The Europe Challenge 2025/26: Amsterdam Summit

From 3 to 5 June 2026, libraries and communities from across Europe gather in Amsterdam for the final summit of The Europe Challenge 2025/26. The programme brings together 60 libraries from over 20 countries, selected from more than 300 applications, working on local responses to shared European challenges.

Over three days, participants present their projects, exchange ideas and learn from one another. The summit creates space for collaboration across borders, with sessions focused on democratic participation, community engagement and storytelling. A central ‘Marketplace’ invites participants to share practical approaches that connect local action to a wider European context.

The 2025/26 edition is kindly supported by public funding through Arts Council England, by Fondazione Cariplo, the Scottish Library and Information Council, and is co-funded by the European Union. The Europe Challenge positions libraries as spaces where democracy is practised every day. The summit brings this work into view and shows how culture brings people together in shaping Europe’s shared future.