New Commissioner, new portfolio

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has officially unveiled the new College of Commissioners for the next five years. Glenn Micallef (35, Labour Party, Malta) will oversee the newly combined portfolio of Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport. Micallef has previously served as Chief of Staff to Malta’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela, from 2020 to 2024. Culture Action Europe (CAE) has advocated for a pro-European Commissioner and welcomes a candidate from a progressive party.

The combination of Intergenerational Fairness and Culture portfolios seems promising: we have long championed culture’s transformative power to shape the future and are glad to see this recognised at the institutional level. Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela announced he was ‘delighted that Glenn Micallef has been entrusted with a key portfolio at the European Commission. The EU has a meaningful impact on people, particularly in youth, culture & sport.’ Culture Action Europe can’t agree more: culture is a cornerstone of democracy that brings us together in a polarised world.

Previously, the cultural portfolio was bundled with research and innovation under the leadership of Mariya Gabriel and then Iliana Ivanova from Bulgaria. This was a rather powerful mandate, given that it oversaw the €90+ billion Horizon Europe programme. Separating culture from such a large portfolio allows for more focus—an issue in the past due to overworked staff. On the other hand, without being paired with a more prominent portfolio, there is a risk that culture could lose visibility. The new leader of the cabinet will need to ensure that culture doesn’t become sidelined.

The Commissioners-designate will undergo hearings in the European Parliament, which must approve the College of Commissioners as a whole. Following this, they will be formally appointed by the European Council. Throughout this text, whenever we mention ‘Commissioner,’ we are referring to a Commissioner-designate.

unpacking the mission letter

Following the announcement of the new College of Commissioners, the mission letters to each Commissioner were published. These letters, issued by the President of the European Commission, outline the specific tasks and priorities for each Commissioner. When it comes to culture, the letter to Micallef is more concrete than the letter to his predecessors. We are pleased to see many focuses align with the mission letter that the Cultural Deal for Europe partners proposed earlier, as well as with CAE’s advocacy priorities. Despite being more specific, the letter remains open-ended and not overly prescriptive.

The first priority is the development of a new strategic framework, ‘Culture Compass,’ to ‘guide and harness the multiple dimensions of culture.’ Culture should be embedded in the EU’s overarching policy goals, states the mission letter. We read this hoping that multiple and overarching dimensions will not be seen only through the lens of culture’s spillover effects on other sectors but will also emphasise the intrinsic value of culture, its resilience and artistic freedom.

Focusing on the working conditions in the cultural sector is a natural progression, as significant groundwork was laid in the previous policy cycle. Following the European Parliament’s 2023 resolution and the European Commission’s rather positive response—which remain relevant even under the new Commission—we anticipate preparations to initiate a legal framework on the working conditions of artists. Once the new Commissioner settles into office, it will be time to launch the long-awaited High-Level Round Table with relevant stakeholders to explore the best way forward to address the sector’s needs.

Another priority is the development of an AI strategy for the cultural and creative industries. We hope it will offer a clear roadmap for the sector to strengthen its agency and self-sufficiency in a tech-dominated world, while also learning to better leverage its own data. However, right now, the EU is drafting codes of practice and standards for AI providers, which will inevitably impact the cultural sector. The new Commissioner will have a limited window—until April 2025—to follow this process, yet it remains a crucial task.

Unlocking the competitiveness potential of the cultural and creative industries may seem like a minor point in the mission letter, but competitiveness will be a significant focus for the upcoming Commission. The Draghi report and Letta report are mentioned specifically as guidelines.

Ursula von der Leyen has also tasked Micallef with making cultural heritage more accessible and easier for (young) people to visit and enjoy. Earlier in the mission letter, the importance of cultural accessibility was also emphasised. How will this be implemented in practice? Could it include the idea of European cultural passes, which has been circulating and was proposed by some European parties in their manifestos (such as the European Democratic Party)? Time will tell.

Finally, von der Leyen’s Commission II will start ‘a new era of dialogue with citizens and stakeholders.’ Madam President asked all Commissioners to organise a first edition of the annual Youth Policy Dialogues within the first 100 days of their mandate so that young people can be heard. Since Glenn Micallef is responsible for the youth portfolio, he will coordinate the work of colleagues on the annual Youth Policy Dialogues. A good opportunity to shine bright already this winter! 

what is missing

As always, the most important is what was not included in Micallef’s mission letter: funding.

Mission letters of all Commissioners refer to the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)—the EU’s next seven-year budget—describing it as a ‘simpler, more focused, and responsive long-term budget’ with a transformative nature. While the specifics remain unclear, the MFF structure for 2028-2034 is expected to undergo significant changes. Some insight can be gained by looking at the mission letter to Polish Piotr Serafin, Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud, and Public Administration.

Currently, the EU’s spending is structured around major financial programmes. However, Ursula von der Leyen has tasked the new Commissioner with transitioning the EU budget from a programme-based approach to a policy-based one. She outlined a new structure for the MFF consisting of key strands:

• A plan for each country linking key reforms with investments targeted to where EU action is most needed (similar to the COVID Recovery and Resilience Facility that provided investment to Member States based on their national plans).
• A European Competitiveness Fund establishing an investment capacity that will support strategic sectors critical to the EU competitiveness, including research and innovation, and Important Projects of Common European Interest.
• A revamped external action financing to make it more impactful and targeted for EU’s partners, and more aligned with EU’s strategic interests.

Glenn Micallef’s early and most critical task will be contributing to the first draft of the MFF, which the Commission must submit by mid-2025. However, it is concerning that Creative Europe is not explicitly mentioned in Micallef’s mission letter, while programmes like Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe are highlighted in other Commissioners’ letters. The mission letters from the previous policy cycle (2019-2024) at least called ‘to maximise the potential of an ambitious Creative Europe Programme.’ 

The structure of the new MFF, which remains speculative at this stage, raises important questions: Where will traditional programmes like Creative Europe fit in? Will they fall under the European Competitiveness Fund, national plans, or be merged or managed in some other way?

While we await further details, Culture Action Europe strongly reiterates the need for Creative Europe to remain a standalone programme that supports the unique value of the cultural sector. Creative Europe has consistently delivered strong European added value through international cooperation and capacity-building, and we advocate for increasing its funding to ensure it continues to thrive.

partners and allies

Institutionally speaking, Glenn Micallef will have the Directorate-General for Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport at his disposal and will rely on the Joint Research Centre for strategic foresight, an exercise connected to the intergenerational part of his portfolio.

He will work under the guidance of Roxana Mînzatu (Romania)—Executive Vice-President for People, Skills, and Preparedness. Mînzatu’s portfolio covers skills and education, quality jobs, and social rights; she will lead on a Union of Skills and the European Pillar of Social Rights. Her mission letter states, ‘You will make the most of the tools at our disposal, including by strengthening Erasmus+.’

Ekaterina Zaharieva will continue Bulgaria’s tradition of taking on the research portfolio—she is nominated as Commissioner for Startups, Research, and Innovation. Two points from her mission letter are particularly relevant to the cultural sector: she will ‘lead the implementation and oversee the allocation of funding from EU research and innovation programmes, such as Horizon Europe…’ and ‘contribute to further developing the New European Bauhaus, notably focusing on innovation and bio-based materials.’

Finnish Henna Virkkunen holds an important portfolio as Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy. Micallef will work with her on the AI strategy for culture. Apart from many ambitious AI-related tasks, her mission letter contains a rather general point on copyright: ‘I want you to ensure an approach to the media which recognises its unique place in our democracies and culture, while also supporting its commercial development. You will consider the need to further improve the copyright framework to address new challenges raised by market and technology developments.’

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With artistic freedom under threat, rising social polarisation, and ongoing war in Europe, culture stands as a vital shared space for living together. We hope the future Commissioner will elevate this critical portfolio and ensure it is backed with robust funding. As we await the parliamentary hearings, Culture Action Europe will continue to monitor developments closely. We are convinced that the EU’s cultural policy for the next five years should be based on the principles of cultural leadership, civil society participation, and cultural democracy to shape our common future. 

© Photo: Fragment of the work by Jeffrey Gibson, taken at the US Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2024.