FRH attends Glenn Micallef’s first stakeholder consultation on the EU’s new strategic framework for culture

Future for Religious Heritage (FRH) was privileged to attend the Stakeholder Consultation on the Culture Compass for Europe that took place on 20 March in Brussels, at the invitation of Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport.

The aim of the meeting was to hear the concerns of the European cultural and creative sectors and exchange views on the principles and priorities to be included in the future Culture Compass, which will be the EU’s new strategic framework for culture.

This meeting was the first of the stakeholder consultation process launched by Commissioner Micallef, following his appointment to this position in December 2024. In February 2025, the Cultural Deal for Europe, a joint initiative launched by the cultural sector itself, had already organised a policy meeting in Brussels (also attended by FRH) with the presence of 120 stakeholders from the European cultural and creative ecosystem and several representatives of the European institutions, included the Commissioner for Culture, to initiate the discussions about the Culture Compass.

Representatives of more than 50 organisations from the European cultural and creative sectors attended this first consultation event by the European Commission. Nela Riehl, Chair of the CULT Committee at the European Parliament, and Marta Cienkowska, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, representing the Polish Presidency of the EU Council were also present at the meeting.

Start of the stakeholder consultation process

The meeting had three rounds of discussions. The first one focused on the principles that should guide cultural policy making and cultural cooperation at the EU, the second on the needs of the European cultural and creative sector and how the Culture Compass can help the sector overcome its challenges, and the third one on how culture can be integrated into other EU policies to contribute to broader societal goals.

As announced by Commissioner Micallef, the consultation process with the cultural and creative sector will continue in the coming months, although no specific meetings or dates were announced yet.

Group photo of the first Stakeholder Consultation on the Culture Compass for Europe. Photo: European Commission