The Council has unveiled its proposed budget allocations for the 2028-2034 MFF and it’s bad news for culture, including a 33% reduction in budget for AgoraEU compared to the Parliament’s position. It is vital that the European Parliament’s budgetary proposal of €10.72 billion is treated as the bare minimum in negotiations in order to sustain the cultural and creative sectors.
Culture Action Europe calls for an AgoraEU that covers all cultural and creative sectors fairly, protects the cross-sectoral nature of European cultural cooperation, and provides more ambitious funding for culture as a whole. Where sectors have specific needs, they must be addressed consistently, not selectively, across various sectors.
As the trialogue approaches, the European Parliament is consolidating its positions on key funding programmes shaping the next MFF. Among them, AgoraEU stands out as a central framework for supporting culture and socially impactful projects, raising questions about what’s new and why it matters.
The Interim Report of the European Parliament on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) has been adopted with an increased budget proposed for the AgoraEU programme. Read more and learn our reaction in this piece.
The next Horizon Europe programme (2028–2034) is being shaped right now, and culture is disappearing from its architecture. Read what Culture Action Europe, as part of the Artistic Research Alliance, is calling for in terms of amendments to the Parliament’s draft report.
A coalition of 500+ organisations representing Europe’s cultural and creative sectors, independent media and journalism, civil society and democracy actors have sent an open letter to the EU institutions calling for a substantial increase in funding for the AgoraEU programme in the next long-term EU budget.
Without culture, the transition won’t be fair or viable. Culture must be structurally integrated into climate policy. Read EMCCINNO’s first policy brief.
Read a summary of Culture Action Europe’s contribution to the European Parliament’s stakeholder consultation on the AgoraEU proposal (Creative Europe – Culture strand) that took place on Wednesday 4 March 2026.