The European Commission publishes new Perform Europe call to design and manage a platform for sustainable, fair, green, inclusive, and diverse cross-border touring and digital distribution in the performing arts.
On 30 October 2025, the European Commission published a call to continue the Perform Europe action.
This action will support an organisation or a consortium of organisations that will be responsible for developing and managing the next phase of Perform Europe, a European platform designed to make the cross-border touring and digital distribution of performing arts works more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative.
Building on the achievements of the first two phases of the scheme in, this new iteration of Perform Europe aims to test and promote new touring models that
- reduce environmental impact
- strengthen fair working conditions
- promote inclusive productions
- enhance access to diverse audiences and communities
across Creative Europe countries.
With this new call, the European Commission reaffirms its commitment to a vibrant, connected, and sustainable performing arts ecosystem, ensuring that cultural exchange remains at the heart of a fair, green, and inclusive Europe.
Purpose of the Call
The call invites applications from organisations or consortia with proven expertise in the performing arts and cross-border cooperation.
The selected beneficiary will:
- design and manage the Perform Europe digital platform (2026–2028)
- organise open calls to fund touring and distribution projects through cascading grants
- ensure capacity-building, mentoring, and knowledge-sharing activities
- maintain and expand the digital infrastructure and a matchmaking tool
- develop outreach, branding, and communication activities
- collect, analyse and disseminate data and contribute to policy development in the performing arts sector
Priorities
All activities under Perform Europe should contribute to:
- fair and sustainable cross-border mobility
- inclusion, diversity, and gender equality
- the green and digital transitions in the performing arts
- the implementation of better working conditions and fair remuneration with the view to helping the sector ‘grow’ in a social, human
- centred and artistic sense
- equal access of younger generations to distribution opportunities
- support for Ukrainian artists and cultural operators
Budget and Duration
The available budget of the call is €2 million, with at least 70% allocated to cascading grants supporting performing arts projects.
The grant will cover a 24-month period (2026–2028).
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are legal entities active in the performing arts sector and established in Creative Europe participating countries.
Applications may be submitted by:
- a single organisation
- a consortium composed of at least three organisations from three different eligible countries
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Find out more and apply for the Perform EU call
Source: European Commission | Culture and Creativity | What’s new | News (https://tinyurl.com/5cnkrz4m)