A New Culture Compass for Europe - Consultation of cultural stakeholders
On 20 March 2025, EFA participated in the consultation meeting "A New Culture Compass for Europe”, hosted by Commissioner Glenn Micallef at the European Commission in Brussels. Around 50 voices from the cultural and creative sectors and industries from across Europe fueled the discussion on the future direction of EU cultural policy and the role of the Culture Compass in shaping it.
Setting the stage
The day began with an opening and introduction to the Culture Compass by Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who oversees Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport. In a letter to the Commissioner, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined a strategic direction for culture with key priorities that included the development of a “Culture Compass” - a new strategic framework to “guide and harness the multiple dimensions of culture”. Among its main objectives are protecting culture and cultural heritage, enhancing regional cohesion, and boosting competitiveness and innovation in culture. Read more.
This first consultation with cultural stakeholders aimed to move beyond identifying challenges to encouraging participants to constructively work together to envision solutions and explore available means at the EU level to strengthen cultural policy, within the remit of the Treaties and in line with the competence of the EU.
Following the Commissioner’s introductory statement, there were two interventions from the EU institutional level: Nela Riehl, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament, and Marta Cienkowska, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from Poland.
On 4 February 2025, EFA attended the annual policy conversation “Culture: The Compass for Europe’s Future” initiated by the Cultural Deal for Europe partners – Culture Action Europe, European Cultural Foundation, and Europa Nostra - with the newly installed European Commission and Parliament on the proposed Culture Compass. The strong engagement, both in the room and online, sent a clear message: culture is not just a reflection of Europe’s past - it is the key to its future. See the key policy messages here.
Discussion rounds
The collective reflection featured three key discussion rounds, each moderated by leading figures from the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC), the executive branch of the European Union responsible for EU policy on education, youth, sport and culture:
- Future-proofing EU cultural policy-making – Pia Ahrenkilde, Director-General of DG EAC, led this discussion on the main guiding principles to be reflected in the future Culture Compass for Europe.
- Unlocking Europe’s cultural force and potential – Moderated by Georg Häusler, Director of Culture, Creativity, and Sport at DG EAC, this session examined what the cultural and creative sectors need to thrive and how the Culture Compass can support these needs.
- Culture as a catalyst and strategic force – Normunds Popens, Deputy Director-General of DG EAC, facilitated this discussion on how the Culture Compass can harness the power of culture to drive broader societal and global goals.
In his final words, Commissioner Glenn Micallef promised to continue in-depth exchanges across sectors, emphasising the need for structured engagement through strategic dialogues in the years ahead. He expressed his commitment to advocating for a standalone Creative Europe programme to effectively fulfill and finance cultural objectives that had been mentioned throughout the day, while also ensuring that culture is integrated into other key policy areas, such as the competitiveness and defense compasses.
Highlighting the importance of measurement and data, he stated "What gets measured, gets done." He also underscored the significance of ensuring young people have access to culture, as lifelong habits are often formed at an early age. He noted that the EU already has several compelling programmes that support this goal.
Representing the European Festivals Association, Secretary General Kathrin Deventer emphasised the readiness, availability, and reach of the festival sector in engaging citizens and underscored the importance of making the Culture Compass accessible, actionable, and collaborative: “People fight wars, not budgets [quoting Ivan Krastev who gave a keynote speech]. What unites us in this room is the belief that Europe matters, that culture has a place and role towards people. There are numerous communication channels we can activate to reach citizens across Europe”.
Looking ahead
EFA strongly supports continuing this annual dialogue on the Culture Compass with cultural stakeholders while also expanding participation to artists, academics and policymakers who influence European cultural policies. EFA acknowledges the need for deeper engagement between the European Parliament, Commission, and Council, stressing the importance of fostering collaboration between cultural institutions and EU decision-makers. EFA offers the Berlin Conference as a framework for these conversations between cultural leaders, policymakers and civil society to continue to happen. This conference takes always place around the historic date of 9 November and is organised by Stiftung Zukunft Berlin together with A Soul for Europe, and in which EFA plays an important role for many years. Through ongoing conversations, we can ensure that EU cultural policy remains dynamic, inclusive, and effectively responds to the needs of Europe.
This was a timely conversation also for the debate on the EU’s long-term budget, the Multi-Annual Financial Framework. Until 6 May 2025, citizens and stakeholders are invited to share their views on the future of the European Union’s long-term budget and the policies it should support. It is crucial to prioritise culture in the EU’s legislative agenda as Europe grapples with geopolitical instabiliy, climate change, digital transformation, social polarisation, among others.