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Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A Culture Compass for Europe (COM(2025) 785 final) – Draft Joint Declaration – Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe (COM(2025) 786 final)

EESC 2025/04241

OJ C, C/2026/3562, 22.7.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/3562/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/3562/oj

Date of document:: 30/04/2026; Date of vote
Date of vote:: 30/04/2026
Date lodged:: 22/12/2025

Author:: European Economic and Social Committee
Responsible body:: Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, EESC_SOC
Rapporteur:: Luca JAHIER
Form:: Opinion
Internal reference:: SOC/853, AVIS-SECTION 2025/4241 FIN
Session:: 605

Treaty:

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

Legal basis:

12016E304

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52025DC0785 ESC Opinion
52025DC0786 ESC Opinion

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Subject matter:

Culture

Directory code:

16.40.00.00 Science, information, education and culture / Culture

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C/2026/3562

22.7.2026

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions

A Culture Compass for Europe

(COM(2025) 785 final)

Draft Joint Declaration

‘Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe’

(COM(2025) 786 final)

(C/2026/3562)

Rapporteur:

Luca JAHIER

Advisor	Katherine HEID (advisor to the rapporteur, Group III)
Referral	European Commission, 22.12.2025
Legal basis	Article 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
Section responsible	Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship
Adopted in section	14.4.2026
Adopted at plenary session	30.4.2026
Plenary session No	605
Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions)	163/0/1

1. Conclusions and recommendations

THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE (EESC):

1.1.

fully supports the Culture Compass for Europe, as it constitutes an important and timely transversal cultural strategy to promote culture and European cultural values in and beyond Europe, ensuring a thriving cultural sector;

1.2.

emphasises that culture is a vector to defend and strengthen democracy, counter populist and authoritarian narratives, and enhance preparedness, sustainable development, social cohesion and a stronger sense of belonging;

1.3.

recommends developing concrete synergies between the Culture Compass and EU initiatives aimed at strengthening democratic resilience (e.g. the European Democracy Shield (1)), particularly in the digital sphere, to counter the increasing attacks on European democracy and fundamental values. Culture should be fully integrated into broader safeguarding strategies, e.g. in the framework of ‘Trusted European Platforms’;

1.4.

underlines the utmost importance of a dedicated AI strategy for cultural and creative sectors, calling for the protection of cultural work and creative ownership. Linking to the Culture Compass, the EU should, through appropriate framework conditions and incentive-based regulation, support the rapid emergence of a licensing market for training content. Furthermore, the European AI Act (2) should produce specific sectoral guidelines for the cultural sector;

1.5.

underlines the necessity of ensuring strong and transversal financial support for culture and cultural heritage in the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034. In this context, the EESC advises considering the introduction of an explicit financial objective, allocating 2 % of the EU’s total future budget to culture, possibly via a new horizontal principle in the performance framework and budget expenditure tracking regulation (3). Given the cross-cutting nature of the Culture Compass, adequate funding for culture should also be reflected in related policy areas: in heading 1 concerning the national and regional partnership plans (NRPP) including cohesion policy; in heading 2 in research programmes (Horizon), the new Education, Culture, Media and Union values instruments (Erasmus+ and AgoraEU), competitiveness instruments including the European Competitiveness Fund; or in heading 3 among the measures of the new instrument ‘Global Europe’;

1.6.

calls for the solid and target-based implementation of flagship actions and programmes under the Culture Compass. This implementation should be guided by a clearly defined action plan and adequate organisational and administrative capacity within the Commission and its Agencies, and long-term policy continuity;

1.7.

recommends that the operationalisation of the Culture Compass systematically involve, at an early stage, not only cultural stakeholders but also non-cultural actors impacted by cultural policy, including local and regional authorities, cohesion policy stakeholders and representatives of relevant economic sectors, including SMEs, cultural creative industries (CCIs) and representative organisations of the cultural and creative sectors, in order to reinforce its cross-cutting character and stakeholder ownership;

1.8.

stresses that cultural and creative sectors constitute a strategic economic ecosystem, largely composed of SMEs, micro-enterprises and self-employed workers. The EESC calls for a balanced recognition of highly differentiated sectors of all CCIs within the Culture Compass. Creative industries such as gaming, film, popular music and fashion should be more explicitly and systematically integrated into the Compass, reflecting their significant contribution to GDP, employment and Europe’s economic resilience (4);

1.9.

emphasises that sustained public investment remains essential to guarantee high-quality, diverse and independent artistic creation, cultural infrastructure and the safeguarding of cultural heritage (5) and warns against budgetary cuts at national, regional or local level. At the same time, it encourages structured European and national action on complementary frameworks capable of leveraging private support, involving industries, foundations, cooperatives, social economy, third sector organisations and cultural and heritage stakeholders, while fully respecting artistic freedom and cultural diversity;

1.10.

welcomes the organisation of an ‘EU structured dialogue with stakeholders’ and offers to be a key partner of the European Commission, contributing its expertise in the organisation of similar formats and thus ensuring continued and pertinent exchanges between cultural stakeholders and other actors (local, regional, economic, social, etc.), including in cooperation with the Committee of the Regions, cities’ representatives and the European Audiovisual Observatory;

1.11.

calls for encouragement of the robust integration of cultural and community-based social economy actors, cooperatives, social enterprises, public-private community partnerships and territorial networks into national and regional cultural policies, including through the further development of the Social Economy Action Plan, the recognition of these actors as institutional partners and action to encourage the adaptation of fiscal and financial instruments to reflect and increase the value they already generate;

1.12.

underlines the importance of the international dimension of culture for promoting European values, democracy and cultural exchange and for driving coordinated sustainable development. It therefore welcomes international cultural relations as one of the four central pillars of the Culture Compass, regrets that it has been omitted in the draft Joint Declaration and strongly calls for this structural dimension of the Compass to be fully reinstated in the Joint Declaration;

1.13.

further insists that the forthcoming update of the EU strategy on international cultural relations must lead to a comprehensive and fully-fledged action plan, as already detailed in a 2022 EESC opinion (6). New partnerships and a strengthened role for CSOs are important, as are clearly defined regional priorities. The enlargement process should be actively supported through cultural cooperation, support for Ukraine’s cultural and heritage sector assured and the role of culture developed in the implementation within the new Pact for the Mediterranean;

1.14.

proposes broad institutional endorsement of the Joint Declaration, not only by the European Parliament and the Council, but also by the European Economic and Social Committee and, if agreed, the Committee of the Regions; also recommends considering further endorsement by European cultural stakeholder organisations;

1.15.

supports the focus on cultural education in the fields of both formal and non-formal education, underlining the cultural rights of all citizens, regardless of socioeconomic or cultural background, gender, age or disability. As people with disabilities face a wide range of barriers to participating in and contributing to cultural life, this will require dedicated financial resources and very concrete measures, beyond the much welcomed report to Member States;

1.16.

specifically calls for the development of skills training and measures in the national and regional partnership plans (e.g. related to tourism and heritage safeguarding in the European Social Fund (ESF) or the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)), or learning opportunities for all in Erasmus+, linked to the Union of Skills and other upskilling and reskilling agendas;

1.17.

supports the development of an annual Report on the State of Culture and the establishment of an EU Cultural Data Hub, and suggests exploring its evolution into a dynamic exchange and cooperation platform fostering partnerships, co-creation and knowledge-sharing;

1.18.

supports Commission’s proposal of an EU Artists’ Charter, ‘to outline fundamental principles, guidance and commitments for fair working conditions in the sectors, and increase compliance and accountability, particularly by recipients of EU funding for culture’ (7). The Charter should take into account national definitions and should build on national best practices. Member States should take appropriate steps to ensure that all workers have access to social protection, considering the prevalence of non-standard workers and the self-employed, the demands of international mobility and the fact that most SMEs are microenterprises, cooperatives or social economy enterprises. Granting EU cultural funding should be tied to appropriate conditions ensuring that funding provides support for high-quality working conditions. The development of high-level exchanges with stakeholders and of quality social dialogue, as well as targeted measures addressing the impact of generative AI on artists’ livelihoods and intellectual property, should be furthered;

1.19.

notes that cultural and creative SMEs continue to encounter structural difficulties in accessing finance. Their reliance on intangible assets, fragmented markets and project-based activities limits their eligibility under traditional lending criteria. The EESC therefore supports a more strategic mobilisation of European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Investment Fund (EIF) instruments for the cultural and creative sectors, including guarantee schemes and blended finance tools. The potential to streamline and scale these mechanisms should be examined, including the possible establishment of a dedicated financial window for culture and creativity within the EU’s competitiveness framework.

2. General comments

2.1.

The Culture Compass for Europe (8) represents the European Commission’s most recent attempt to articulate a comprehensive and long-term framework for EU cultural policy. It responds to the growing recognition, over recent years, that, in their diversity, cultural activities and heritage are vital for our European way of life and that the existing policy instruments no longer fully reflect the complexity of Europe’s cultural ecosystems or the challenges they face. The Compass can be seen as a substantial upgrade to the previous cultural strategy, the European Agenda for Culture (2018) (9), and the Work Plans for Culture (10), launching culture and cultural heritage as a mainstream policy area. Since then, a range of developments – including the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerated digitisation, climate change, evolving working conditions in the cultural and creative sectors, and increasing geopolitical instability – have highlighted the need for a renewed and more integrated approach. The Culture Compass also reflects broader institutional discussions on Europe’s future direction, including priorities expressed in the European Commission’s political guidelines and the EU’s Strategic Agenda. In this context, culture is increasingly recognised as a vector contributing to democratic stability and mutual understanding, in Europe and internationally, to social and regional cohesion, and to sustainable growth, jobs and competitiveness.

2.2.

Cultural participation and freedom of artistic expression are closely linked to the resilience of democratic societies in Europe and beyond, reduce fragmentation and social vulnerabilities, strengthen democratic engagement and build trust. Resilience means creating conditions where creativity, organisations, cultural actors and audiences alike can thrive, in order to strengthen open, democratic societies. A resilient European cultural ecosystem can absorb shocks, adapt to change, and continue creating cultural, social, and economic value.

2.3.

The Culture Compass reflects this dimension also by highlighting the role of culture in addressing the challenges of polarisation, disinformation and authoritarian influences. Culture, education and critical thinking are seen as frontline defences in safeguarding democracy.

2.4.

The Culture Compass emphasises inclusive governance and the involvement of stakeholders from across the cultural ecosystem. This includes artists, cultural organisations, social partners, civil society organisations and local authorities. The Compass provides a framework within which structured dialogue mechanisms could be further developed and strengthened, in a permanent and largely inclusive manner.

2.5.

While the Culture Compass itself is primarily a strategic document, its implementation is closely linked to future funding decisions. The extent to which its objectives can be realised will depend on how they are reflected across all headings in the next MFF.

3. Specific comments

3.1. Culture and the MFF

A budget spending target of 2 % for culture in the next MFF 2028-2034 could result in a new horizontal rule in annex 1 to the performance framework regulation, monitored by a possible coefficient to determine their contribution to culture (assigning 100 % or possibly 40 % to the relevant intervention fields 87-95 in the policy area Culture, Tourism and Media), independently from the social spending tracking and target. Still, as for the climate and environment or social spending target, some spending could be excluded from the basis for the calculation. Given the cross-cutting nature of the Culture Compass, it seems realistic that this target can be reached in related policy areas: especially in heading 1 for some specific objectives of the Fund for National and Regional Partnership Plans (especially with regard to the support to tourism, including sustainability, to be extended to cultural and natural heritage, or to promote culture as a catalyst for European democracy, culture and values and supporting vibrant and diverse cultural and creative sectors) or specific actions of the new EU Facility in the NRPP Fund; in heading 2 e.g. for the research and innovation programme with its collaborative research (Horizon), the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), or the new Education, Culture, Media and Union values instruments (Erasmus+ and AgoraEU); or in heading 3 among the measures of the new instrument ‘Global Europe’, to foster international cultural relations and recognise the role of culture in promoting the Union’s values in the various programmes and fields of external action.

3.2. Culture and the economy

Culture and the CCIs constitute an important area of the EU’s economic development. The cultural sector counts 7,9 million people in cultural employment across the EU in 2024 (3,8 % of total) and 1,9 % growth compared to 2023 (11). Over 2,1 million cultural enterprises in the EU generated around EUR 202 billion value added in 2023 (or 1,9 % of the total). In 2023, the cultural sector’s net turnover was around EUR 524 billion (total value of income generated) (1,4 % of total net turnover) (12). Culture also generates important growth spillovers in other sectors. For instance, cultural tourism accounts for 40 % of all European tourism (13).

3.3. Culture and artificial intelligence

The digital shift and generative artificial intelligence constitute a paradigm-shifting, transformational development for our societies. As a knowledge-based society with an abundance of cultural heritage and contemporary artistic production, Europe has an immense wealth of intellectual and cultural assets. We must therefore protect our intellectual property and treat it as the asset it is, for example through the creation of a licence market for European training data, granting access to training data and content and incentivising creative work. The recently approved Digital Strategy for the European Union (14) recognises that European values – if they want to be preserved in the digital transition – also need to be promoted and shared as a global model.

3.4. Culture, working conditions and social protection

Artistic work is often project-based or intermittent, frequently cross-border and highly labour-intensive. However, administrative, social security and tax systems are often designed for standard employment models. This mismatch results in heavy compliance burdens for cultural organisations, a challenge especially with 78 % of EU workers in the CCI employed by micro-enterprises. To ensure long-term resilience, Member States should work towards developing culture-friendly tax systems and targeted social security for artists (access to social protection related to health, pensions, unemployment, etc.). Cross-border artistic work also calls for simplifying and potentially further developing EU rules on social security coordination, while ensuring effective enforcement and portability of rights. Furthermore, a large proportion of cultural actors are self-employed. The EESC notes that freelance and self-employed workers lack protection from unsafe working hours, fall outside the scope of the Occupational Health and Safety Framework Directive and are not covered by the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which aims at closing the gender pay gap. The Committee draws attention to the Guidelines on applying EU competition law to collective agreements regarding the working conditions of solo self-employed persons, which clarify the circumstances in which persons without an employment contract or not in an employment relationship, providing services primarily through their own personal labour, can negotiate collectively to improve their working conditions without breaching EU rules (15).

To address these gaps, a strong and effective social dialogue and collective bargaining is needed.

3.5.

The well-attended and substantive hearing the EESC had organised to prepare this opinion reflected and developed a significant number of high-quality considerations and specific suggestions that could only partially be developed in this opinion. Participants highlighted the need for stronger political will, long-term commitment and increased investment. Contributions emphasised better alignment between EU funding and European philanthropy, given the scale of foundations’ resources across Europe. Questions were raised about linking the Culture Compass more concretely with the Democracy Shield and civil society strategy, particularly in countering disinformation and polarisation. The role of libraries and existing cultural infrastructure as democratic spaces was also stressed. The debate also underscored the importance of embedding culture structurally within broader EU policy frameworks rather than treating it as a standalone sector. The discussion also addressed the limits of EU competence in culture under the Treaties. Speakers argued that the EU can act through adjacent competences such as labour law, VAT, working conditions and internal market rules. The Open Method of Coordination and enforcement of the existing acquis provide concrete entry points for action. Participants stressed that polycrises require convergent policy responses and that market and social dimensions offer legal bases for EU engagement, where appropriate. The debate confirmed broad support for using existing competences creatively to strengthen the cultural ecosystem.

Brussels, 30 April 2026.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Séamus BOLAND

(1) JOIN(2025) 791 final, OJ C, C/2026/25, 16.1.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/25/oj.

(2) Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act) (OJ L, 2024/1689, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/2024/1689/oj).

(3) COM(2025) 545 final.

(4) Of all industrial ecosystems, the cultural and creative industries attract one of the highest shares of tech start-ups, together with health and mobility. Source: European Commission, 2024 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report .

(5) General government expenditure in the EU on ‘recreation, culture and religion’ amounted to EUR 182 billion or 1,1 % of GDP in 2022, with EUR 74,9 billion devoted to ‘cultural services’ (0,5 % of GDP and 0,9 % of all expenditure); Eurostat (2023) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Government_expenditure_on_recreation,_culture_and_religion and https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Government_expenditure_on_cultural,_broadcasting_and_publishing_services.

(6) EESC opinion on Cultural diplomacy as a vector of EU external relations. New partnerships and role of CSO – PA .

(7) Communication on A Culture Compass for Europe COM(2025) 785 final.

(8) European Commission, Culture Compass for Europe .

(9) A New European Agenda for Culture – SWD(2018) 267 final.

(10) Council Resolution on the EU work plan for culture 2023-2026 (2022/C 466/01).

(11) Eurostat (2025) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Culture_statistics_-_cultural_employment#SE_MAIN_TT.

(12) Eurostat Cultural statistics – cultural enterprises, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Culture_statistics_-_cultural_enterprises.

(13) United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), ‘Report on Tourism and Culture Synergies’.

(14) https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en.

(15) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/guidelines-on-applying-eu-competition-law-to-collective-agreements-regarding-the-working-conditions-of-solo-self-employed-persons.html.

ANNEX I

Previous EESC opinions on related matters and key documents from other institutions and think tanks to which the content of this opinion refers

EESC

Creative Europe Programme – Funding for Culture

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing the Creative Europe Programme

COM(2011) 785 final – 2011/0370 (COD) (1) (covering the period 2014-2020)

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Creative Europe programme (2021 to 2027) and repealing Regulation(EU) No 1295/2013

COM(2018) 366 final (2) (covering the period 2021-2027)

Culture for Europe

EESC plenary debate ‘rEUnaissance – A cultural vision for Europe’, organised during the EESC presidency 2018-2020 (3) (October 2019)

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – New European Bauhaus: Beautiful, Sustainable, Together

COM(2021) 573 final (4) (February 2022)

International cultural relations

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Joint Communication of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the European Parliament and the Council: Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations (JOIN(2016) 29 final) (5)

Own-initiative opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Cultural diplomacy as a vector of EU external relations – new partnerships and role of CSOs (6) (October 2022).

Territorial dimension of culture

EESC study Culture, Cities and Identity (7) (2016)

Working conditions and social protection for artists and cultural workers

Own-initiative opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Imbalances in social protection in general and specifically for the ‘new forms of work’ and ‘atypical workers’ (October 2024) (8)

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on Access to social protection for the self-employed – analysis, limitations and scope for improvement (exploratory opinion requested by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU) (March 2025) (9)

Democracy shield

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – The European Democracy Shield (exploratory opinion requested by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU) – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the European Democracy Shield (COM (2025) 45 final) (September 2025) (10)

Other

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A Culture Compass for Europe COM(2025)785 final (11)

Commission Staff Working Document: Summary of Consultation Activities. Accompanying the document ‘communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of The Regions – A Culture Compass for Europe’ (SWD(2025)785 final) (12)

Report on copyright and generative artificial intelligence – opportunities and challenges (2025/2058(INI)), Committee on Legal Affairs (rapporteur: Axel Voss), adopted on 10.3.2026 (13)

European Court of Auditors – Special report 08/2020: EU investments in cultural sites: topic that deserves more focus and coordination (14)

P9_TA(2023)0405 – EU framework for the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sectors – European Parliament resolution of 21 November 2023 with recommendations to the Commission on an EU framework for the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sectors (2023/2051(INL)) (15)

Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations (JOIN(2016) 29 final) (16)

Report of the OMC (Open Method of Coordination) group of EU Member States’ experts on The status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative professionals (17) (2023)

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The 2024 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report COM/2024/77 final (18)

Eurostat (2023) Cultural statistics – Government expenditure on recreation, culture and religion (19)

Eurostat (2023) Government expenditure on cultural, broadcasting and publishing services (20)

Eurostat (2025). Culture statistics – cultural employment (21)

Eurostat. Cultural statistics – cultural enterprises (22)

Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act) (Text with EEA relevance) (23)

Joint communication on the Pact for the Mediterranean (2025) (24)

United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), ‘Report on Tourism and Culture Synergies’ (2018) (25)

UNESCO, Re|shaping policies for creativity: we share, we act, we build, 2026 (26)

Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed 2019/C 387/01 (27)

(1) OJ C 181, 21.6.2012, p. 35.

(2) EESC opinion on Creative Europe .

(3) EESC Plenary, rEUnaissance – A cultural vision for Europe, 31 October 2019.

(4) OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 73.

(5) OJ C 288, 31.8.2017, p. 120.

(6) OJ C 75, 28.2.2023, p. 122.

(7) European Economic and Social Committee study Culture, cities and identity in Europe, 2016.

(8) https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/our-work/opinions-information-reports/opinions/imbalances-social-protection-general-and-specifically-new-forms-work-and-atypical-workers.

(9) https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/our-work/opinions-information-reports/opinions/access-social-welfare-self-employed-analysis-limitations-and-scope-improvement.

(10) OJ C, C/2026/25, 16.1.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/25/oj.

(11) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0785&utm.

(12) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52025SC0785&utm.

(13) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-10-2026-0019_EN.html.

(14) https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/publications/SR20_08.

(15) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52023IP0405&utm.

(16) JOIN/2016/029 final.

(17) https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/01fafa79-1a13-11ee-806b-01aa75ed71a1/language-en.

(18) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2024:77:FIN.

(19) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Government_expenditure_on_recreation,_culture_and_religion.

(20) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Government_expenditure_on_cultural,_broadcasting_and_publishing_services.

(21) Culture statistics – cultural employment – Statistics Explained – Eurostat.

(22) Culture statistics – cultural enterprises – Statistics Explained – Eurostat.

(23) Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act) (OJ L, 2024/1689, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj).

(24) Joint communication on the Pact for the Mediterranean – Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf.

(25) Tourism and Culture Synergies| World Tourism Organization.

(26) https://doi.org/10.58337/DQDA4649.

(27) EUR-Lex – 32019H1115(01) – EN – EUR-Lex.

ANNEX II

LIST OF INTEREST REPRESENTATIVES FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT

The following list is drawn up under the responsibility of the rapporteur. The rapporteur has received input from the following interest representatives in the preparation of the opinion:

Organisations

European Commission Directorate-General Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (EAC)

European Commissioner for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport

Member of the European Parliament

Member of the Committee of the Regions

Public hearing, 12 February 2026

Organisations

European Commission Directorate-General Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (EAC)

UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels

Culture Action Europe

Europa Nostra

Freemuse