Public Policy

Europe’s future is being shaped now by decisions on budgets, funding systems, and political priorities. These choices influence where people gather, the media they trust, and the opportunities they have to learn, travel, and participate in public life. They shape whether people feel they belong and whether democracy is something they experience rather than just hear about.

This is a moment of possibility. Europe can choose to invest in the connections that help people understand one another, build trust and imagine shared futures. Culture, media, civic spaces, and exchange programmes create the environments in which democratic life is practised, when policies recognise their role and provide the support they need.

We work where culture meets power. The European Cultural Foundation (ECF)’s Public Policy work brings together cultural actors, research, philanthropy, and EU institutions to influence how Europe sets priorities and allocates resources. We advocate for culture not as a sectoral interest, but as a democratic necessity that strengthens participation, solidarity and a shared sense of belonging.

We work to embed culture across EU policies and budgets, including the Culture Compass and the EU’s long-term financial framework. We advocate for more inclusive European exchange and mobility programmes so more people can experience Europe directly and build a lived sense of belonging. Through initiatives such as the European Sentiment Compass, we bring insight into how Europeans feel about Europe into policy conversations. We also help align philanthropic and public investment at the European level through initiatives like Share Europe, because common challenges require cooperation at scale.

This approach reflects the European Cultural Foundation’s strategy to foster a European culture of solidarity. We believe Europe holds together when people can participate in shared spaces, engage across differences and help shape the systems that affect their lives. Public Policy work links everyday cultural life with long-term political decisions, helping to build a Europe that is more connected, more resilient, and more confident in its shared future.

Public policy shapes the conditions of everyday democratic life. Work with us to ensure Europe invests in the connections that hold it together.

Cultural Deal for Europe, including the European Cultural Deal for Ukraine

The Cultural Deal for Europe is the overarching framework for ECF’s EU-level advocacy, launched in 2020 in partnership with Culture Action Europe and Europa Nostra. It calls for culture to be embedded across EU policies, funding programmes and long-term budget frameworks, positioning culture, media and civil society as pillars of democratic life. The campaign has contributed to elevating culture within European policy debates and to the development of the Culture Compass and future EU budget frameworks. As part of this work, ECF and partners have advanced a European Cultural Deal for Ukraine, calling for Ukrainian culture, cultural heritage, and creative sectors to be included in EU relief, recovery, and modernisation frameworks, recognising culture as central to resilience, solidarity, and Europe’s shared future.

Learn more about Cultural Deal

European Sentiment Compass

The European Sentiment Compass is a joint initiative of the European Cultural Foundation and the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), published annually since 2022. Each edition examines how Europeans feel about Europe and what shapes their sense of belonging, linking emotional trends with political, social and geopolitical developments. Its findings are presented at policy forums, covered by European media, and used to inform EU-level discussions. The Compass provides a rare evidence base on European belonging, helping decision-makers understand the social foundations of cooperation and solidarity.

Learn more about the Compass