European Union support for cooperation

European Network for Literary Translation

The European Network for Literary Translation (ENLIT) is an informal network of 22 cultural organisations and translation funding bodies from 19 countries and regions, founded in 2016. The aim is to promote literature and translation to a global network of publishers, authors, translators and other cultural professionals. Network members meet twice a year to discuss best practice, share presentations on literary exchange and plan collaborative projects.

Member States and institutions pooled resources to launch the project, using the slogan ‘Open a book for a better future’. It aims to bring current social issues to readers and reflect on the world we want to live in, with a focus on diversity and interconnection.

European Union support for cooperation

EU funding programmes, such as Erasmus for education, horizon for research and Creative Europe, represent important sources of funding for cooperation projects. Each programme has its specific objectives and funding conditions, and a funding guide, CulturEU,(101) has recently been launched to help applicants find the most suitable support scheme for their project.

The new Creative Europe programme (2021–27) has seen its budget increased to EUR 2.5 billion, with the clear objectives of promoting cultural diversity and reinforcing the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors. Creative Europe support of cooperation projects is especially designed to support projects that bring together organisations from different profiles and countries. The co-financing rates have been increased to 80 % for smaller-scale projects, in order to be more accessible to even the smallest organisations. This report includes many examples that illustrate the variety of projects that can be financed through this bottom-up approach (see CELA, Translation in Motion, Aldus, etc.) The recently launched Balkan Translations Collider (102) is another

example. The collider will work to bolster crossborder literary networks and cooperation both within the western Balkans, and – on a larger scale – with other European countries.

Creative Europe support for literary translation also includes a cooperation element: publishers can decide to submit projects for the translation and promotion of European books either as individual applicants or in a grouping with other publishers or partners of the book chain.

Other schemes, including support for networks of professional organisations (see the EIBF text box above) or support of platforms for emerging artists (see Versopolis below) represent additional – indeed, more specialised – ways to foster networking and collaboration.