Submitted by Political Commission 2: Internal European Affairs.

Adopted by the Federal Committee in Sofia on 30 March 2025.

 

Cultural employment in the European Union encompasses approximately 7.8 million people. This sector not only enriches lives but also contributes tens of billions in revenue, reinforcing its economic and social significance.
The creative industries are essential for Europe’s economy and employment. Beyond their economic role, they cultivate a shared European identity, uphold fundamental values, and promote social cohesion. Sustained investment, support for content production, and expanded pan-European cultural initiatives will be key to their future existence and growth.
Art continuously redefines the cultural and value-driven essence of European identity. It strengthens democracy, enhances mental resilience, and helps counter segregation and polarisation.
Creative content transcends national borders, generating intangible value increasingly consumed on digital platforms. To safeguard Europe’s creative economy and cultural heritage, it is vital to monitor the evolving landscape and establish clear regulatory frameworks within the EU’s internal market.

JEF Europe,

• Emphasising that culture, art, and cultural heritage play a central role in shaping the future of Europe;
• Reminding that a diverse culture is a fundamental value for Europe, not only for its intrinsic worth but also because culture enables us to strengthen democracy and create favorable conditions for a thriving creative economy;
• Emphasising that preserving Europe’s diverse cultures and cultural traditions enriches Europe and is a prerequisite for the realisation of democracy;
• Acknowledging that culture serves as a vehicle for societal change, providing a platform for marginalised voices and promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion. By using cultural expressions to question the status quo, society is encouraged to reflect on and evolve its views, creating space for a more open and tolerant Europe;
• Emphasising that culture has a profound impact on social cohesion and the well-being of citizens, fostering a sense of belonging and community. It plays a key role in breaking taboos, challenging societal norms, and making invisible or difficult topics more visible through artistic expression, performances, and exhibitions. Culture empowers individuals to explore and discuss issues that might otherwise remain silenced, contributing to a more inclusive and progressive Europe;
• Acknowledging that for these reasons culture has come under attack in several European countries, such as in Hungary and Slovakia, with minorities and their artistic representations being specifically targeted;
• Recognising the role of culture in enhancing mental and physical wellbeing, with art, theatre, music, and other cultural practices providing therapeutic benefits and promoting positive social interaction. Participation in cultural activities can improve quality of life by offering citizens opportunities for creativity, expression, and social engagement, which are vital for individual and collective health;
• Acknowledging that the creative industries are among the largest employers in Europe;
• Acknowledging that the cultural sector not only directly employs individuals within the arts and creative industries but also plays a significant role in supporting employment across various other sectors, including accommodation, hospitality, transportation, and tourism. The cultural economy creates a ripple effect that benefits many areas of society, contributing to economic growth and job creation across diverse industries;
• Acknowledging that the cultural sector has a lot of untapped potential as a driver of Europe’s green transition;
• Emphasising that culture is significant both as a source of employment and as a source of leisure, and emphasising the importance of supporting the economy-enhancing sources of culture, as well as aspects of culture that are unrelated to economy or employment, such as street culture;
• Noting that the EU has played a significant role in supporting culture and the creative industries;
• Thanking the Creative Europe programme for over a decade of supporting projects that foster cultural diversity, promote artistic expression, and enhance the economic potential of the creative industries;
• Agreeing with the observations and requirements of the Council Resolution on the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023–2026;
• Reminding that the European Capital of Culture initiative is one example of how the culture of Member States can be made more accessible to citizens;
• Noting that through regulations on digital services, Europe has effectively promoted safe and fair digitalisation across the continent;
• Noting that the “Europe Fit for the Digital Age” package has brought significant progress to the creative industry through the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the Data Act, strengthening Europe’s digital framework;
• Emphasising the importance of the adoption of the European Copyright Directive (DSM Directive) in 2019;
• Noting with worry that as the digital streaming market provides audiences with unlimited access to creative content and currently generates the majority of revenues for the sector, the use of algorithms and the promotion of the most popular playlists have led to a narrowing and concentration of consumption, favoring Anglo-American content. In the long run, this trend will lead to the erosion of European culture;
• Worrying that transnational platform giants have introduced concerning compensation practices, such as buyout agreements, which individual creators have no real ability to negotiate. These agreements gradually shift valuable intellectual property rights away from European ownership, undermining the long-term sustainability of the creative sector;
• Noting that rapidly evolving AI applications create new opportunities for offering, developing, and commercialising creative content. However, the sector needs fair rules, as AI’s rapid advancement brings not only opportunities but also significant risks for creative professionals and businesses;
• Worrying that if the use of content for AI training is not agreed upon in a way that respects creators’ legal rights, the added value generated by Europe’s creative economy risks flowing to transnational tech giants. At the same time, creative professionals will not receive fair compensation for their work.

JEF Europe therefore,

1. Asks for more cultural exchange programs and European joint initiatives to further strengthen a unified European identity to benifit the National, Regional and Local identities as culture is at the heart of European identity;
2. Asks that within the framework of the European Union’s Team Europe Democracy initiative, cultural exchange is also strengthened with countries undergoing democratic development as culture plays a role in building sustainable external relations;
3. Urges the assurance of continuity and adequate funding for the Creative Europe programme in the 2028–2034 programme period;
4. Calls for significantly increased funding to be allocated to SSH disciplines (Social Sciences and Humanities), including the arts (SSAH Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities), in the next EU Research and Innovation Framework Programme (2028–2034). The arts must also be visibly included in the framework’s future work programmes;
5. Calls for the existing funding instruments to be continued in line with the sector’s evolving needs, while new financing tools should be developed to adapt to the changing environment as culture requires both public funding and the promotion of private investments;
6. Urges the EU to specifically step in and support cultural sectors or projects when their funding was discontinued or blocked by Member States targeting minorities or progressive content;
7. Calls for better protection of cultural heritage by providing greater funds by means of a European Cultural Fund and by strengthening common rules on culture preservation and monument maintenance;
8. Demands that the European Union take concrete steps to ensure an equitable distribution of resources across Member States’ cultural fields, addressing disparities in funding structures. Cultural sectors in different EU Member States face significant challenges due to historical, geographical, and economic factors. To create a truly balanced cultural ecosystem, the EU must actively support all regions fairly, implement targeted funding mechanisms, and guarantee that smaller and less-funded sectors receive adequate support instead of being overshadowed by larger, more established ones;
9. Asks the European Union to ensure that the growing streaming market operates fairly, protects European culture, and generates value also for creative professionals;
10. Urges the European Union to require content-sharing platforms to increase diversity and broaden their content selection, especially in their recommendations, to include smaller genres and linguistic regions;
11. Asks the co-legislators in the EU to strengthen the responsibilities of digital platforms to ensure that diversity metrics and better visibility for local and marginalised content is ensured, especially the one created in minoritised and regional languages. Furthermore ensuring recommendation algorithms are more transparent and the compensation paid by platforms is fair and proportionate as recommended in the report adopted by the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education in January 2024;
12. Asks that EU legislation take action to eliminate unbalanced negotiation conditions and ensure that transnational platforms comply with the EU’s principles of fair compensation;
13. Reminds that the European Union must ensure that the EU Copyright Directive (DSM) and its principles are upheld in AI applications. The use of copyright-protected works in AI systems must be agreed upon with rights holders, and fair compensation must be paid for their use;
14. Advocates for unified licensing policies in the European Union. The cultural sector in Europe is hindered by fragmented market conditions, particularly in terms of licensing and distribution rights across Member States. This fragmentation limits the ability of creators and consumers to fully benefit from Europe’s diverse cultural offerings. To promote a more integrated and accessible cultural market, it is vital for the EU to harmonise licensing policies across Member States, ensuring that creators and consumers alike can engage with European content more freely and effectively;
15. Asks the promotion of European content production to be supported by
    implementing measures under the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) in Member States as the diversity of grassroots culture and the visibility of even the most marginal European content must be safeguarded.