Skip to content

EU leaders sign ambitious Joint Declaration on Culture

EU institutions have signed the Joint Declaration on culture, agreeing a long-term strategic vision for culture at the heart of Europe.

The Council’s MFF budget proposal: bad news for AgoraEU

The Council has unveiled its proposed budget allocations for the next long-term EU budget and it’s bad news: a 33% reduction in budget for AgoraEU compared to the Parliament’s position.

Reading between the strands: AgoraEU after Parliament and Council

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.

Culture is being erased from EU research and innovation funding. How do we save it?

A coalition of cultural networks started the ‘Name, Place, Fund’ campaign to secure the presence of culture for research, innovation and competitiveness in the 2028-2034 budget.

European leaders Roberta Metsola, Nikos Christodoulides, and Ursula von der Leyen stand side-by-side smiling while jointly holding a dark blue document folder embossed with the European Union stars. They are formally dressed and positioned in front of a backdrop featuring several large European Union flags.
An elevated, high-angle view of the image shows a large, circular conference hall with wooden flooring and multiple tiers of seating where numerous people are seated at desks equipped with monitors. A giant, ring-shaped light fixture hangs from the concentric wooden ceiling directly over the center of the room. Digital display screens are mounted on the upper wooden walls, overlooking the formal meeting of the European Council.
Abstract, glowing ring of light with radiating orange, blue, and yellow streaks against a black background.
An abstract, multicoloured composition featuring overlapping translucent rectangles in vibrant hues of blue, grey, and white on a dark purplish blue background. The geometric shapes are arranged in a patchwork pattern, creating a sense of depth and movement. The design resembles traditional Korean 'bojagi' wrapping cloths, symbolising unity and harmony.

This week, Culture Action Europe Secretary General Lars Ebert is in Seoul, South Korea, where he is contributing to the 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture, organised by the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA). Lars published a contribution to the summit’s discussion paper entitled “From Practice to Policy and Back: Advancing Cultural Democracy in Europe.” In it, he explores how cultural democracy can provide a critical framework for reshaping Europe’s cultural landscape in the face of increasing polarisation, shifting participation patterns, and democratic fatigue.

Image of an audience being overlooked from above with a view of a single speaker on stage adressing the seated crowd.

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.