Policy Developments

<p>ENCATC was a key actor at the 2025 World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/mondiacult?hub=171169" target="_blank" title="MONDIACULT">MONDIACULT</a>. Our policy recommendations to the global cultural policy community resulted in a final&nbsp;<strong>policy statement&nbsp;</strong>where we claim that&nbsp;<strong>culture and education stand at the heart of sustainable development</strong>.&nbsp;Together, they shape how societies imagine the future, address diversity, and build the capabilities needed to navigate global change.</p>

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<p>Culture at the core of a competitive and strong new&nbsp;European vision: ENCATC calls for ambitious&nbsp;investment in Research, Education, and Creative&nbsp;Sectors in the EU’s Future Budget.</p><p>As the European Union advances the strategic design of its post-2027 Multiannual Financial&nbsp;Framework (MFF), ENCATC—the European network on cultural management and policy—emphasizes the imperative to enhance support for research in the cultural and creative sectors (CCS).</p><p>In the face of rising societal challenges—including geopolitical changes, climate transitions,&nbsp;peace and digital evolutions—the EU’s long-term vision must fully recognize the essential&nbsp;role of culture. These challenges are not solely technical or economic; they are inherently&nbsp;cultural. Accordingly, the MFF must acknowledge and support research and practice in the&nbsp;cultural and creative sector not merely as an auxiliary domain, but as a critical axis and&nbsp;transectoral point for sustainable development, cohesion, and innovation.</p>

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<p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://culture.ec.europa.eu/policies/culture-compass-for-europe" target="_blank" title="Culture Compass for Europe">Culture Compass for Europe</a>, a new strategic framework launched in 2025 by the European Commission, represents an important opportunity to embed culture at the heart of EU policymaking. ENCATC published a new position paper on the Compass&nbsp;articulating our network’s vision, concerns, and recommendations based on more than three decades of expertise, advocacy, and academic engagement in the cultural sector.</p><p>After the&nbsp;<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2628" target="_blank" title="launch of the Culture Compass for Europe">launch of the Culture Compass for Europe</a>&nbsp;on 12th November, we reacted with a&nbsp;policy statement, pleased to see many of our recommendations reflected in the final version of the document.</p>

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<p>As the European Union prepares the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the post-2027 period and the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), ENCATC – the European network on cultural management and policy – calls for renewed support for research in cultural management and policy.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;We welcome the ongoing consultation process and seek to ensure that the future priorities of the EU in research and innovation truly reflect the transformative role of culture in building inclusive, sustainable, and resilient societies. This is a crucial moment: our sector must be heard to ensure that research in cultural management and policy finds adequate space within future EU funding instruments, particularly in Horizon Europe’s successor and in initiatives such as the European Research Area (ERA).</p>

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