In the publication The State of Culture from Culture Action Europe (the European network of organizations, cultural networks, artists, activists, academics and policy makers) explores how the role and value of culture is reflected in national and European cultural policies. It also gathers insights on the main challenges and opportunities facing the sector in today's world.
Key observations from the report
1. Growing instrumentalization of culture hardly improves the situation of the sector
The celebration of culture for its intrinsic value and unique merits is largely absent from cultural policy discourse in European countries and the EU. Instead, culture is increasingly seen as an instrument, product or tool to achieve external goals. This trend of hyperinstrumentalization of cultural policy has not improved the situation of the sector - either in terms of public investment or integration into major policy agendas. It undermines the sector's self-determination and distracts from fulfilling its true goals and values.
2. There is a gap between how policymakers value culture and how the sector sees its own role
The cultural sector sees itself as vital to social progress, climate action and democracy, but resists narrow instrumentalization for these ends. This contradiction stems from a gap between how the role of culture is understood and applied in political discourse and how the sector itself sees its mission. Policymakers often expect short-term results, while the true impact of culture is deeper, broader and less directly measurable. In addition, there is a mismatch in focus: economic growth, national identity formation and cultural cohesion - often emphasized in policy - do not match the sector's self-image as a catalyst for critical thinking, pluralism, social transformation and civic participation.
3. In times of crisis and declining political trust, the sector conforms to the imposed instrumental image of culture
The crises and rapid changes challenging our world have led to an increase in pragmatism, prudence and short-termism in political strategies. Those in power prioritize clarity, calculability and practicality in their policies. In this context, culture - with its volatile, unpredictable power - does not seem to enjoy the implicit trust of contemporary politics. Cultural advocates and institutions subject to increased public scrutiny and dwindling resources adapt to the instrumental image of culture, which in turn erodes the potential for transformation and innovation within the arts sector.
4. AI forces us to ask critical questions about why we value human creativity
Public understanding of the implications of AI, along with legislative efforts to regulate it, lags behind the pace of the AI revolution. The EU artificial intelligence law is just a starting point and has several gaps that have yet to be addressed. Concerns about the impact of AI on the cultural and creative sectors currently outweigh the perceived benefits. Key issues include the erosion of human labor, diminished opportunities in creative fields and challenges related to transparency, intellectual property and fees. Crucially, the AI debate raises important questions that will be central in the years to come, namely how and why we value human creativity.
5. Culture's autonomy shrinks due to new threats to artistic freedom
There are concerns about the interaction between culture and politics. This stems from several factors, including the rise of political forces that see culture as a means of reinforcing national identities through singular perspectives - an area that the cultural sector generally does not see as its primary role. The cultural heritage sector has long advocated pluralistic narratives of the past that contribute to the inclusiveness of today's societies. The freedom of the arts is also challenged by societal polarization, heightened public awareness of social issues and a shrinking space for public debate. The primary factors undermining artistic freedom today differ from those of previous decades: they include self-censorship driven by an instrumentalized approach to culture, increased caution among institutions and artists in balancing their freedoms with social responsibility, and the deep precarity of sustaining an existence and career within the sector.
6. Culture is recognized for celebrating the past, but overlooked as catalyst of the future
From treaties to policy, EU discourse consistently emphasizes two core concepts: a shared history and heritage, and the cultural diversity of Europe's people. While a shared heritage is crucial to promoting unity, there seems to be an imbalance, with more emphasis on a shared past than on celebrating the power of culture to shape and envision a shared future. To cultivate a sense of Europe as a place of belonging amid its diversity, we need to develop pluralistic and inclusive narratives of a shared European future through culture. These stories should draw on heritage, values, history and customs, but also address contemporary Europe, with its current nuances, challenges, hopes and visions for a better future.
7. Culture can save democracy - but only if it is itself democratic
There was a time when culture was promoted and supported by policymakers as a means of integrating migrants into European societies. Today, as the migration crisis (and other issues, such as climate change) have fueled populist sentiments and contributed to societal polarization, culture is seen by policymakers as a means to bridge ideological and emotional divides and save democracy, which is under pressure from that polarization and the individualization of societies. However, culture has also become a battleground for competing identities and ideologies, with cultural consumption increasingly shifting to individual, on demand experiences. While culture is the basis of democracy, it must itself be democratic to fulfill this essential role.
8. The debate on 'culture and climate' is characterized by unresolved contradictions
The role of culture in climate action is not prominently addressed in cultural policy, but when it is, tensions often arise between the cultural sector and policy makers. Current policies focus primarily on reducing the ecological impact of culture or protecting culture from climate change. While these goals are important, the cultural sector believes it can play a larger role in climate action - for example, in rethinking social and economic foundations for greater sustainability. The sector feels undervalued in the green transition, but fears that recognition of its role could re- sulate into unwanted pressure without additional support, potentially threatening the sector's sustainability. A better approach would be to include culture as a stand-alone goal in sustainability agendas, but global discussions on this are making little progress.
9. EU's role in cultural policy is limited but crucial
Despite the legal limitations on the EU's role in culture, the EU serves as a driving force for in- novative and forward-looking approaches, whether in terms of regulatory and political interventions, funding initiatives and their guiding values, or spaces and tools for peer exchange among member states. Today, amid global reflections on what culture as a public good can look like, the EU has the potential to advance cultural policy. Yet a bold change in the form of treaty amendment is necessary for a truly ambitious and impactful EU cultural policy.
10. We need a 'policy scaffold' for culture as a stand-alone field
The cultural sector has shown serious vulnerabilities amid multiple crises. While integrating culture into various policy agendas is important and should be promoted in a meaningful way, it is not enough to address the deep vulnerabilities of the sector. Culture must be firmly embedded on the policy map as a distinct and legitimate field, supported by a robust policy framework. This framework must address the challenges caused by market influences and other pressures to ensure that culture can thrive and fulfill its role in society. The essential elements of this framework include: a policy of trust and autonomy for culture; a balanced approach to creative sectors; broad societal involvement in the arts; and sustainable working conditions for the entire cultural ecosystem.
Key messages from the report
1.
The value of culture lies in its autonomy. Valuing culture solely by external needs and goals can only be a survival tactic, not a sustainable strategy.
2.
It is high time to defend the value of human creativity and protect it from content produced by AI. Recognizing human creativity means recognizing that diverse, pluralistic and free human expression is essential to shaping our collective future and for- exit as a society.
3.
Culture is not only about products; it is also about process. While owning a work of art or consuming a cultural product has value, it does not trump the value of the process and of being involved in that process.
4.
Valuing culture means reaffirming our commitment to collective futures rather than succumbing to alienation and individualism. Culture is about embodying what it means to be a society - a collective with a voice and power - rather than just a group of individual voters or consumers.
5.
The value of culture today lies in its diversity. The plurality of culture gives it legitimacy as a genuine social value, and without this plurality, it risks becoming a source of further polarization of society or a political tool.
6.
Culture begins with the people who create it. Specific protections for creative workers are needed, not only to ensure that their rights are equal to those of other workers, but also to highlight the unique value that their work brings to society.
7.
Valuing culture means daring to believe in a better short- and long-term future. Not only does culture strengthen our imagination, but its impact unfolds over long periods of time. Long-term thinking fosters solidarity and helps us move beyond self-centered, short-term impulses.
8.
Democracy can be seen as too complex for a world under the pressure of countless crises, with its true value becoming apparent only in the long term. Similarly, culture, with its unpredictable nature and long-term effects, struggles to be valued during crises. Valuing democracy and culture share common principles, and both can be mutually reinforcing.
X-odus
Culture Action Europe removed itself from Platform X as of Jan. 1, 2025.
The organization commented, "Recent changes on X have led to an escalation of content that violates our principles of inclusivity, diversity and constructive discourse. By continuing our presence on a platform that tolerates hate speech and disinformation, we would undermine our mission to advocate for transformative cultural policies and pluralistic, open societies."
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