In July 2025, a proposal for the EU’s future budget – the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 was presented. Although it indicates a significant increase in budget for the Culture and Creative Industries and thus a commitment to strengthening culture and values amidst mounting pressures to invest in economic competitiveness and security, there is still reason to look at its associated conceptual framework.
In the article ”AgoraEU: Reframing Culture as a Force for Democracy?” research expert Elena Polivtseva at the Goethe Institute points at many uncertainties with the new budget proposal. For example, on the one hand the proposal emphasises the Culture and Creative Industries (CCI) contribution to the EU’s identity, inclusive and participatory governance, active citizenship, equality, and non-discrimination is recognized, but at the same time[ML1] , the new funding instrument AgoraEU falls under the heading of Competitiveness, prosperity and security. She also points at its lack of an ambitious vision for culture as a driver of the EU’s global role and as a transformative tool for navigating today’s complex geopolitical realities.
Since the budget is still a proposal, it is important to provide decision-makers with policy development support and participate in the debate. Especially since AgoraEU will serve as one of the key tools for implementing the Culture Compass Europe.
Creating a link between research and policy
This discourse is a central target for the policy recommendation work done in the EU flagship [ML2] initiative ekip, led by Lund University. It supports the development of policies that make open innovation into the new standard in ecosystems and drive innovation policy that empowers CCIs to make a significant impact on Europe’s societal, environmental, and economic transformation it. The way that ekip make use of the knowledge co-developed in EU funded projects and initiatives like the EIT Culture & Creativity KIC, creates a link between research and policy development.
The importance of ekip and the EIT Culture & Creativity KIC is emphasised in the report “Unleashing the Potential of the Cultural and Creative Industries”. It was published by the DG Research & Innovation at the EU Commission in spring 2025.
“The ekip platform and policy engine can become an important, even central, element in an overarching EU-wide CCSI ecosystem with a focus on pooling and transforming research outputs into policy recommendations and on further nurturing research on and for CCSIs. To this can be added a platform for exchange and cooperation among all kinds of CCSI stakeholders as a nucleus for an emerging culture- and creativity-driven innovation ecosystem. To avoid any constraints on the creation of an EU-wide impact from the budget of EUR 6 million and a project duration of three years, ekip must seek close cooperation and joint structures with other networks, platforms and support initiatives for CCSIs to agree on a common approach and to jointly implement common goals. The way ekip and EIT Culture & Creativity embark on a common approach will be key.” (p. 58)
Do you want to have a role in forming the policies for the next EU budget period? Make sure to join the ekip community!
