A Culture Compass for Europe

Key points

The EESC:

• fully supports the Culture Compass for Europe as a timely transversal strategy to promote culture and European values and ensure a thriving cultural sector;

• emphasises culture’s role in strengthening democracy, countering populist and authoritarian narratives, and fostering social cohesion, preparedness and sustainable development;

• recommends developing synergies between the Culture Compass and initiatives such as the European Democracy Shield, particularly in the digital sphere;

• underlines the need for a dedicated AI strategy for cultural and creative sectors, including protection of creative ownership, development of licensing markets, and guidance under the AI Act;

• calls for strong and transversal financial support in the next MFF (2028-2034), including allocating 2% of the EU budget to culture and ensuring its integration into major EU programmes;

• calls for solid, target-based implementation of the Culture Compass through a clear action plan, adequate administrative capacity, and long-term policy continuity;

• recommends early systematic involvement of cultural and non-cultural stakeholders, including local authorities, SMEs and cultural and creative sectors, to reinforce ownership and impact;

• calls for stronger integration of social economy actors and community-based cultural initiatives into public policies, including adapted fiscal and financial instruments;

• welcomes the proposed structured EU dialogue with stakeholders and offers to act as a key partner in facilitating exchanges with institutional and sectoral actors;

• stresses that cultural and creative sectors are a strategic economic ecosystem and calls for better integration of key industries such as gaming, film, music and fashion into the Compass;

• supports cultural education and skills development, calling for inclusive access, dedicated funding, and stronger links with EU programmes such as Erasmus+ and cohesion policy;

• supports the development of an EU Artists’ Charter to ensure fair working conditions, stronger social protection, and alignment of EU funding with quality employment standards;

• emphasises the importance of sustained public investment in the cultural and creative sectors while supporting improved access to finance for SMEs through enhanced mobilisation of EIB and EIF instruments, alongside the development of complementary private support frameworks;

• supports institutional endorsement of the Joint Declaration by EU institutions (including the EESC and the Comity of the Regions) and stakeholders to ensure broad ownership and legitimacy;

• underlines the importance of the international dimension of culture, calls for its full reinstatement in the Joint Declaration, and for a comprehensive action plan based on the EU strategy on international cultural relations.