Advocacy update – a crucial moment for European cultural funding

Two important budget negotiations are currently demanding the attention of the cultural and education sectors.

First, negotiations are still under way on the EU budget for 2027, the final year of the current Creative Europe programme. The Council has again proposed reducing the amount available for Creative Europe, this time by €31.6 million compared with the Commission’s draft budget. The proposed reduction would affect all three strands of the programme – Culture, MEDIA and the Cross-sectoral strand.

The cultural sector has responded strongly. Together with more than 200 European cultural organisations, AEC has joined an open letter calling on Member States to reverse the proposed cuts and restore the Commission’s proposed funding. At the same time, the European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee has argued for an increase of €15 million above the Commission proposal. Negotiations between the EU institutions are continuing, with an agreement on the 2027 budget expected in November.

At the same time, an even more important debate is taking place about the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034. The latest negotiating proposal from the Irish Presidency of the Council gives particular reason for concern. It would reduce the proposed budget for AgoraEU – the future programme for culture, media and democracy – from the Commission’s €8.6 billion to €6 billion. This represents a cut of around 30%, making AgoraEU one of the programmes facing the largest proportional reductions in the proposed compromise.

This is why AEC is now intensifying its advocacy at national level. During these weeks, national associations of conservatoires and key AEC member institutions are receiving an advocacy package with a template letter, background information and key messages to be shared with national governments. The campaign addresses the ministries responsible for culture, higher education, research, finance and European affairs and encourages contact with national Permanent Representations to the EU.

At this stage, national voices are particularly important: the position of the Council is ultimately shaped by the governments of the Member States. We therefore encourage all AEC members to support the campaign, use their national contacts and help ensure that culture, Higher Music Education and artistic research are strongly represented in the negotiations. The more institutions that speak up across Europe, the stronger our common message will be.