Level Failed Andy Silvester Campaign Director, TaxPayers’ Alliance August 2015 espite the myriad problems across the continent, it seems that the European Union’s (EU) wasteful spending continues apace. New TaxPayers’ Alliance research via official European D sources reveals that more than £2 million has been given in grants to video game produc- tions. These subsidies are unacceptable. The key findings of this research are: • In 2014, the first grants managed by the European Commission’s "Creative Europe" were given out in order to support the audio-visual and culture sectors across Europe. Many of these grants were given to support, for instance, museum exhibitions or city festivals. • However, many were given to video game companies for the development of certain projects. In total, more than £2 million was granted for such projects in 2014 alone. The European Union should not be handing out taxpayer-funded subsidies to individual companies. • The most recent EU budget saw Britain contribute 11.4 per cent of total EU funds. No detail about the individual contributions to "Creative Europe" are available, but working on the 11.4 per cent figure, these TV grants have cost British taxpayers more than a quarter of a million pounds. In Britain, the project is administered by the British Council and the British Film Institute, so the real cost to taxpayers will in fact be higher than this due to staff time. A full list of projects, and the official text accompanying the grant submissions, is detailed below.
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