CAE’s reactions to SOTEU 2026

Today’s State of the Union left us at Culture Action Europe with mixed feelings.  

On the one hand, from a cultural perspective, there was a lot we could recognise ourselves in: fighting together for our European idea, standing up for values, protecting Europe’s unique social model, and affirming that ‘in Europe, people will always come first.’  

 Culture runs through all of this. It is inseparable from Ukraine’s struggle to preserve its identity. From how we challenge narratives that divide us. From how children encounter the world and learn to use imagination. The proposed Congress of Europe feels like an obvious space for artists and cultural organisations to help shape a new vision for Europe.  

 On the other hand, concrete commitments to support the cultural sector were absent. Today marks 1099 days since cultural diversity was last mentioned in a 2023 SOTEU address. 

Today, a lot was said about AI and ‘the highest-quality data,’ which is ‘a precious European treasure,’ while ignoring that much of this data is sourced without asking or paying the authors and creators behind it. 

It was good to hear how the next EU budget will be conditional on respecting the rule of law and fundamental rights. But artists are being censored across Europe, and we still lack a real EU protection for artistic freedom. 

We also welcome the future Quality Jobs Act — but will it finally address the precarious working conditions in the cultural sector? Will the Mediterranean Youth Skills and Jobs initiative make room for cultural participation and cooperation?   

At Culture Action Europe, we keep pushing with our members and partners for an EU Artistic Freedom Act, a larger EU budget for culture and an effective EU Artists’ Charter. Our letter ahead of SOTEU asked for the political recognition of culture to translate into action. 

SOTEU 2026 showed how deeply culture is embedded in the European project. But without proper sectoral support, it will remain an invisible enabler of Europe’s values, democracy and economy. 

Culture must be supported and resourced as a sector in its own right.