The Council of Europe deepens its engagement with European co-production and the democratic power of storytelling as new partnerships are unveiled. The Council of Europe, home of Eurimages, is pleased to announce the results of its 2026 call for partnerships & sponsorships under the pilot program for series co-productions. This year's selection reflects a program that is deepening its reach, not only continuing to recognize the industry's dynamic co-production markets, but for the first time extending meaningful support to professional training and to the broader cultural conversation around the role of series in European public life.

For the first time, the program extends its partnering measure to an industry event dedicated to animated works, joining forces with the CEE Animation Forum (Pilsen, CZ) to host a Council of Europe series co-production development award worth €50.000 — a recognition that the European co-production ecosystem is as rich and diverse as the stories it tells. The award also returns to TV Beats at Industry@Tallinn (Tallinn, EE), where the program continues an established partnership.

Among the most significant expansions in 2026 is the program's first sponsorship of a series co-development lab. ACE Series (NL) receives €15.000 under the new series co-development labs measure, a recognition that sustaining a vibrant European series landscape requires investing not only in finished projects and market encounters, but in the professionals who shape them. By supporting training at the earliest stages, the program signals its commitment to the long goals: building the capacity and ambition of independent producers across the continent.

Equally new and equally significant is the culture on screen measure, which supports events that interrogate the relationship between series and democratic debate. Four events receive €7.500 each in 2026: Culture on Screen Think Tank by CineLink Industry Days (Sarajevo, BiH); Stories at Risk by Seriesly Berlin (Berlin, DE); Series to Change the World: The Power of Impact Storytelling & Pluralism by Iberseries & Platino Industria (Madrid, ES); and Nostradamus Talks: Screen Visions by Göteborg Film Festival (online, SE).

Together, they form a constellation of conversations, spanning Sarajevo, Berlin, Madrid and Gothenburg, that ask what stories are told, whose voices are amplified, and how audiovisual productions can play an essential role in shaping European cultural sovereignty and promoting democratic values in Europe and beyond. These are questions that have gained increasing urgency in recent public and industry debates, along with measuring the value of audiovisual works also by their contribution to society. That the program now formally supports this kind of reflection, alongside its work in production and markets, marks a meaningful broadening of its mission.