News

Call for a substantial and meaningful support for culture and the arts as generators of an EU added value

31 January 2018

The European Festivals Association signed the statement of the European Alliance for Culture and the Arts, a call on the European institutions and Members States to ensure substantial and meaningful support for culture and the arts post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

“Education and culture are the key to the future both for the individual as well as for our Union as a whole.” European Commission President J.-C. Juncker, 14 November 2017[1]

Having followed the Commission’s high-level conference on the future MFF-framework on 8-9 January 2018 as well as discussions in the European Parliament, the European Alliance for Culture and the Arts calls on the European institutions and Members States to ensure substantial support for culture, the arts and heritage within the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

In the current state of the EU, looking at political and societal challenges, we strongly believe that the cultural sector needs a significant boost. Considering the horizontal and overarching nature of culture, we recommend an increased future culture budget of 1% of the total expenditure of the Union, including a specific programme for culture, equally accessible to a wide range of organisations and artists. 

On 8 January 2018, the Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Günther Oettinger stressed the need of a future EU budget prioritising programmes which bring an EU added value and are beneficial for the key pillars Future, Innovation and Youth.

Throughout the last two years, the European institutions and several Heads of State have repeatedly underpinned the capacity of culture and the arts to deliver a true added value for a strong, inclusive and economically prosperous Europe*; culture has been recognised as a powerful driver of innovation and creativity, and a vector for youth development and civic engagement.

Considering these commitments and the recognition of culture, the future MFF is an opportunity to translate them into action, reinforcing the support for culture and the arts and transforming the EU into a truly united and solidary community.

Concretely, alongside traditional funding schemes for culture, specific financial instruments and extra funding schemes are to be allocated in the MFF. This includes the implementation of the EU cultural diplomacy, a more prominent role of the cultural sector in EU R&D funding schemes and in the EU structural and cohesion funds post 2020 as well as a cross-sectorial approach linking the cultural and creative sectors with the education system and other economic sectors.  

Read the full statement here 

[1] Ahead of the EU Leaders’ meeting on education and culture which took place on 17 November 2017

The European Alliance for Culture and the Arts conveys the voice of 35 European associations and networks and over 400 national organizations and individuals. We stand for recognising the intrinsic value of culture and the arts for the European society, as well as their role in strengthening the European project, which is facing major political challenges and needs to redefine its global positioning.