A new strategy for Culture in Europe

Published on 12 November 2025, the document outlines the steps the Commission intends to take to strengthen and support Europe’s cultural ecosystem and will also serve as the strategic anchor for culture within the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). In the evening, the European Commissioner Glenn Micallef took a first moment outside the institution to meet the contributors of Culture Action Europe (CAE)'s discussion paper Towards the Culture Compass for Europe: A Sector Blueprint in Brussels and handed them a first printed copy of the document on the day of its release.

Built around the strategic vision in which Europe stands up for culture and culture stands for Europe, Europe for Culture, Culture for Europe, the Culture Compass guides EU policies towards four key directions, supported by horizontal actions to mobilise investment in European culture:

1. An EU that upholds and strengthens European values and cultural rights;
2. An EU that empowers artists and cultural professionals, and supports people;  
3. An EU that draws on culture and cultural heritage to become more competitive, resilient and cohesive;
4. An EU that champions international cultural relations and partnerships. 

The Commission proposes 20 flagship initiatives, including a periodic State of Culture Report to monitor artistic freedom and other key indicators, a new EU Structured Dialogue on Culture, a Cultural Data Hub, an EU Artists’ Charter to improve working conditions, an AI Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Sectors, and an updated International Strategy for Cultural Relations.

This strategy marks the first major policy framework for culture since the New European Agenda for Culture, published in 2018. The Culture Compass was among the core mandates assigned to Commissioner Micallef, responsible for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, in his mission letter from President Ursula von der Leyen, with formal adoption foreseen in the 2025 Commission Work Programme.

The process leading up to this milestone was charted through months of dialogue with the cultural sector. During a public exchange in Brussels in March 2025, the Commission invited the European Festivals Association (EFA) and around 50 European cultural network colleagues to share first reactions and ideas for the new vision. A public consultation, Member State survey, and targeted online questionnaire followed. Over spring and summer 2025, CAE gathered more than 30 cross-border European cultural networks, among them EFA, to co-create a complementary sector-led vision, Towards the Culture Compass for Europe: A Sector Blueprint.

As the European Commission writes, “The Commission will also work with other public institutions, cultural stakeholders, civil society actors, relevant organisations and everyone else concerned to actively engage in reaching the high aspirations of the Culture Compass for Europe.”
EFA welcomes this invitation with enthusiasm and looks forward to working alongside institutions, networks, and cultural actors to advance the goals of the Culture Compass for Europe. By connecting festivals, policy-makers and artists across borders, EFA remains engaged in contributing to a stronger, more inclusive cultural ecosystem in Europe and beyond.