Essentials on EU Cultural Policy

Here we outline the main policy documents that form EU cultural policy. For a more in-depth look at EU cultural policy, also check out our webinars on the topic from June and October 2024.

On 12 November 2025, the European Commission released the Culture Compass. This new strategy outlines four key directions, proposes a vision and identifies 20 flagship initiatives for EU policies for culture in the next few years.

The four key areas are:

• European values and cultural rights
  This includes artistic freedom, cultural diversity, participation & access to culture
• Empowering artists and cultural professionals and supporting people
  This includes decent working conditions, cross-border mobility, youth and emerging talent, culture and arts education, health and well-being
• Competitiveness, resilience and cohesion
  This includes harnessing digital tech & AI; regional, territorial and local development; safeguarding, protecting and promoting cultural heritage; climate change & environmental sustainability
• International cultural relations and partnerships
  This includes EU external action; enlargement processes and relations with neighbouring countries; strengthening multilateralism

This is underpinned by the vision ‘Europe for Culture, Culture for Europe’ which acknowledges the intrinsic, societal, civic and economic value of culture.

The Culture Compass is designed to be transversal but generally recognises the specific characteristics of individual sectors. While music is mentioned in a few places, the Culture Compass doesn’t give a concrete indication on the future of the Music Moves Europe initiative. Building on the success of the ongoing actions this should continue with an EU strategy for the music sector, an expert group for music to ensure a continuous dialogue with the sector and music-sector specific funding in AgoraEU and across the MFF in the Competitiveness Fund, Horizon Europe, the National and Regional Partnership Plans and others.

There will be three main new formats and tools to accompany and monitor proposed initiatives, actions and cultural policies on EU Level:

• A periodic Report on the State of Culture
• An EU Structured Dialogue with the cultural and creative sector
• An EU cultural data hub

These are part of 20 flagship initiatives and actions to be implemented along the four key areas including an EU Artists’ Charter on working conditions, an AI Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Sectors, an update of the International Strategy for Cultural Relations and a Youth Cultural Ambassadors network.

The Culture Compass will be accompanied by a Joint Declaration of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Commission which still needs to be adopted. The draft text of the Declaration has already been published outlining the vision of ‘Europea for Culture, Culture for Europe’.

Read the Culture Compass

The Council Work Plan for Culture is the main policy roadmap to align cultural policies across the EU.

The overarching priorities of the Council Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026:

a) Artists and cultural professionals: empowering the cultural and creative sectors

b) Culture for the people: enhancing cultural participation and the role of culture in society

c) Culture for the planet: unleashing the power of culture

d) Culture for co-creative partnerships: strengthening the cultural dimension of EU external relations

The Work Plan foresees 21 actions under these 4 priorities in the coming years. These include further activities on the status and working conditions of artists nd cultural and creative professionals, artistic freedom, green transition of the cultural and creative sectors, promoting democracy, culture and health, discoverability of European content online, cultural statistics, cultural governance and governance of the EU strategic approach to international cultural relations. How these actions are implemented can vary - from Council conclusions, to workshop or conferences or peer-learning activities.

Read the Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026