digitisation should only be encouraged by funders when it brings a clear added value to the artistic form itself, to the performing arts ecosystem and the audiences: optimisation of costs, reduction of environmental impact, engaging audiences across borders, creating access, etc. To stimulate that, the funder should rather convey the goals than stimulate the usage of specific means to achieve these goals, be they digital or not.
Clear selection
Your thoughts (500 words max)
6. Fair funding
A funding scheme supporting cross-border touring and presentation of performing arts should convey fairness (including fair remuneration) as one of its guiding principles and selection criteria. For that, a clear statement on what “fairness” is in the context of cross-border touring and distribution should be part of the guidelines for applicants. In this context, there is also a need for some flexible directions/recommendations, developed in collaboration with experts, on how a fair fee can be calculated in a cross-border setting and adjusted depending on a country.
Clear selection
Your thoughts (500 words max)
7. Relations building in the performing arts
There is a need in the performing art sector for a cross-border digital platform featuring artistic works, festivals, companies, venues, residencies, artists, etc. Such a platform should play the role in breaking existing bubbles and giving visibility to emerging / distant professionals and organisations. It should be as open as possible, and it should offer a highly refined search system allowing the user to browse by art forms, geographic location, themes, type of audiences, language, type of production, greening strategies applied, digital tools used, etc. At the same time, it should be recognised that such platforms can serve for exploration, prospecting and initial contact, while partnership building requires time and deep exchanges. If a partnership is made of organisations that have not yet worked together, they should be stimulated to include in their project activities focused on building trust, sharing knowledge and values, understanding each others’ local reality, etc.  
Clear selection
Your thoughts (500 words max)
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