In July 2025, the European Commission unveiled its proposal for the next EU budget. At the heart of it is AgoraEU, a new programme merging Creative Europe and CERV. With €8.6 billion on the table, the plan promises more resources for culture and values.
Yet questions loom: about culture’s autonomy, funding distribution, and political priorities. This article unpacks what’s at stake for Europe’s cultural future.

As the European Union grapples with long-term budgets and shifting political priorities, I spoke with Jonathan White about how Europe, as a shared democratic project, can endure in an age when collective visions of the future are shrinking—and what role culture might play in reviving a sense of common purpose.

Justin O’Connor argues that we need a radical repositioning of culture as a core area of public policy, moving away from the technocratic pursuit of ever more impact metrics and advocacy efforts designed to align with the shifting objectives of the government of the day.

When the world feels like it’s spinning off its axis, the arts often fall to the bottom of policymakers' priorities. But culture may be the last remaining common ground for humanity, no matter how dramatic it sounds.

This year, the world has neither regained ‘normalcy’ nor moved beyond the crisis mode we have faced in recent years. What kind of year has 2024 been for culture? What can we expect from 2025?

During her visits to Lviv and Kyiv, Lina Kirjazovaite engaged with local artists and cultural organisations to discuss the issues that matter to them today.

In a world where culture should thrive, it's instead fighting for political trust. So how did we get here?

As the EU enters a new policy cycle, we anticipate shifts in its cultural policy. The newly formed Culture & Education Committee of the European Parliament leans more to the right. What can we expect from it in the next five years?

We are clearly running out of concrete and heeded arguments for the value of culture. We spoke to Professor Justin O’Connor’ whose book offered a powerful statement proposing a radically different narrative around culture.

Cultural data, often overlooked or misunderstood, holds transformative potential for governments and organisations - if approached correctly. Unlocking its true potential demands a mindset shift, strategic insights, and dodging pitfalls like imposed metrics, poor contextualisation, and lack of actionable links.

We invite you to our room for debate, analysis, and new visions. But first, read about why the Culture Policy Room was created.