Europa Nostra and partners call for culture and cultural heritage to be at the core of 2024 EU elections

Ahead of the European Parliament elections in 2024, Europa Nostra, Culture Action Europe and the European Cultural Foundation have launched a joint open letter calling for culture and cultural heritage to hold a central place in electoral campaigns: in political groups’ programmes and in public conversations with Europeans about the future of our continent.

8 out of 10 European citizens consider cultural heritage to be important to their community, region, country and the European Union as a whole, according to a 2017 Eurobarometer survey. This is equivalent to around 320,000 potential voters. As unique features that underpin European values and bring citizens together, culture and cultural heritage must be at the core of the current and upcoming political agenda.

In the renewed Cultural Deal for Europe statement, we therefore call on the European Union, EU Member States, and wider Europe to:

• effectively use the National Recovery and Resilience Plans for culture: with civil society, for the benefit of independent cultural scenes, for highest-quality conservation and restoration of Europe’s heritage;
• make a European Cultural Deal for Ukraine part of the Cultural Deal for Europe;
  develop a new, ambitious and genuine EU cultural policy, hand-in-hand with civil society;
• find innovative ways of working together with the European philanthropic sector to address emergencies faced by cultural sectors, now and in the future;
• establish common and ambitious standards for working conditions for artists and cultural workers across Europe;
  speed up efforts to realise the potential of culture for sustainable development and social justice, and to fully incorporate culture in the European Green Deal;
• and place culture in the heart of discussions on the future of our continent and in the 2024 European Parliament elections.

Can we count on YOU to help us place culture at the heart of Europe?

Read the full open letter, the Cultural Deal for Europe statement and endorse the campaign here.

Cultural Deal for Europe

The Cultural Deal for Europe is a call to the European Union to place culture at the heart of its political vision and ambition for years to come. It was launched in November 2020 by Europa Nostra – acting also on behalf of the European Heritage Alliance -, Culture Action Europe, and the European Cultural Foundation.

It calls for full integration of culture and cultural heritage into EU actions and policies, and inclusion of culture in the EU’s recovery and funding programmes, its sustainable development strategies, and relations with the rest of the world.