The letter is a reaction to the Council’s proposed €27.56 million cut in commitment appropriations and €9.86 million cuts in payment appropriations outlined by the Council of the European Union for the Creative Europe Programme. Despite representing only 0.2% of the total EU budget (€2.44 billion over seven years), Creative Europe has demonstrated strategic impact across the cultural and creative sectors. The proposed reductions threaten the sustainability of this flagship programme and the livelihoods of cultural professionals, many of whom operate under precarious conditions.
The letter highlights that the Council itself acknowledged in May 2025 the critical role of European artists and cultural professionals as ‘an engine of creativity and innovation.’ The letter calls on the Council to uphold its commitment to a strong Creative Europe programme, as previously expressed by national culture ministers in November 2024. The letter also calls for increased investment in the programme.
The European Parliament has shown support for this position. In its opinion report on the 2026 annual budget, the CULT Committee rejected the proposed cuts and advocated for a €20 million increase above the draft budget. This endorsement underscores the strategic importance of Creative Europe as a low-risk investment with cross-sectoral impact.
Recent data from the Commission reveals that only 10–15% of over 1,600 applications to a Creative Europe call will receive funding, leaving many exceptional projects unsupported due to limited resources. The letter stresses that current funding levels are already insufficient to meet demand and that further reductions would only exacerbate the issue.
- Access and read the full letter
What’s next
Looking ahead, the European Parliament is expected to adopt its position on the overall budget during the plenary session from 20 to 23 October. If the Council does not accept the Parliament’s position, a conciliation period will follow from 28 October to 17 November to reach an agreement.
Looking ahead to 2026
The European Commission has published the Creative Europe Annual Work Programme for 2026. Next year’s call for European cooperation projects will focus exclusively on small and medium-scale initiatives. The current cap of three applications per organisation, whether as coordinator or partner, will remain in place.
The call is expected in the first quarter of 2026, with a total budget of €60 million.
