Culture: the Compass for Europe’s Future | Cultural Deal for Europe Annual Policy Conversation
2025 marks a critical year for the European Union and its strategic direction. The Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture & Sport will lead the creation of a new strategic framework called the ‘Culture Compass,’ “to guide and harness the multiple dimensions of culture”. If culture is Europe’s guiding star, where will this new strategy take us?
At the same time, all the Commissioners are spotlighting the upcoming Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) — the EU’s new seven-year budget. They are framing it as a “simpler, more focused, and adaptable long-term budget” with the potential to bring about significant changes. Given culture’s importance to Europe, how will it fit into this crucial budget?
Culture Action Europe (CAE), Europa Nostra, and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) – three organisations behind the Cultural Deal for Europe campaign in partnership with Bozar, have the pleasure of inviting you to join the upcoming policy conversation titled Culture: the Compass for Europe’s Future online, on 4 February 2025 from 14:00H to 18:00H.
This political dialogue is at a crucial moment for Europe and the world, marked by uncertainty and radical political shifts. Culture should be Europe’s compass for a democratic, united and resilient future and, as such, it should feature centrally in the EU’s political and policy agenda. The Cultural Deal for Europe calls for allocating 2% of EU funding to support culture and cultural heritage.
The conversation coincides with the start of the new European Commission’s term and prepares the ground for the debate on the new strategic framework—dubbed the ‘Culture Compass’, and the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). If culture is Europe’s compass, where will this new framework lead? If Europe cannot move forward without culture, how will culture be positioned within the MFF?
This edition of the Cultural Deal for Europe Annual Policy Conversation will explore these key questions with representatives from the European Parliament, European Commission, Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, alongside the cultural and creative sectors, and cultural heritage:
- How can culture and cultural heritage take centre stage through ambitious leadership in the future of Europe?
- How can culture and cultural heritage foster a European sentiment and a common public sphere?
- What can be done together to strengthen democratic, free, plural and peaceful life in common?
With the participation of key policymakers from across Europe, including Glenn Micallef, the new European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Marta Cienkowska, Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage in Poland, Nela Riehl, Chair of the Culture and Education Committee of the European Parliament, Nicolas Schmit, former European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, MEPs Diana Riba I Giner (Greens, CULT Committee), Hannes Heide (S&D, CULT Committee), Zoltán Tarr (EPP, CULT Committee), Laurence Farreng (Renew, CULT Committee), Helder Sousa-Silva (EPP, BUDG Comittee) and representatives of the wider cultural and cultural heritage community, this event promises to offer an invaluable platform for conversation and policy dialogue.