AG Kurzfilm Opposes 30 Percent Cuts to EU's AgoraEU Program
European Short Film Industry Unites—30 Percent Cut Is Disproportionate and Unacceptable
AG Kurzfilm – the German Short Film Association – firmly opposes the planned drastic cuts to the future EU funding program AgoraEU. Together with short film festivals, training programs, film markets, and co-production platforms from across Europe, it has joined forces to form a newly established, informal alliance: the Short Film Coalition. In an open letter to the members of the European Council, the coalition calls for the cuts to be reversed. The letter was prompted by the Irish Council Presidency’s negotiation proposal of October 10 regarding the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, which calls for reducing AgoraEU funding from 8.6 to 6 billion euros—a 30 percent cut.
Numerous organizations, including well-known short film organizations from Germany and abroad, have signed the letter so far, with more joining every day. In Germany, these include festivals, distribution companies, and industry associations such as the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, DOK Leipzig, the Hamburg Short Film Agency, and AG Animationsfilm. Internationally, supporters of the appeal include the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, as well as the European Short Film Network and the Short Film Conference.
The stakes are particularly high for the short film industry in Germany: festivals, programs for emerging talent, and key professional opportunities for short-film creators in this country rely heavily on European funding. A cut of nearly one-third would have correspondingly serious consequences for the industry. It would hit smaller and independent organizations the hardest—the very ones that provide access to professional development, networking, and international markets in this sector.
Nearly a third less—for barely measurable savings
AgoraEU is the EU’s planned umbrella program for culture, media, and democracy starting in 2028. Among other things, it is intended to consolidate the existing Creative Europe program, which includes the CULTURE and MEDIA strands. For short films, it is the most important source of European funding.
The cut would disproportionately affect AgoraEU. According to the proposal, the EU budget is set to decrease by about 8 percent overall. AgoraEU, however, would lose 30 percent—nearly four times as much. The savings are minimal: the approximately 2.6 billion euros saved amount to only about 0.14 percent of the total MFF.
Disproportionate and Unacceptable
“A 30 percent cut saves almost nothing in the EU budget, but it tears a deep hole in the European film and cultural landscape. It would hit the already severely underfunded short film scene in Germany particularly hard,” says Jana Cernik, executive director of AG Kurzfilm. “Short films thrive on European cooperation—from festivals, training programs, film markets, co-production platforms, and cross-border networks. We expect the federal government to advocate for a strong AgoraEU in Brussels.”
Together with the Short Film Coalition, AG Kurzfilm calls on the member states to:
- reject the disproportionate cuts and secure at least the 8.6 billion euros proposed by the Commission for AgoraEU,
- to recognize AgoraEU as critical infrastructure for Europe’s future—as a stable, reliable, and adequately funded program for culture, film, independent media, and civil society in all regions,
- to specifically safeguard independent organizations, training programs, film markets, co-production platforms, festivals, and cross-border networks in the areas of culture and MEDIA.
Background
The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) sets the EU budget for seven years. The Commission presented its proposal for 2028–2034 in July 2025. On October 10, 2026, the Irish Council Presidency presented a revised negotiating box to reconcile the positions of the member states ahead of the European Council meeting on October 15 and 16. The MFF ultimately requires the approval of the European Parliament.
[Download] Open Letter: Short Film Coalition Opposes the Proposed Cuts to AgoraEU