Report “Culture. The Compass for Europe’s Future” published!

We are in a storm. Our European project, founded as a collective endeavour for peace, now faces choppy waters: wars on its borders, growing inequality, deepening polarisation and the devastating impact of floods and storms. As internal and external pressures threaten the European Union (EU)’s fundamental values and destabilise democratic systems, Europe’s greatest strength lies in its rich culture and heritage. These are the foundations that will empower us to actively reimagine and rebuild a more inclusive, democratic and united Europe – one that embraces both its current and aspiring members. To secure its future, Europe needs to underpin its strategy and future internal and external actions in a strong cultural vision – a Cultural Deal for Europe.

On 4 February 2025 at Bozar (the Centre for Fine Art in Brussels), the founders of a Cultural Deal for Europe the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), Culture Action Europe (CAE) and Europa Nostra – hosted the fifth annual policy conversation: “Culture: The Compass for Europe’s Future”. They welcomed the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture & Sport, Glenn Micallef; the Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education, Nela Riehl; four Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) of the Committees on Culture (CULT) and Budget (BUDG); as well as representatives from the EU Council Presidency, cities, young artists and civil society. More than 120 participants attended the event in person, and over 1,000 people followed the conversation online from all corners of Europe.

The event was the first public discussion about the EU’s future “Culture Compass” – a strategic framework announced by the President of the European Commission to be delivered by Commissioner Micallef in 2025. This report aims to capture the key contributions from the day, as well as highlighting the policy messages from the eight policy conversations. We hope this will inspire and inform the upcoming consultations and debates on EU policies for culture and heritage. We would like to see a Cultural Deal for Europe embedded in the “Culture Compass” – with culture and cultural heritage ranked as a top priority among EU policies. The following summary also seeks to amplify calls for allocating at least 2% of the next EU budget for culture and cultural heritage. Investing in these areas is essential for strengthening Europe’s democracy, security and sustainability.