It’s finally here. The Culture Compass, the EU Commission’s strategy promising to bring together and coordinate actions in the field of culture was officially published on November 12. MCA had the opportunity to discuss it directly with Commissioner Glenn Micallef. In this article, we analyze what this document means for the digital culture & heritage sector, its concrete impacts, and its future.

In September 2024, a few months after the European elections, Ursula von Der Leyen was reappointed as head of the European Commission, thus having to propose a new college that would carry forward her vision for the European Union. Glenn Micallef was appointed Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport: in his mission letter, the President of the Commission called for “a new Culture Compass, an overarching strategic framework to guide and harness the multiple dimensions of culture.” This statement had left many representatives of the sector interested, with the idea of having a new Agenda for Culture that could put the needs of the cultural and creative sector back at the center of the EU actions.

MCA analyzed the positions of the Commissioner for Culture, the Commissioner for Innovation, and the Commissioner for Research in this article.

Fast-forward to November 2025, and the Culture Compass is ready. The document is presented as a roadmap for the European Commission in the field of cultural policy for the coming years, starting with the underlying values, summarizing what already exists, and then proposing Flagship Initiatives, i.e., concrete actions that will be carried out. The document clearly shows a strong commitment to listening: many of the proposals put forward directly echo positions taken by representatives of the sector such as MCA. The coordination work and attention to important aspects for each area is remarkable, and MCA welcomes this.

In March 2025, the Commissioner gathered the main European cultural networks to receive initial input for the Culture Compass. MCA reported on this in this article.

During an event organized by Culture Action Europe on November 12, MCA was able to hear directly from the Commissioner about the hopes and ideas behind this compass for culture in Europe. “Europe for Culture, Culture for Europe” is the underlying motto. “When we started working on it, it seemed like an impossible task: now, the Compass is here, ready for us to implement and for you to hold us accountable” said the Commissioner before an open exchange with those present. In his speech, he emphasized that the Compass is distinguished by its strong desire to protect the cultural and creative sector, before talking about how culture, with its transformative power, can have an impact on other policy areas.

What can the Commission do to ensure that the cultural and creative sector in the European Union is a healthy and sustainable sector, in which workers and artists are protected and receive the necessary care? This is the question that guides much of this strategic document. 

The importance of having such a broad-based strategy at European level lies in affirming that the European Union, within the limits of its competences, recognizes the cultural sector as a central force in the lives of European citizens. A strategic vision, while not necessarily responding to all needs, is also useful for creating a baseline on which to build what will be. At a time when the European Union’s long-term budget (Multiannual Financial Framework, MFF) is being negotiated, it is essential to have a focal point on which to base any request for increased funding for the cultural and creative sector. For this reason, MCA is closely following and will continue to follow the entire process, so that communities at the intersection of heritage, digital technology, and research can be represented in these processes.

A more in-depth analysis

The central axes and ideals from which this strategy develops are as follows. 

1. An EU that upholds and strengthens European values and cultural rights; 
2. An EU that empowers artists and cultural professionals, and supports people; 
3. An EU that draws on culture and cultural heritage to become more competitive, resilient, and cohesive; 
4. An EU that champions international cultural relations and partnerships

In May 2025, during the creation of the Cultural Compass, MCA issued a statement to highlight the key points from our perspective for this strategic document. You can find it at this link.

For each section of the Compass, the Commission is committed to carrying out the so-called “Flagship Initiatives,” concrete actions scheduled from 2025 to 2028, to be repeated cyclically where appropriate. Among these 20 Flagship Initiatives, we find interesting proposals such as:

1. State of Culture: An annual report on the state of the cultural and creative sector, aimed at analyzing trends and evolutionary needs in the sector
2. Structured dialogue: a structured dialogue with representatives of the sector in order to keep policy making connected with national and international realities
3. EU Cultural Data Hub: a hub aimed at collecting and analyzing cultural data and information, monitoring trends and developments, and pooling best practices, in connection with the State of Culture Report
4. AI Strategy for cultural and creative sectors: a specific strategy to take into account the specific needs of the cultural sector in the field of AI and digital technology.
5. Youth Cultural Ambassadors Network: a group of young people who can interact directly in the development of European policies.
6. Data Space for Cultural Heritage: a commitment to developing and supporting the data space with regard to high-quality data and content reuse.

With regard to digital cultural heritage, the research sector, and the nexus between digital and culture, the Compass details commitments that we explore below.

Digital, AI, and heritage digitization

In the chapter on competitiveness, the Compass devotes a section to digital tech and AI. It recognizes the potential of AI, especially in the protection of cultural heritage, and the challenges on which the cultural sector has been particularly vocal. Beyond the still unresolved issue of copyright, it mentions “ethical use, cultural diversity, job displacement, fair remuneration of creators and skills needs” and more. The desire to develop standards for human-centric AI therefore leads to the flagship initiative of the ‘AI strategy for cultural and creative sectors’. In this sense, it will be important to focus the conversation not so much on how to best implement deep learning technology in the sector, but rather on its cultural impact and how to safeguard the work of professionals in the sector in an atmosphere of transformation of the professions.

MCA, together with Culture Action Europe, has already begun important community gathering work on this issue through the Action Group on Digital & AI, to bring the perspective of the cultural and creative sector into digital policies: you can find the Mission Statement here.

The issue of digital skills is addressed by drawing on the Digital Education Action Plan, with a focus on AI. As the experience of our Action Group teaches us, it is important not to disconnect from digital skills at large, as they are part of a single ecosystem. 

With regard to the digitization of cultural heritage, the Compass reiterates the Commission’s support for the Europeana Initiative, the Cultural Heritage Cloud, and the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage, without, however, proposing any new actions in this field. Although these infrastructures are vital for the management of digital and digitized heritage, the big remaining question mark concerns the digitization of heritage itself: in most cases, digitization is not funded by the EU, but by national funding with varying plans, budgets, and priorities. At present, the tool available to the Commission is Recommendation C(2021) 7953 of 10.11.2021 on a common European data space for cultural heritage, which recommends that Member States accelerate the digitization of all cultural heritage. As the Recommendation does not constitute a legal obligation (unlike Directives and Regulations), the follow-up to this proposal remains in the hands of the Member States. Yet we know that digitizing cultural heritage, which is normally handled directly by cultural institutions, requires time, staff, knowledge, and above all, money. For this reason, the Multiannual Financial Framework window opens up a possibility: the first section of the European Union’s long-term budget proposal is dedicated to “National and Regional Plans,” modeled on the NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility implemented post-COVID. In this context, the possibility of a commitment by Commissioner Micallef to anchor a percentage of this funding to the digitization of heritage at national and regional level would allow for a European centralization of efforts while maintaining the priority and competence of the issue at national level. Unfortunately, the Compass has not moved in this direction, but the renewed support for the Data Space and the Cloud is a sign of attention in this field.

Solutions for the trafficking of cultural goods?

With great appreciation from MCA, Compass dedicates a substantial part of Compass to the fight against trafficking and looting of cultural goods. Recognizing its importance in safeguarding “collective memory, […], communities’ identities, cohesion, and resilience, particularly in crisis and conflict zones,” Compass summarizes all EU actions in this area, citing policy, legislation, several EU-funded research projects, and support for ICOM’s International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods. Finally, the Commission promises to continue its support for “improving the traceability of cultural goods, supporting due diligence and the employment of innovative technologies, and mobilizing all stakeholders to better protect cultural heritage and fight heritage-related crimes.” Again, no concrete action is linked to the political commitment, but it leaves the door open, especially in the area of interdisciplinary collaboration in this field.

In this regard, together with its ANCHISE (Horizon Europe) partners, MCA advocates for the creation of a “European Interdisciplinary Competence Center” to address this issue at a centralized level. This proposal is not intended to replace what already exists at the national level, but rather to streamline best practices, strengthen the study of the phenomenon and its impact on society, and formalize professional relationships for collaboration between law enforcement agencies, researchers, cultural heritage professionals, technological developers, and civil society representatives. In the context of a Compass that remains open in this regard, there is a real possibility that this type of action will be implemented, in collaboration between different Directorates-Generals. 

Horizon Europe – what does the future hold?

In the context of budget discussions, it is necessary to focus on Horizon Europe. In the Commission’s proposal for the new MFF, the research funding program is set to be re-adopted and, above all, the funds allocated to it will be doubled: however, Cluster 2 “Culture & Creativity” disappears, probably absorbed into “Global Societal Challenges.”

The Compass often refers to Horizon Europe in the sections dedicated to what is already active, almost never as an area in which it promises to deliver: in fact, it mentions the Co-Funded European partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (aimed at funding research and innovation at the intersection of cultural heritage and climate change), the aforementioned Research projects for the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural goods, and Horizon funding for “bridge knowledge gaps and promoting entrepreneurship” in the field of digital transformation. The final section, “Mainstreaming across EU financial instruments,” refers precisely to continuing support for culture in existing funding instruments, but no action related to research is proposed.

It is essential to keep a close eye on this issue, as the disappearance of a cluster dedicated to culture and creativity in Horizon Europe could mean less attention to the issue and less funding in this area in favor of research and innovation actions more oriented toward economic competitiveness. 

Youth not as an object, but as an active subject

Commissioner Micallef is also the Commissioner for Youth and Intergenerational Fairness: it was therefore to be expected that part of the compass would be dedicated to youth participation and access to cultural life. To achieve this specific goal, the establishment of a voluntary framework for the mutual recognition of culture and cultural heritage passes for young people issued at national level is proposed, as well as an increase in the cultural offer within the existing EU youth discount card. In addition to these aspects, a crucial element has been missing from the European cultural sphere until now: young people are often identified as the object of cultural initiatives, and almost never as frontline actors capable of shaping the sector. In July 2025, MCA Policy Advisor Marco Fiore met with the Commissioner in Lisbon along with other participants in the Young People’s Addendum to the Porto Santo Charter – in this manifesto, young creatives and cultural professionals joined forces to highlight the active role of young people in the cultural and artistic sphere. This meeting, a report of which can be found here, gave rise to the proposal for a network of young cultural ambassadors at European level to inform European decision-making in cultural policies: this proposal was taken up directly in the Compass as a flagship initiative. At this point, the way in which the network will be implemented is crucial to prevent it from becoming an opportunity for the tokenization of youth and to ensure that different categories of young people are represented: MCA will continue to monitor the issue closely.

What’s next

This Compass is a commitment on multiple levels—as such, it remains a promise that needs to be put into practice. During the presentation meeting, Commissioner Micallef stated:

“The work is not finished: we must implement what we promise, but above all we must continue to have an ambitious vision for the cultural and creative sector in the European Union.”

He has made a strong political commitment, basing much of this strategy on systematic consultation with the sector. 

As a document, the Compass is also a testament to the limited powers of the European Union in the field of cultural policy (EU law says, in Art. 167 of the TFEU, that in the area of culture the EU is “to support, coordinate, and supplement the action of Member States”). Only with a revision of the treaties, a hypothesis validated in November 2023 by the European Parliament, will it be possible to expand the possibilities and fields of action. This does not mean that the Culture Compass is the apotheosis of what can be done: the Compass is a promise to deliver and to want to deliver even more in the future. It will be up to cultural professionals and their representatives, such as MCA, to keep the momentum going so that the ambition does not fade and remains focused on the real needs of culture, as a sector and a vehicle for social transformation.

Access the Culture Compass full document here.

If you are interested in a detailed analysis of impacts for all the cultural sectors, our friends from Culture Action Europe provided a must-read article here.