Culture Action Europe calls on Ursula von der Leyen to keep a standalone Creative Europe
Today, Culture Action Europe, on behalf of the 280 cultural networks, organisations, artists, and activists from 35 European countries in our network, sent a letter to President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sharing our position on Creative Europe ahead of the Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework. We believe the EU’s next long-term budget should maintain a standalone culture funding stream, namely the Creative Europe programme. Read our full letter:
Dear President of the European Commission,
I am writing on behalf of Culture Action Europe, a pan-European network that brings together 280 cultural networks, organisations, artists, and activists from 35 European countries.
Ahead of the European Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, expected in summer 2025, we would like to share our position as a leading voice of civil society in the cultural sector. We believe the EU’s next long-term budget should maintain a standalone culture funding stream, namely the Creative Europe programme.
Culture Action Europe’s call for a dedicated culture budget line in the next MFF is already supported by over 580 representatives from the cultural sector across Europe in our Ask, Pay, Trust the Artist campaign, and the number continues to grow every day.
Creative Europe is the EU’s only programme devoted exclusively to the cultural and creative sectors. It is rooted in the EU’s legal competence to support, coordinate, or supplement the actions of Member States in the field of culture under Article 6 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Culture contributes to all three main priorities outlined in your political guidelines—competitiveness, democracy, and security—and to do so effectively, it needs dedicated funding that allows artists the freedom and capacity to respond creatively and independently to social challenges.
- Creative Europe boosts the competitiveness of Europe’s cultural and creative sectors.
Each euro invested in the common EU action supporting the creative and cultural sector could potentially generate a return of up to €11 of GDP, according to the European Parliamentary Research Service.
Creative Europe enables cultural organisations to collaborate across borders through touring exhibitions, festivals, and performances. These partnerships allow European projects to reach new audiences, increase visibility beyond the continent, and seize international opportunities.
Beyond projects, Creative Europe funds networks and platforms (such as large-scale music platforms and dance consortia) that form lasting, cross-border alliances and help develop common standards in co-production, expand distribution, and build the capacity of their members, all while strengthening Europe’s global creative reputation.
- Creative Europe encourages democratic participation in culture and strengthens social cohesion.
Creative Europe promotes cross-border cultural cooperation, achieving outcomes that individual Member States alone cannot. Through Creative Europe, high-quality art production and cultural exchanges reach diverse audiences, many of whom might otherwise be overlooked by national policies. While translating a book from Latvian to Macedonian may not seem economically viable, Creative Europe supports such initiatives as a way to foster a shared European cultural space and reinforce common democratic values.
Furthermore, Creative Europe projects actively engage audiences across Europe. According to a study by the European Commission, people who participate in cultural activities are more likely to vote, volunteer, and engage in their communities. They also develop a stronger sense of belonging, empathy, and trust, particularly towards people from diverse backgrounds.
- Creative Europe contributes to European security.
Investing in European cultural content is a strategic defence against disinformation and propaganda.
When the EU fails to invest sufficiently in culture, it leaves itself vulnerable to external manipulation: authoritarian regimes do not treat culture as soft power—they treat it as power. For example, Russia allocated more than €1 billion on propaganda through culture and media in 2024 (whereas the Creative Europe budget amounted to €335 million in 2024). China has similarly expanded its global cultural influence through initiatives such as the Confucius Institutes, the Belt and Road cultural exchanges, TikTok, and media expansion. Investing in robust, independent cultural content rooted in democratic values and developed through cross-border European cooperation is therefore critical for safeguarding European democracy.
Culture is transversal across the EU’s main priorities. But only when it is recognised and supported as a public good and a cultural right can it fully contribute to economic development, security, and democracy.
The full creative and experimental potential of the arts depends on their autonomy. While artists often work in interdisciplinary settings, it is essential to preserve the cultural sector’s independence in decision-making and content creation.
To build a European culture that connects audiences, speaks to younger generations, and strengthens social cohesion, the EU needs a dedicated cultural stream that safeguards creative freedom. This is what sets European cultural policy apart from the growing number of regimes that restrict artistic expression.
Artists must be asked, paid, and trusted to do their work. When they are supported in this way, they produce bold, powerful, and meaningful art that resonates across borders.
That is why we strongly believe that Creative Europe must remain a standalone programme, not merged with other funding instruments. Merging would reduce the programme’s sector-specific flexibility and autonomy.
While other programmes may offer opportunities for artists and cultural organisations, they do not directly support culture itself. For example, culture cannot be sustained only through innovation or research funding, as these frameworks rely on measurable outputs, whereas artistic research often develops through creative practice.
Nor can cultural funding be confined to economic programmes, since market-driven logic will commodify and homogenise artistic production.
And while culture does strengthen democracy, merging it with the citizens and values programme would pressure cultural projects to meet criteria designed for civic engagement, rather than recognising culture’s role as a space for reflection, critique, and sometimes discomfort. It would also mean that cultural organisations have to compete with civil society organisations for the same funding pool, although both require dedicated support to do their work well, in ways that complement each other.
The recently published Eurobarometer survey shows that 87% of respondents believe culture and cultural exchange should have a very important place in the EU. In times of turmoil, it is our shared values and common European culture that strengthen our resilience.
That is why, on this Europe Day, we are calling on your leadership in the upcoming MFF negotiations to ensure Creative Europe remains a standalone programme with its own budget line. Culture needs its own space and the freedom to do what it does best: unite, experiment, and envision futures.
We hope you will take these arguments into account as you develop the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
Thank you for your consideration.
Culture Action Europe