Horizon Europe

The next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation is set to remain independent, while contributing to the new European Competitiveness Fund, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a speech delivered on 20 May.

“Our Framework Programme Horizon Europe will stay as a self-standing programme,” von der Leyen affirmed during the EU Budget Conference. She praised Horizon Europe as an “outstanding brand” and “the most renowned research programme worldwide,” while emphasising the need to connect it closely to the European Competitiveness Fund.

The Fund is envisioned to support the full journey of innovation – from initial ideas to market, from research to start-up, scale-up, and global manufacturing. “Horizon Europe has financed groundbreaking research that has led to 33 Nobel Prizes over the last 40 years. We want this success story to continue,” von der Leyen added. However, she did not elaborate on how the programme’s independence would be maintained under the new structure.

AEC will continue to monitor these developments closely, as it is essential that funding for Artistic Research remains a part of Horizon Europe, ensuring continued support for innovation in Higher Music Education.

Creative Europe

AEC actively participated in the European Commission’s consultation process on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034), submitting six detailed responses across categories including education, culture, regional development, competitiveness, and the single market.

In line with a shared strategy developed with our European network partners, AEC’s contributions strongly advocated for Creative Europe to remain a standalone programme, alongside Horizon Europe.

Our core arguments:

  • Creative Europe is the EU’s only funding programme dedicated solely to supporting the cultural and creative sectors.
  • It enables cross-border cultural cooperation, achieving what individual Member States cannot.
  • It enhances the global competitiveness of Europe’s cultural industries.

These points were echoed at Liveurope’s “EUphoria 2025” event on 14 May in Brussels, where AEC was present. A panel featuring MEP Hannes Heide (S&D), MEP Hélder Sousa Silva (EPP), cultural researcher Elena Polivetska, and Paula Postolkova of Nová Cvernovka (Slovakia) underlined the strategic importance of Creative Europe. Even modest funding amounts have meaningful impact, fostering collaboration and contributing to a shared European identity.

AEC supports increasing Creative Europe funding to 2% of the EU budget, reflecting the growing responsibilities placed on the cultural sector – from promoting mental health to strengthening democratic resilience – without corresponding financial resources.

To that end, AEC also calls for a coordinated cultural strategy, integrated into the upcoming Culture Compass initiative, a key priority on Commissioner Micallef’s 2025 agenda.

On 13 May, EU Ministers of Culture met in Brussels for the Culture Council to discuss the future of Creative Europe. Following their unanimous letter of support to the European Commission in November 2024, the ministers reiterated the programme’s importance and rejected proposals to merge it with broader EU funds.

Culture Action Europe (CAE) has also voiced concern over a potential merger, issuing a letter to the Commission and inviting stakeholders to join its “Ask, Pay, and Trust the Artist” campaign to defend the programme’s autonomy.

While the Culture Council’s backing is an important milestone, AEC notes that Ministers of Culture often lack top-tier political leverage, making continued advocacy essential. We encourage all members with political contacts to use their influence in support of Creative Europe.

STEM/STEAM

When policymakers prepare new legislation, they rely heavily on briefings from the civil service to inform them about trends and evidence — including in education. This was again the case in February, when a guide on STEM policy recommendations was circulated for consultation.

Our partners at ELIA invited AEC and other organisations to review and co-sign the document. The original draft barely acknowledged the vital role of the arts and humanities in enhancing technological education through creativity, critical thinking, and transversal skills.

To our great satisfaction, the response to the Commission’s civil servants succeeded in convincing them (again) of the value of STEAM, and the final document, which can be seen here, now includes much stronger references to our field. Moreover, STEAM is even included in the title of the paper.

As a result, we have achieved significantly better visibility for the strengths of the arts education sector, which is now being communicated to the relevant policymakers who will ultimately set the direction for the European education landscape.

AEC thanks ELIA for the collaboration, which highlights the advantage of standing together when tackling a major task.