EIBF answers European Commission Call for Evidence on the Culture Compass

EIBF is pleased to announce that it has submitted a position paper for the new Culture Compass on the European Commission’s call for evidence portal on the 26th of May.

The new Culture Compass is the strategic framework that will map out EU cultural policy for the years to come, i.e., which priorities the Commission decides to work on in the cultural sector. 

Proposed by Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, the Culture Compass aims to put culture centre-stage among the political priorities over the next five years. To ensure this, we urged the Commission to: 

• Defend freedom of expression and protect cultural professionals 
• Stand up for literacy 
• Safeguard cultural businesses through thoughtful legislation in a fragile industry 
• Establish a data collection system for the cultural sectors 
• Create opportunities for education and vocational training for cultural professionals 
• Empower the sector through sustainability, inclusion, and digital innovation 
• Pool resources and knowledge across the cultural industries 
• Acknowledge culture as a strategic pillar for the EU’s future through appropriate funding 
• Use culture for broader societal and global goals 

Answering the call for evidence is of utmost importance for the future of cultural policy in the EU: it is an opportunity to make our voice heard and highlight the added value that our sector brings to European culture, democracy, and society. Now more than ever, culture has a crucial role to play in shaping Europe’s future, and this can only be done through strong cultural policies. The cultural compass is a unique opportunity to obtain just that – and we also thank many of our members who also, in turn, submitted their own positions and requests, also reflecting the national idiosyncrasies across the different member states. 

You can access the full position paper below.