ECF Co-signs Open Letter for an Increased Budget for AgoraEU

A coalition of 500+ organisations representing Europe’s cultural and creative sectors, independent media and journalism, civil society and democracy actors have sent an open letter to leaders of the EU institutions calling for a substantial increase in funding for the AgoraEU programme in the next long-term EU budget (2028-2034).

Despite its strategic importance, the AgoraEU programme currently represents only ~0.43% of the next long-term EU budget,which includes funding for culture, independent media and journalism, audiovisual media, and civil society organisations across its pillars. The funding envisaged is insufficient to match the scale of the challenges facing these sectors. In the case of the cultural and creative sectors, the AgoraEU proposal currently envisages an allocation of approximately €260 million per year, which is equivalent to the annual expenditure of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, “the bare minimum to keep the sector afloat,” as the Cultural Deal for Europe partners wrote in their latest op’ed for Parliament Magazine.

Image by Alexia Souvalioti for Fine Acts.