The Deputy Minister of Culture, Christos Dimas, puts today, 15 March 2024, on a Friday in a public online consultation, the draft law entitled: ‘Creative Greece: strengthening the cinematographic, audiovisual and creative sectors, establishing a body for books and other provisions of contemporary culture.
The proposed provisions of the draft law seek to create and support a coherent national policy for the audiovisual, book and creative and cultural sectors, in particular through the use of new technologies and innovative instruments. Finally, matters of supervised organizations of Contemporary Culture are regulated.
The provisions of the bill mainly concern the following issues:
1. A single entity is established in the form of a public limited company under the name ‘Hellenic Centre for Film, Audiovisual and Creation S.A.’ and with the distinctive title ‘Creative Greece’, essentially merging two (2) existing legal persons, namely: the Public Limited Company under the name "National Centre for Audiovisual Media and Communication S.A." and the legal entity under private law under the name "Hellenic Film Centre". The new body is expected to make a significant contribution to supporting and developing the film, audiovisual, creative and wider cultural sectors.
2. A new programme of support for audiovisual works in Greece, called Cash Rebate Greece (CRGR), is being established in order, in relation to the existing regime, on the one hand, to make it more friendly and accessible to investors and, on the other hand, to make it sustainable in the long term.
3. New structures are created to support the creative sector at national and regional level and actions are established to support the outward-looking nature of the audiovisual sector and its promotion at domestic and international level. In particular, the following shall be created: a) the National Digital Repository of Audiovisual Works for the preservation of the national audiovisual heritage, b) the Creative Hub, to attract European audiovisual education and training programs, c) the Program to enhance the extroversion of the Audiovisual Sector, in order to organize a rational framework for financing and supporting Greece's participation in international and European festivals and events as well as the support of domestic festivals in the field and d) the Audiovisual Production Facilitation Offices in Greece, Regions and large Municipalities.
4. A new legal entity under private law named "Hellenic Book and Culture Foundation" is established instead of the existing "Hellenic Foundation for Culture". This legal entity is expected to contribute significantly to the development and promotion of the book and Greek letters in Greece and abroad.
5. A new legal entity under private law named "Athens Epidaurus Festival" is established instead of the existing public limited company "Hellenic Festival S.A.", as the nature of the artistic and cultural activities of the organization do not resemble and cannot be subject to a commercial and profit-making framework, similar to that of a commercial company.
6. Administrative and operational improvements are being made to existing supervised bodies of the Ministry of Culture, such as the "ACROPOL CULTURE AND CREATION CENTRE", the "Thessaloniki Concert Hall Organisation", as well as state theatres and state orchestras.
We invite you to participate in the public online consultation by providing your views and comments on the proposed arrangements. The online public consultation process of the draft law will run until Thursday 28 March 2024.

The State Secretary for Culture
Christos Dimas