European cultural sector unites to call for a stronger Creative Europe programme. A collaborative initiative has been launched urging EU institutions to double Creative Europe's budget, emphasizing culture's critical role in fostering unity, democratic values, and shared European identity.
The European cultural sector has come together to call on the European Commission, European Parliament and Member States to reinforce the Creative Europe programme in the next EU long-term budget (MFF).
According to the 2025 Eurobarometer, culture is the number one factor contributing to a sense of community among EU citizens, even above shared values, economy, and language. In a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty, economic pressure, and democratic backsliding, Europe needs unity more than ever. And that unity begins with cultural connection.
Creative Europe is the EU’s only programme fully dedicated to culture and the creative sectors. Yet it represents a tiny fraction of the EU budget. Doubling the budget of Creative Europe would be a modest investment financially, but a powerful signal of commitment to the values of solidarity, creativity, and European identity.
Across Europe, cultural organisations are under pressure: facing cuts, inflation, and increasingly constrained freedoms. If we want artists and institutions to continue inspiring, connecting and challenging our societies, we must give them the means to do so.
That’s why the sector is coming together to urge the European institutions and member states to:
Support a stand-alone Creative Europe programme in the next MFF;
Double the budget of Creative Europe to reflect its real value and potential impact;
Defend culture as a strategic investment in the future of Europe.
Culture is how Europe speaks to its citizens and to the world. Let’s give it the place and the support it deserves.
If you represent a cultural organisation and would like to co-sign the letter, you can do so through this webform.
The letter follows:
Let culture lead us forward - increase the budget of Creative Europe
A call to the European Parliament, the European Commission, and Member States Culture is the strongest force binding EU citizens together. According to the 2025 Eurobarometer, culture ranks as the number one factor contributing to a sense of community among Europeans - above other factors, such as shared values, history, economy, language, education, the rule of law, healthcare and environmental concerns.
Europe needs unity. In an era marked by geopolitical instability, military invasions, democratic backsliding, economic pressures, and weakened alliances, Europe faces profound tests. These challenges require bold investments in what makes this continent resilient and competitive. But let us be clear: no investment will succeed unless Europeans feel connected - to each other and to a shared vision for the future. Competitiveness needs solidarity. Solidarity begins with culture.
The capacity to stand together in crisis, to make difficult compromises for the collective good, and to move forward as one Europe depends not just on treaties or budgets, but on trust, empathy, and a shared cultural horizon. Culture fosters these human ties. It is the bridge between peoples and the foundation of a meaningful European project. In a divided world, culture is our common ground. As hostility and polarisation rise globally, culture remains one of the few spaces where humanity can still imagine a better world - together, beyond today’s divisions.
If Europe wants to lead in this fractured world, it must champion cultural dialogue, not as an afterthought, but as a strategic priority. Let’s not abandon Europe’s cultural leadership. The EU has long played a leading role in promoting cultural cooperation across borders - advancing mutual understanding, creative collaboration, and peace. This role is more vital than ever. While other global players retreat from cultural openness Europe has a historic opportunity to step forward. Not to promote its own culture above others, but to uphold culture as a universal good: a space for global connection, reflection, and shared responsibility. This is why we must invest in culture.
Creative Europe is the EU’s only programme fully dedicated to culture and the creative sectors. Reiterating our support for the call and letter initiated by Culture Action Europe, we call on the European Parliament, the European Commission, and Member States to preserve Creative Europe as a stand-alone programme in the next Multiannual Financial Framework, double its budget and to raise the overall budget for culture to 2% of the MFF.
By doing it, what does the EU have to lose? Almost nothing, in financial terms. It would still be a tiny fraction of EU spending. What does it stand to gain? A great deal: renewed solidarity, deeper community, and strengthened global leadership - values no crisis can afford to lose. This call is urgent. Across the continent, public funding for culture is being reduced. Attacks on artistic freedom are growing. Inflation, austerity, and political pressure have left artists and cultural workers underpaid, undervalued, and vulnerable.
We risk silencing the very voices that keep European democracy alive, critical, and inclusive. Is this the reality that will inspire people to believe in Europe’s future? Or act in solidarity when it matters most? If we believe in a stronger Europe - and a better world - we must invest in its cultural foundation. Double the Creative Europe budget. Safeguard its independence. Let culture lead us forward.
● European Creative Hubs Network ● International Federation of Actors (FIA) ● International Federation of Film Distributors' and Publishers' Associations (FIAD) ● Reset! network ● LINA, the European Architecture Platform ● REMA - European Early Music Network ● IMPF - the global trade body for independent music publishers ● ELIA ● European Crafts Alliance ● Live DMA ● EJN Europe Jazz Network ● circusnext ● Architects' Council of Europe (ACE) ● European Music Exporters Exchange - EMEE ● CEPIC INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE MEDIA LICENSING INDUSTRY ● Federation of European Publishers (FEP) ● Europa Distribution - The International Network of Independent Film Publishers and Distributors ● EUNIC (EU National Institutes of Culture) ● Michael Culture Association ● European Union Youth Orchestra ● International Union of Cinemas ● EURO-MEI - Media, Entertainment & Arts sector of UNI Europa ● Association Balkan Express Network ● European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) ● European Music Council ● Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE) ● European Writers' Council (EWC) ● IAO (International Artist Organisation) ● AEPO-ARTIS ● ERIH European Route of Industrial Heritage ● Swinging Europe Network ● Magic Carpets / Openspace ● European Council of Literary Translators' Associations CEATL ● ACT Association for Independent Theatre ● European Network of Cultural Centres (ENCC) ● GESAC ● Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA) ● EAIPA - European Association of Independent Performing Arts ● European Choral Association ● European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) ● FERA - Federation of European Screen Directors ● FIAPF - International Federation of Film Producers' Associations ● European Federation of National Youth Orchestras
● Opera Europa ● Pearle*-Live Performance Europe ● CEPI - European Audiovisual Production Association ● European network on cultural management and policy, ENCATC National organisations ● Ars Electronica ● Associazione Culturale CapoTrave / Kilowatt ● Procurarte associação Cultural e Social ● Fondazione Aida ● NeMe ● Selmer Media AS ● Urban Gorillas ● Un-Label ● FZC - Zaragoza City of Knowledge Foundation ● Beta Festival ● Aksioma - Institute for Contemporary Art, Ljubljana ● VIDEOFORMES ● The NODE Institute ● HEK (House of Electronic Arts) ● discotec ● ZiMMT ● FutureEverything ● MOMus-Experimental Center for the Arts ● D6 CULTURE EU ● Sala Apolo ● Fondation pour les Musiques Actuelles ● r0g_agency for open culture and critical transformation gGmbH ● Fab Lab Barcelona | IAAC ● SLStudio ● Le Dimore del Quartetto ● Paavli Kultuurivabrik ● Club Mixtape5 ● X Verleih AG ● Neural ass. cult. ● Museu Zer0 ● NonStop Entertainment ● Beletrina Academic Press ● alpha nova & galerie futura ● Društvo DSI ● VEGA ● PLAION PICTURES ● CYENS CoE ● Farbfilm Verleih GmbH
● FUTURES Foundation ● Društvo Asociacija ● Zavod Projekt Atol ● Posthof LInz ● déjà-vu film UG ● Pandora Film Medien GmbH ● Cine Global ● GČLOSA / SUKI ● Bjcem aisbl - Biennale des jeunes créateurs de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée ● Exodos Ljubljana ● Two Moons, Center for Poetisation of the World ● Globus Hystericus ● Zavod Sploh ● Via Negativa ● Alamode Filmdistribution oHG ● Društvo humanistov Goriške ● Saša Nemec - cultural worker ● Hangvető ● LJUDMILA Art & Science Laboratory ● the institute for advanced architecture of catalonia iaac ● Music Hungary ● Forum For Folk Arts ● Wild Bunch Germany GmbH ● Fab Lab Barcelona ● Radio Študent ● MOTOVILA, Centre for the Promotion of Cooperation in the CCSs ● Santeria Milano ● Senator Film Produktion GmbH ● Ancienne Belgique ● Emanat ● Bússola ● Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) ● Around About Circus ● Openspace Innsbruck & theater diemonopol ● DUM Association ● Circuito CLAPS ● Katapult Berlin ● Teatro da Didascália ● Tutti Matti per Colorno ● Teatro Necessario ● Grand Circus Hotel ● La Brèche, Pôle National Cirque de Normandie ● Noema ● La Central del Circ
● Circus Futures ● Oerol Festival ● Filmdelights ● DYNAMO Workspace for Circus and Performing Arts ● MKC Skopje ● Wild Bunch Germany ● CSM Production GmbH ● Inter Alia ● Fondazione Fitzcarraldo ETS ● Le Cratère - Scène Nationale d'Alès ● Out of Sight vzw ● WpZimmer ● Autlook Filmsales ● Filmladen Distribution ● Polyfilm ● Fundacja Sztuka w Mieście ● Filmgarten ● BioArtLab ● Alpenrepublik GmbH ● Marche Spettacolo ● DutchCulture ● Agora - Pôle national cirque Boulazac Aquitaine ● Vereinigung deutscher Opern- und Tanzensembles (VdO) ● National Circus Festival of Ireland ● Forum Ljubljana ● STUDIOCANAL GmbH ● Kersnikova Institute Ljubljana ● XTRAX ● Kersnikova Institute Ljubljana ● VSI Art for Rainy Days ● AS Fidalgo ● Irish Equity ● Pekinpah ● tanuki films ● Atabadoul(s) Les rencontres professionnelles du cercle au Maroc. ● Teater na konfini ● Centre for Creative and Social Practices ● Lindy Hop Bulgaria ● Association for nature conservation Machaon International ● Lucky Dogs ● RIXC Centre for New Media Culture ● Beta Fiction Spain ● prfrm - produktion og formidling af scenekunst ● Asociacija Aktyvistai
● Eyrie Entertainment GmbH ● 70 STEPS Baker, Tenné GbR ● PLAION PICTURES GmbH ● HDF KINO e.V. ● Arkanum Pictures ● SPASA ● Kitt Johnson X-act ● IMZ International Music + Media Centre ● Glej Theatre ● Sola Media ● Kanta Company ● CineStar Group ● C.Re.S.Co. - Coordinamento delle Realtà della Scena Contemporanea ● Club Mixtape 5, Sofia, Bulgaria / Every Night Events LTD ● RIXC Center for New Media Culture ● SCCA, Center for Contemporary Arts – Ljubljana ● Koridor - križišča umetnosti ● Kurzfilm Agentur Hamburg e.V. ● GLiMT AMAGER ● eksystent Filmverleih ● Association Ars Navitas ● Dansnät Sverige ● Amerikafilm ● KLYS ● KONTEJNER | bureau of contemporary art praxis ● Dansens Hus Stockholm ● Quo Artis Foundation ● Lotta Lekvall ● Baltic Film & Creative Tech Cluster ● VSIA Rigas cirks ● Grafiskie stāsti ● ISSP (Latvia) ● Intercult, Sweden ● Smart Coop Sweden ● Cirko – Center for New Circus ● Teater Giljotin AB ● CapoTrave/Kilowatt ● Fablevision ● Majestic Filmverleih ● Johnson & Bergsmark ● SCHMIEDE HALLEIN ● Subnet salzburg ● Acting for Climate ● Musikcentrum Riks
● Illustratörcentrum - The Center for Illustration & Graphic Design ● Cultivamos Cultura ● Ectopia Lab ● Project Earth ● Metropolis - Københavns Internationale Teater ● Radiona.org - Association for Development of 'do-it-yourself' Culture ● MMMAD Festival ● Kristina R Johnsen ● Centrum för dramatik / Swedish Centre for Dramatic Writing ● Bioart Society ● Art of Spectra ● Barbacka Sthlm production ● Circle of Arts (former Ørkenfortet) ● JA Circus ● FRAME Prague Comics Art Festival, z.s. ● Spolek Skutek ● Vzdělávací a kulturní centrum Broumov ● River Cities ● Kulturhuset Stadsteatern ● HH Producties ● Prokino Filmverleih GmbH ● SNAC ● Subnet - Salzburger Plattform für Medienkunst und experimentelle Technologien ● Music Managers Forum Netherlands ● AG Kino - Gilde e.V. ● Norwegian Film Distributors Association ● The Swedish Film Distributors Association ● Syndicat Suisse Romand du Spectacle ● Norske Dansekunstnere - The Union of Norwegian Dance artists ● Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft (SPIO) ● Estonian Actors' Association ● Sindikat kulture in narave Slovenije - Glosa ● Glosa SKG - sindikalna konferenca glasbenikov ● AllScreens ● Deutsche Filmakademie (German Film Academy) ● Finnish Actors Union ● AG Verleih – Verband unabhängiger Filmverleihe e.V. ● City of Women, Association for the Promotion of Women in Culture ● Polish Actors Association ZASP ● Film and Music Austria (FAMA) ● Cirkuscentrum ● Norwegian Crafts ● Verband der Agenturen (VdA) ● Circuscentrum Flanders
● PROG Producers of Germany ● Slovenian Association of Literary Translators (DSKP) ● Verband deutscher Filmexporteure VDFE e.V ● Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V. ● Verband Technischer Betriebe für Film und Fernsehen e.V. (VTFF) ● Initiative Urheberrecht / Authors' Rights Initiative ● Syndicat Français des Artistes interprètes CGT ● Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana (AELC) / Association of Catalan Language Writers ● A:LL Schrëftsteller*innen asbl ● Latvian Writers' Union ● Vlaamse Auteursvereniging ● Danish Authors of Fiction and Poetry - Danske Skønlitterære Forfattere ● CACO (Associação de artesãos de Odemira ● Danscentrum Sverige ● VTFF - Verband Technischer Betriebe für Film & Fernsehen e.V. ● Teatercentrum ● Writers Guild of Sweden ● Dansk Samtidscirkus ● Danish Authors’ Society ● Romanian Writers` Union ● Das SYNDIKAT - VEREIN FÜR DEUTSCHSPRACHIGE KRIMINALLITERATUR ● The Icelandic Association for Translators and Interpreters (BTHOT) ● Kulturní a kreativní federace České republiky ● Norwegian Society of Authors ● The Danish Producers Association ● Asociația ARTLIT - The Romanian Association of Literary Translators
Image by Alexia Souvalioti for Fine Acts
