YOUROPE Joins 220 Cultural Organisations Opposing EU Funding Cuts
The European festival association has joined an open letter calling on EU governments to reverse proposed €31.6 million cuts to Creative Europe’s 2027 budget.
YOUROPE – The European Festival Association has joined 219 other cultural organisations in signing an open letter urging EU Member States to reject proposed cuts to the Creative Europe programme for 2027.
The letter, initiated by Culture Action Europe and dated 2 October, responds to a proposal from the Council of the European Union to reduce Creative Europe’s 2027 commitment budget by €31.6 million compared with the European Commission’s original proposal.
The proposed reductions would affect all three areas of the programme, including €7.8 million from Culture, €23.2 million from MEDIA and €600,000 from cross-sectoral activities.
The organisations are calling for the restoration of the Commission’s proposed €417.35 million budget in commitments and €406.45 million in payments. They also support a proposal from the European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee to increase funding by a further €15 million.
According to the letter, this is the fourth time during the current seven-year EU budget cycle that the Council has proposed reductions to Creative Europe.
YOUROPE, which represents festivals across Europe, highlighted the importance of the programme in supporting international cultural cooperation, enabling artists, festivals and other cultural organisations to develop projects across national borders.
The signatories argue that the proposed reductions conflict with commitments made by EU institutions in June 2026, when the Council, Parliament and Commission signed the joint declaration Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe, supporting artistic freedom, cultural independence and the sustainability of Europe’s cultural and creative sectors.
The 2027 budget is particularly significant as it marks the final year of the current Creative Europe programme. The Commission has already announced plans for a €61 million European Cooperation Projects funding call in 2027, while the future structure and funding of its proposed successor, AgoraEU, remain under discussion.
Among the signatories are several organisations representing the live music sector, including YOUROPE, Live DMA, the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA), the European Music Council, the European Concert Hall Organisation and the European Festivals Association.
The final 2027 EU budget remains subject to negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament.
Culture Action Europe published the appeal on 6 October. The organisation says EU institutions have until 16 November 2026 to reach an agreement on the budget.