A Sector Contribution to the Work Plan for Culture 2027–2030
Just finished digesting the EU’s new strategic documents for culture, the Culture Compass and the Joint Declaration? Another policy document is coming later this year: the Work Plan for Culture of the Council of the EU 2027-2030.
Every four years, the culture ministers of the Member States agree on a document that sets out shared priorities for cooperation at EU level. You can think of it as the Council’s to-do list for cultural coordination over the next four years. The Work Plan identifies key topics and then organises practical ways for Member States, the Commission and successive Council Presidencies to work together. In general, the Work Plan produces what we often call ‘soft law’: policy guidance, shared recommendations and knowledge exchange. The document is not legally binding, nor does it directly allocate funding, but it can still shape agendas, national policies and the direction of EU cultural action.
The next Work Plan will cover 2027–2030 and is expected to be adopted under the Irish Presidency by the end of 2026. The first draft, not publicly available, was presented already on 3 July.
Culture Action Europe developed our recommendations for the next Work Plan for Culture. They were informed by the discussions at the BEYOND Satellites – six decentralised gatherings that took place in spring 2026 across Europe.
Following a collaborative approach along the lines of the Sector Blueprint that helped shape the Culture Compass, Culture Action Europe consulted its members on the future Work Plan for Culture during the regional consultations that took place in Riga from 14 to 16 April, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from 21 to 22 April, Istanbul from 4 to 6 May, Amsterdam from 8 to 9 May, Skopje from 14 to 16 May, and Gdańsk from 19 to 20 May. An additional online consultation with European cultural networks took place on 1 June. In total, around 120 Culture Action Europe members and network representatives contributed to the consultations.
Participants were asked to reflect on two questions: which issues need stronger coordination between Member States in the coming years, and which existing practices could inspire exchange and mutual learning across Europe. The discussions were rooted in lived experience and shaped by principles of decentralisation, proximity and attention to local realities.
Across all six regional gatherings and the networks consultation, the same problems emerged repeatedly:
- Artistic freedom is increasingly under pressure from political interference, funding restrictions and the loss of independent cultural spaces, requiring a stronger and more coherent European response.
- Fair and sustainable working conditions for the sector are a shared public responsibility and require coordinated action by Member States, the EU, funders and employers. The EU Artists’ Charter should establish shared commitments to improve the working conditions of artists and cultural workers, backed by meaningful implementation and accountability.
- International cultural relations should be built on long-term partnerships, reciprocity and shared ownership, with culture recognised as a strategic priority across the EU’s external action.
- Culture is a foundational element of democratic and civic infrastructure. Cultural rights, participation and socially engaged arts should be recognised and supported through policies that strengthen democratic life.
- AI in the cultural sector should be developed through a rights-first approach that protects creators’ autonomy, ensures fair conditions for the use of cultural works, and supports a democratic digital ecosystem.
Alongside these requests and concerns, members also shared good practices from their own contexts, examples of policies and approaches that could support mutual learning across Europe. We have gathered these insights into a comprehensive paper outlining Culture Action Europe’s Recommendations for the Work Plan for Culture of the Council of the EU 2027–2030.
The Work Plan for Culture alone cannot reverse all the challenges facing the cultural sector on its own. However, it can create the coordination, peer learning, accountability and political ambition needed to support the cultural sector across Europe.