Commissioner Micallef at ‘European Cities Unite: Culture in a Changing World’ event

The 14th World Cities Culture Summit (WCCS) took place in Amsterdam from Wednesday, October 15th to Friday, October 17th, 2025. During the summit, city council members responsible for culture from 55 cities around the world gathered to discuss the importance of arts and culture in urban policy, exchange experiences and ideas, and forge sustainable international partnerships.

The three-day WCCS serves as an international catalyst for change and innovation in municipal cultural policy. By exchanging knowledge, sharing experiences, and raising awareness of pressing issues, the summit can contribute to the development of stronger, more effective, and more inclusive urban cultural policies. The summit also provides impetus for new international collaborations in the sector. The conference is part of the World Cities Culture Forum, the global city network of which Amsterdam, our home-city, has been a member for eleven years. The first study on the economic value of international cultural cooperation was presented during the summit. The WCCS also launched the fifth edition of the World Cities Culture Report.

The European Cultural Foundation (ECF), Eurocities, and EIT Culture & Creativity presented a European Day, European Cities Unite: Culture in a Changing World ahead of the formal conference. European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef delivered a keynote speech to kick-off the session which touched on turning shared challenges into collective action, and how European cities are taking the lead in cultural policy and international exchange.