The EUphoria event, organised on Wednesday 14 May by Liveurope at the Brussels cultural institution L'Ancienne Belgique, brought together European representatives and cultural players to discuss the place of music and, more broadly, culture in the future European budget.
The Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028-2034) is expected in the summer, and defence, competitiveness and strategic autonomy are likely to feature prominently.
“In this context, it is essential to remember that culture is also a pillar of resilience for Europe”, said Katarzyna Kuza, the cultural attaché at the Permanent Representation of Poland, the country currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
In his opening remarks, Bogdan Zdrojewski (EPP), MEP and former Polish Minister of Culture, agreed, pointing out that the current geopolitical situation and the revision of the MFF represented an opportunity to rethink the place of culture and music among the policies supported by the EU, so as not to marginalise them.
MEPs Hannes Heide (S&D, Austrian) and Hélder Sousa Silva (EPP, Portuguese) both argued in favour of maintaining the Creative Europe cultural support programme as an independent programme, with a reinforced budget. “This is the only way we can continue to have an impact on promoting European and democratic values”, said Hannes Heide.
Questioned after the round table, he confirmed to Agence Europe that “it is still too early to talk about figures, but there is broad support, also at the EU Council, for preserving the independence of Creative Europe” (see EUROPE 13639/8).
The Austrian MEP is calling for a move beyond the current approach, which he deems “too modest”.
Protecting culture at all levels. He also supports European legislation in favour of equitable remuneration for artists.
For the music sector in particular, he is calling for a Digital Music Act, combined with a cultural diversity quota and regulatory tools inspired by the Copyright Directive. He also supports calls to create a European status for artists, with harmonised social rights and fairer remuneration mechanisms.
On the subject of the various European programmes, several speakers from civil society once again supported the idea of a more practical, grassroots approach to the event. Researcher Elena Polivtseva defended a sectoral approach that complements that of Hannes Heide: “Creative Europe must remain an autonomous programme, serving the specific needs of cultural players”.
She also warned against any attempt to merge the budget with other European projects, such as Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV), an EU programme to protect and promote the rights and values enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
For her part, Paula Poštolková, a member of the board of directors of the Slovak cultural centre Nová Cvernovka, spoke of the growing difficulties faced by small organisations. She stated: “Liveurope is helping us to maintain our mission despite a hostile political climate”.
Since 2014, Liveurope has been supporting the movement of emerging artists through a network of 24 European venues. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)