The third edition of the Cultural Deal for Europe Annual Policy Conversation, entitled Culture is the new energy for Europe took place on 28 February 2023 in Brussels. The three co-organisers - Culture Action Europe, Europa Nostra and European Cultural Foundation - welcomed 135 participants on-site and more than 300 attendees online, in dialogue with three Members of the European Parliament and a keynote by the Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas. Ukraine was front and centre at the conversation, with the dire conditions of artists and cultural workers, the difficult situation for the cultural sector and the destruction and damage to heritage sites all in the spotlight.

The Cultural Deal for Europe campaign - by Culture Action Europe, European Cultural Foundation and Europa Nostra - calls on the European Union to fully integrate culture into its actions and policies, as an overarching strategy in analogy to its Green Deal, to safeguard the sustainability and the future of the European project.

An EU-funded coordination and support action for New European Bauhaus transformations towards climate-neutral, beautiful and inclusive cities.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology selected the winning partnership to lead Europe’s biggest innovation community for the cultural and creative sectors and industries: EIT Culture & Creativity. We are delighted to be part of the carefully crafted pan-European partnership bringing together 50 partners from 20 countries across Europe that won the bid. EIT Culture & Creativity is a game-changer for Europe’s green, digital and social transformation, which will boost culture and creative industries and strengthen their role in and for Europe.

"Europe needs a Space Programme. But instead of racing to outer space, as seems fashionable among global powers and private zillionaires, Europe’s Space Programme should be earth bound and race to reach the people of Europe. Creating a functioning European public space will not only fire up all sorts of technological innovation but most importantly strengthen a European sense of belonging, a European society of sharing and enable a 21 Century Renaissance," writes our director André Wilkens in his contribution to The Next Renaissance.

In partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) the European Sentiment Compass was launched to survey the state of the European Sentiment in 2022 and discussed on 9 May 2022, as part of our Europe Day programming. A second launch took place in Paris on 12 May. This first edition of the European Sentiment Compass will shed light on how attitudes and feelings about Europe change across Europe, by looking through the prism of key challenges of today. How has war in Ukraine and international security issues impacted Europeans’ feelings about Europe? Could culture and media hold the compass of a better and stronger European space in the future?

Ahead of the meeting of the Culture Ministers of the EU Member States on 4 April 2022 in Luxembourg, the initiators of the Cultural Deal for Europe campaign addressed EU institutions, the current French presidency of the EU and the EU Ministers of Culture with an urgent plea to demonstrate a Culture of Solidarity with cultural actors in Ukraine: Culture is what brings us together. It is at the basis of the European project and it is a pillar for a peaceful and inclusive future. We all need to act now and we need to be creative and swift in our solidarity with Ukraine and reaffirming its European perspective.

The third edition of the Annual Policy Conversation “A Cultural Deal for Europe” brought the European cultural ecosystem in a dialogue with EU policy-makers, advocating for culture to be central in the EU’s green and sustainable future. In three sessions 'Culture for Recovery and Sustainability in Europe': 'Culture and cultural heritage in the European Green Deal'; and 'Culture for the Future of Europe' speakers brought to the spotlight once again the huge value of culture for our society, its vital contribution to our well-being and the need for artists and cultural workers to participate in the change management processes. Download the report.

“When the night of the pandemic took over our private lives, we just sang from the balconies. Culture is decisive for the quality of life. And it’s culture that can bring people back together again after the trauma of the pandemic.” These words of David Sassoli, the late President of the European Parliament, came true on February 1st, when more than 300 European artists, politicians, policy makers and cultural entrepreneurs joined the annual policy conversation on the #CulturalDealEU, organised by Culture Action Europe (CAE), the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and Europa Nostra, also acting as coordinator of the European Heritage Alliance.

"Capturing the European sentiment is as essential as difficult and contentious. Dwelling into the archives of ECF, which has centred its work around it has illustrated how the best way to tackle its workings and dynamics is to constantly reflect on current circumstances and create opportunities that remain relevant with the Europe of today." concludes Hugo Scheubel after an internship at the European Cultural Foundation.Hugo Scheubel studied Politics and International Relations at Kings College London and is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Diplomacy, European Politics, LGBTQ+ issues at Sciences Po Paris.  His internship evolved around the questions of what is the European Sentiment and could be, and what the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) has done around it. The views presented in the text are his personal.

The publication 'Culture in the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plans' - developed by Culture Action Europe and its membership - offers an overview of the place of culture in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) of the Member States of the European Union. In a Dutch language opinion piece the Europa Platform asks the Dutch government to specifically earmark at the very least 2% of their NRRP for culture.

Commissioned by ECF as contribution to the Cultural Deal for Europe, Gijs de Vries wrote a paper 'To make the silos dance'. "The cultural and creative sectors have long argued that the EU needs to adopt a horizontal, holistic view of culture", de Vries writes. His paper is intended to offer concrete suggestions about how this mainstreaming can be achieved in practice.

In an opinion piece in Dutch daily Trouw ECF director André Wilkens claims there can be no recovery after the pandemic without respect for culture and the role of the artist. That 2% of the European Recovery Fund should be allocated to culture - as intended by the European Parliament - could be the start of a creative healing process, at the heart of Europe's transformation. The Netherlands must not be left out.

On the 16th of March 2021, 16 experts participated in our webinar: Unpacking the European Sentiment, contemplating both its meaning and ways to properly measure it. For us aiming for the promotion of the European sentiment through cultural initiatives, such a webinar was an urgent and necessary way to reflect on what we mean when we talk about a European sentiment, and what it implies to both promote and track it.

October 1st marks the European Day of Foundations and Donors - #October1Europe. This year’s theme, “Stepping into tomorrow,” shines a light on how philanthropy invests in the societies of tomorrow and what it needs to ensure it is fit for purpose in helping solve long-term global challenges. We seize the occasion to highlight our study 'Imagine Philanthropy for Europe', our Culture of Solidarity Fund, and the campaign for an overarching framework to put culture at the heart of the European project, the Cultural Deal for Europe.

Dutch thought leaders and prominent representatives of the cultural and creative sectors endorse the Cultural Deal campaign which made the case for reserving at least 2% of the European Recovery and Resilience Facility budget for investments in the cultural sector. This open letter is published in Dutch.

Since the publication of the study Imagine Philanthropy for Europe the future of European philanthropy has been the topic of various discussions with many different stakeholders. The study - a free download - was written by Wider Sense upon commission by European Cultural Foundation and Allianz Foundation for Europe. The three directors published an article in the German magazine Stiftung und Sponsoring: Stell Dir vor, Philanthropie denkt Europa.

Recognising the value of culture and the interconnectedness of culture with politics, systemic change and radical innovation is essential to the success of the New European Bauhaus, write European Cultural Foundation Director André Wilkens and Isabelle Schwarz, Head of Public Policy. They argue historical experiences can help in realising the New European Bauhaus vision and make a plea for placing culture at the very heart of the green transition.

Following the open letter published by 110 pan-European networks on 30 October 2020 “Make culture central in the EU recovery”, the group comes together again to reiterate their call to the national governments and the European Commission. In the second open letter published today by the group, coordinated by Culture Action Europe, the European cultural community call on the Member States and the European Commission to secure a future for culture and cultural life in Europe.

"The New European Bauhaus challenges us to now come up with the ideas that will be deemed self-evident in 50 years because they “just make sense” for a better living together," concludes Max Möglich after an internship at the European Cultural Foundation. After first having been educated as an architectural draftsman Max Möglich went on to study European- and Cultural Studies in Amsterdam, Miami, and Bologna. His internship evolved around the question how our various European programmes could relate to the call for a New European Bauhaus. The views presented in the text are his personal.

The book Commons. Between Dreams and Reality addresses how cooperation and collective actions might influence political and economic realities. At its core, it focuses on the practical life of commons and commoning practices, their factors of growth and transformative potential, as well as on the challenges and contradictions which they face.

There is a genuine interest among philanthropic institutions to explore the opportunities to reorient investment policies to ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ (ESG) strategies. In this blogpost our Supervisory Board Chair (Ad interim) Rien van Gendt touches on why the SDG lens and the gender lens offer fascinating opportunities to have a sound investment and contribute to a better and equitable world.

Philanthropy with a European purpose is yet to be imagined and resourced. And we know that we cannot do that alone. The Corona shock could become Europe’s moment and the moment for philanthropy to commit to our common ground, Europe. With this study the European Cultural Foundation and the Allianz Kulturstiftung for Europe would like to invite you to a discussion to imagine European philanthropy for a common future.

There is no recovery or future for Europe without culture. Europe needs a new Cultural Deal, a transversal, overarching framework that should demonstrate the EU’s political commitment to place culture at the heart of the European project. The European Cultural Foundation, Culture Action Europe and Europa Nostra (representing the European Cultural Alliance) jointly proposed a Cultural Deal for Europe framework.

We are excited to introduce you to a joint Hivos, European Cultural Foundation and Prince Claus Fund project: Forces of Art. See the Forces of Art website to learn more about how arts and culture shape societies across the world.

On 26 November we co-hosted with Hivos and Prince Claus Fund the book launch of "Forces of Art - Perspectives from a Changing World". This thought-provoking and wide-ranging book challenges assumptions and stimulate new ideas about how crucial art and culture are.

In the open letter, published on October 30, 2020, Culture Action Europe, along with other 109 pan-European cultural networks and associations calls the European Union (EU) and EU member states to protect culture as part of the coronavirus recovery plans and dedicate at the very least 2% of national Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) budget to culture and creative sectors.

On Wednesday 14 October, the Europa platform sent a letter to the ministers involved in drawing up the Dutch plans for the European recovery and resilience fund prior to the EU Member States are expected submitting the first plans for the EU Recovery Fund. Read the full letter in Dutch here.

The open letter on the European Democracy Action Plan and freedom of artistic expression is submitted in response to the public consultation launched by the European Commission on the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP). We - signatories - call on the EU to take positive action to monitor and promote freedom of expression in all its forms and submit the following recommendations.

Arts and culture will not be the same after COVID-19. The new situation requires new approaches and solutions at local, national and European level. We must re-imagine the future, despite of the current social, health and economic challenges. We teamed up with Culture Action Europe to map emergency initiatives and measures carried out across Europe

We are proud to be members of the consortium implementing the Cultural Relations Platform (CRP) - an EU-funded project launched in April 2020, designed to support the European Union to engage in international cultural relations.

Ahead of the European Council meeting on 19 June, we call on the Member States to: Double the budget of Creative Europe to 2,6 billion euros, as the core programme for reinforcing European cultural cooperation. (#Double4Culture). Make sure that the additional funds stemming from the Next Generation EU initiative, such as REACT-EU, reach cultural operators.

In preparation for the press conference of ministers of culture, the Europaplatform wrote a letter calling on Dutch Ministers to support the cultural and creative sectors in Europe with concrete actions, measures and finance, as the problems are very urgent due to the Covid-19 crisis. The letter highlighted current and future problems and possible actions and chances.

As a part of a series of essays, the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft (KuPoGe) asked selected individuals to contribute. Our head of Public Policy, Isabelle Schwarz contributed with an essay on a new approach to the design of European cultural policy.

The world of arts, culture, heritage and creativity will not be the same after COVID-19. The state of emergency at both local and national level has forced governments to redirect their resources to respond to the most urgent needs at home and this has left little room to address issues on a European scale. In a joint appeal with Culture Action Europe we look forward to a post-Covid Europe and formulate recommendations to the European institutions.

The current EU budget for Creative Europe is 0.14%, but 0.14% is not enough. To support the budget increase to 1% for EU Creative Europe, we wrote a letter to Dutch ministers last week together with the Europa Platform, we wrote a letter to the Dutch Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Culture to support budget increase EU Creative Europe.

After a first successful edition in 2017 - to which ECF contributed by being actively involved in the development and validation process - the 2019 release presents an updated portrait of the cultural and creative resources.

On September 23rd members from across the political spectrum of the European Parliament, including the Chair of the Culture Committee, Ms Sabine Verheyen, and over hundred representatives of arts, cultural and heritage organisations and networks from across Europe gathered at BOZAR in Brussels, to debate the place of arts, culture and cultural heritage in remit of the future European Commission.

Dutch Prime Minister Rutte is adressed with this open letter by ECF director André Wilkens: “On 20 June, when you will discuss Europe’s new Strategic Agenda 2019-2024, we are calling on you to put culture not only on the agenda but make it a priority for Europe.”

The European Cultural Foundation has sent an open letter to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, calling for making culture, and museums, an integral part of the future of Europe at the upcoming summit on 9 May 2019 in Sibiu, Romania. Culture Action Europe initiated the campaign and urges more cultural networks and organisations to join.

The European cultural and creative sectors advocate for a culture and Europe that is democratic, diverse, fair, free, human, inclusive and vital. This Culture Action Europe campaign calls on political parties to take on board this campaign’s recommendations in their programs:

ECF is delighted to announce the publication of Governing Heritage Dissonance: Promises and Realities of Selected Cultural Policies – a pioneering study by Višnja Kisić, winner of the 2013 Cultural Policy Research Award (CPRA).

Europe: Closed Doors or Open Arms? The Culture Report/EUNIC Yearbook 2014/2015 discusses migration into Europe, inviting a string of renowned scholars, authors and writers, including Umberto Eco, Francis Fukuyama, Bassam Tibi, Zygmunt Baumann, Richard Sennett, Slavenka Drakulić, Claus Leggewie and Mely Kiyak, to share their views.

Exploring the connection between culture and broader goals of human development, this research focuses on cultural and creative industries in what is commonly referred to as 'developing countries'. Christiaan De Beukelaer offers a thorough exploration of how the concepts of cultural and creative industries are constructed and implemented across African countries and evaluates various policy implications of his findings. This publication is the result of the 9th Cultural Policy Research Award in 2012. It was presented in Amsterdam at the Boekman Foundation on 23 March 2015.

The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Netherlands and Het Nieuwe Instituut, presents a new publication comprising 36 good practices in the creative industries across Asia and Europe, featuring ECF's Tandem Cultural Managers Exchange programme.

In Europe from the Outside: Expectations of Europe's External Cultural Relations, 30 authors from 20 countries look at what initiatives are needed in the area of external cultural policy. Our Head of Advocacy and Research & Development Isabelle Schwarz has also contributed with some insights from ECF.

During a time when the idea of Europe, and the EU in particular, is tainted with economic crisis and democratic decline, Aleksandar Brkić’s analysis of the role of cultural networks in helping Europe serve people is both a wake-up call for European authorities which support cultural networks and a tool for cultural networks themselves to check that they are fulfilling their European and intercultural remit as well as they should.

This publication is the result of the 7th Cultural Policy Research Award in 2010.

This publication is the result of the 6th Cultural Policy Research Award in 2009.

The European Cultural Foundation and The German Marshall Fund of the United States underwent a process of cooperation with the aim of supporting the capacity of cultural actors to be effective agents of change in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. You can read all the reports resulting from this partnership.

This publication is the result of the 5th Cultural Policy Research Award in 2008.

In 2007, the Cultural Policy Research Award went to Amanda Brandellero, an English-Italian PhD researcher at the Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (University of Amsterdam), for her research paper Crossing cultural borders? Migrants and ethnic diversity in the cultural industries. Amanda has accomplished an in depth theoretical study applying a specific interdisciplinary approach, and an inspiring empirical study on migrant entrepreneurship in the cultural industries in three European cities - Paris, London and Amsterdam.

This is the second part of a preliminary examination to ascertain whether there is sufficient interest in Member States, and if the preconditions exist, for the development of a coherent cultural dimension to EU external policies. It builds on an initial literature and web based survey conducted by the Boekman Foundation. Its tasks has been to verify whether the reasonably encouraging findings that emerged from the first study were true in practice, by interrogating stakeholders in six diverse EU counties: Denmark, France, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and the UK.

The goal of this survey has been to collect and examine documents on the external cooperation policies of the European Union and its MemberStates with third countries in the field of culture. This has been done in order to assess the degree to which EU Member States support the strengthening of the cultural components of the EU’s external relations and foreign policy.

This publication is an overview of research findings and debates prepared for the ECF, by Andreas Wiesand, in co-operation with Michael Söndermann, 2005.

This publications is the final report of the ECF Reflection group (2002-2004). With contributions from Geert Mak, Otto von der Gablentz. Michael Nauman, Dragan Klaic, Nasr Abu Zayd, Andrei Plescu, Zelimir Zilnik, Krzysztof Pomian, Sonja Licht and Maarten van Veen.

This publication is the result of the 2d Cultural Policy Research Award in 2005. The Position of Cultural Workers in Creative Industries: The South-Eastern European Perspective, written by Jaka Primorac, winner of the Cultural Policy Research Award (CPRA), 2005.

This publication is the result of the 1st Cultural Policy Research Award in 2004. Why We Need European Cultural Policies - The Impact of EU Enlargement on Cultural Policies in Transition Countries, written by Nina Obuljen, winner of the Cultural Policy Research Award (CPRA) 2004.