July 7, 2025

On July 4, 2025, the French Hub of Culture Action Europe coordinated by MCA gathered with 2 French Members of European Parliament: Emma Rafowicz (S&D) and Laurence Farreng (Renew). We gathered in Paris, in the office of Relais Culture Europe. The meeting had the objective to allow French Hub members to interact with the two MEPs about the needs of French cultural and creative sector in view of the next European budget (Multiannual Financial Framework).

MCA published a short debrief about the first draft of the MFF proposed by the European Commission. In this short article, the analisys of its impact on the nexus digital-research-culture.

Around the table (and screen), thirty committed stakeholders from the cultural and creative sectors, representatives of civil society and European networks. MEPs Farreng and Rafowicz shared also their analysis and their determination to defend culture at the heart of the European project. The French Hub highlighted how much we must defend and protect of the Creative Europe funding programme, but not limited to that. Horizon Europe, Interreg, Erasmus and their intersection with the cultural sectors were at the center of discussion.

We discussed also the values we want to defend in policies and funding concerning the cultural sector: democratic values that such as the right to freedom of expression and to exercise the cultural and research professions. Both MEPs highlighted the situation in the United States and the impact of Trump’s policies on the cultural sector, encouraging to bounce back at European level and proposing to stand for this at political level.

What are the next step for the MEPs? For sure, mobilization of the entire cultural sector at national and European level to defend and not give for granted these issues at European level. Secondly, the cultural sector needs to have a strong voice in the upcoming negotiations for the MFF. In order to do so, we need to reach outside the bubble, reaching policy makers who are not yet devoted to the protection of the cultural and creative sector, with the objective of breaking the silos and hightlight the intrinsic trans-sectoriality of cultural policies and funding.

Right after the meeting, the French Hub sent a letter to the French Minister of Finances Eric Lombard asking for the maintain of Creative Europe as a standalone programme focused on the cultural and creative sectors. The letter was signed by over 20 French ONG and cultural organisations, both from inside and outside the French Hub.

You can access the letter here

MCA and the French Hub thank Mme Farreng and Mme Rafowicz for the fruitful and dynamic conversation. A special thank to Relais Culture Europe for hosting the meeting.