Europa Nostra engages with European Commissioner Glenn Micallef on the Culture Compass for Europe

Europa Nostra led a high-level exchange with European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, on the Culture Compass for Europe, together with members of the European Heritage Hub and the European Heritage Alliance, on 17 December at the Berlaymont in Brussels.

During the meeting, Commissioner Micallef presented the Culture Compass as a commitment to place culture and cultural heritage at the heart of the European project. The Culture Compass affirms that celebrating Europe’s diverse traditions, languages, music and intangible heritage is a core element of Europe’s values, quality of life, resilience and democracy. As the Commissioner underlined, “Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe” must guide EU action.

At the centre of the Culture Compass is a call for collective commitment from all parties to move in the same direction. This is to be formalised through a Joint Declaration on Culture by the three EU institutions, currently being adopted by both the EU Council and the European Parliament, with the objective of concluding the process in early 2026. This Joint Declaration is intended to anchor culture and cultural heritage across EU policies and funding frameworks.

The Commissioner outlined a set of flagship actions connected to cultural heritage to ensure measurable progress:

• Cultural data and evidence-based policymaking, through a Cultural Data Hub and a Periodic State of Culture Report, enabling informed decisions, structured dialogue and cooperation at all levels of governance.
• Values, rights and access, with a focus on improving access to culture and cultural heritage for persons with disabilities and young people.
• Youth mobility and participation, building on Erasmus+ and DiscoverEU, including the creation of a DiscoverEU Cultural Route featuring heritage sites, a European Youth Card offering access and discounts, and Youth Governance Boards to ensure young people contribute to policy design and implementation.
• Fair working conditions in the cultural sector, addressing precariousness, seasonality and gaps in social protection, advancing a Charter on the Status of Artists, and linking public funding to respect for labour and social rights.
• Culture and wellbeing, recognising culture’s contribution to mental health, social cohesion and quality of life, and promoting the exchange of practices among Member States.
• Resilience, digital transformation and climate action, including consultation on AI and copyright, development of the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage, strengthening digital skills, and investments in research, innovation, risk management and climate mitigation for heritage.
• European initiatives and labels, including the European Capitals of Culture and action to strengthen the European Heritage Label, supported by an open call for evidence.
• International cultural relations, updating the 2016 strategy, reinforcing cooperation with neighbouring and accession countries, the Southern Neighbourhood, and advancing EU for Culture and Team Europe approaches, notably in support of Ukraine.

Commissioner Micallef stressed the importance of the AgoraEU programme while highlighting the need to mobilise additional EU funding instruments and to safeguard culture’s place across funding programmes. Greater engagement of the private sector was also highlighted, through risk-sharing mechanisms and financing models inspired by other parts of the Creative Europe programme.

The representatives from Europa Nostra, namely Executive President Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger and Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, and other participating organisations welcomed the Culture Compass as a step forward for European cultural policy. Speakers noted the Commissioner’s commitment, the clarity of the Compass, and its emphasis on youth participation, inclusion, accessibility, fair working conditions and resilience. They emphasised the importance of valuing professional expertise alongside recognising volunteer contributions, ensuring that both artists and heritage professionals are appropriately acknowledged and fairly remunerated.

The discussion confirmed that the measure of success will lie in implementation. Participants underlined that the structured dialogue initiated by the Culture Compass is already laying the foundations for a coordinated European approach to culture and heritage, focused on shared values and inclusion.

Europa Nostra reaffirmed its commitment, together with the European Heritage Hub and the European Heritage Alliance’s members, to contribute to the implementation of the Culture Compass.

What’s next – stay engaged

The discussions with Alliance and Hub members, together with a survey analysing the Culture Compass through a cultural heritage lens, will feed into a detailed analysis of the Compass, with special emphasis on relevance for cultural heritage. This analysis will be made available shortly.

Get involved – shape the implementation

The Culture Compass marks the beginning of a structured process, not an end point. Europa Nostra invites its members, partners and the wider cultural ecosystem to actively engage in the next phase, by:

• contributing expertise, data and proposals to the forthcoming State of Culture Report and Cultural Data initiatives.
• participating in consultations, calls for evidence and structured dialogues, including those related to the European Heritage Label, Europe’s Climate Resilience and European Capitals of Culture.
• strengthening alliances across sectors – culture, heritage, education, research, youth, social affairs and the creative industries – to support a transversal impact.

Europa Nostra will continue to advocate for:

• the adoption of a Joint Declaration on Culture by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council.
• the integration of culture and cultural heritage across EU policies and funding instruments.
• sustainable financial resources for culture and cultural heritage in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034), including the AgoraEU programme.

By mobilising a coordinated cultural and heritage community across Europe, the Culture Compass can move from policy to practice. Europa Nostra will work with partners to ensure commitments are implemented, resources allocated, and EU cultural and heritage policies are effective, inclusive and sustainable.

Have your say – upcoming EU consultations

European Capitals of Culture – deadline 2 January 2026
To mark its 40th anniversary, the European Commission is reviewing the European Capitals of Culture initiative to ensure it remains relevant, inclusive and impactful. Stakeholders are invited to share their views to help improve accessibility, strengthen cooperation among past, present and future capitals, and enhance the initiative’s visibility and long-term legacy. More information here.

We have launched a Call for Evidence on the European Capitals of Culture!

Open until 2 Jan 2026

Help us ensure the initiative remains relevant, inclusive and impactful.https://t.co/3zmyEzLY0T pic.twitter.com/UO2bDTGtaT

— Creative Europe (@europe_creative) December 13, 2025

Europe’s climate resilience – deadline 23 February 2026
The European Commission is consulting citizens, businesses, authorities and stakeholders on Europe’s future policies for climate preparedness. The aim is to shape strategies for adapting cities, towns and rural areas to a changing climate, reducing risks from extreme weather, and ensuring a coordinated EU approach to resilience. More information here.

European Heritage Label – deadline 1 March 2026
The European Heritage Label (EHL), presented to 67 sites across 22 EU countries, is under review to strengthen its operational framework, ensure consistent selection of sites, and align the initiative with EU cultural and heritage priorities. Contributions will inform improvements to make the scheme more relevant, impactful and strategic. More information here.