European Commission Proposes €8.6 Billion for Culture, Media and Democracy in 2028–34 EU Budget
The European Commission has unveiled its initial proposal for the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, presenting a €1.984 trillion long-term budget—approximately 1.26% of the EU’s Gross National Income. Within this framework, the Commission proposes allocating €8.6 billion to a new flagship programme – AgoraEU – aimed at supporting culture, media and civil society european-festivals.eu.AgoraEU represents a consolidation and expansion of the current Creative Europe and Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programmes. The new support structure is divided into three distinct strands:
- Creative Europe – Culture: €1.8 billion
- Media+: €3.2 billion
- Democracy, Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values: €3.6 billion EU Agenda+9Culture Action Europe+9european-festivals.eu+9
Compared with the combined funding of Europe’s present culture and media budget (€2.44 billion for Creative Europe, plus €1.5 billion for CERV), the proposed AgoraEU budget would roughly double the current levels of support to culture and democracy initiatives EU Agenda+9Culture Action Europe+9ne-mo.org+9.Culture Action Europe (CAE) has welcomed the proposal, highlighting the retained autonomy and visibility of the Creative Europe – Culture strand, as well as the cross-sectoral, inclusive design consistent with broad access across cultural sectors. However, CAE also emphasizes that this proposed allocation constitutes a minimum threshold, urging the European Parliament and the Council to seek further increases during negotiations European Cultural Foundation+6Culture Action Europe+6European Cultural Foundation+6.The Commission’s MFF proposal is only the first step in a multi-year negotiation process involving the European Parliament and the 27 EU member states in the Council, expected to extend through 2026–2027, with a final agreement projected by the end of 2027 Culture Action Europe+1european-festivals.eu+1.
Context & Significance
The proposed €8.6 billion for AgoraEU accounts for approximately 0.25% of the total MFF envelope—a slight increase over the current share (~0.23%) allocated to culture and media. Meanwhile, the overall increase in EU spending—from around €1.211 trillion (1.13% of GNI) for 2021–2027 to nearly €1.984 trillion—reflects growing emphasis on strategic areas including culture, climate, digital transformation, and democratic participation European Cultural Foundation+7Culture Action Europe+7ne-mo.org+7.
What’s Next
- Autumn 2025: Formal parliamentary and council responses, with first reading and position setting
- Late 2025: Danish Presidency to present Council‑level negotiating orientations
- 2026–2027: Iterative readings and negotiations between Parliament and Council
- By end of 2027: Expected adoption of final MFF 2028–2034 agreement ne-mo.org+2Culture Action Europe+2european-festivals.eu+2
Calls to Action by Culture Action Europe
CAE urges cultural sector stakeholders, policymakers, networks and artists to:
- Mobilize in support of the “Ask, Pay, Trust the Artist” advocacy campaign
- Engage with national finance ministers and MEPs to reinforce support for the Creative Europe – Culture strand
- Build cross-sector coalitions to ensure culture, independent media and civic infrastructure remain protected and elevated during budget negotiations