EU member states have agreed a partial negotiating position on a proposed AgoraEU programme that would support culture, media and civil society under the EU’s next long-term budget from 2028 to 2034.
The programme would sit within the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF) — the bloc’s seven-year spending plan — and would build on existing schemes including Creative Europe and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, the Council of the EU announced on Tuesday.
The Council described its stance as “partial” because it excludes financial and wider cross-cutting issues that are being negotiated as part of the MFF.
AgoraEU is designed around three strands: Creative Europe – Culture, focused on cross-border cultural cooperation; MEDIA+, covering the audiovisual and videogames industries and support for free and independent journalism; and CERV+, aimed at fundamental rights, equality, anti-discrimination, democratic participation and the rule of law.
Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, Cyprus’s deputy minister for culture, said the agreement was a step towards supporting cultural and creative sectors while safeguarding values including artistic freedom and active citizenship.
What changes the Council wants
The Council said its position adds clarification to the draft legislation, strengthens the role of member states and takes account of national differences in areas such as audiovisual media.
It introduced an updated definition of “cultural and creative sectors” and set out a more targeted approach for areas such as music, book publishing and libraries, including actions such as cultural prizes and peer-learning activities.
The Council also backed the creation of “AgoraEU Desks” — national bodies to guide potential applicants on funding opportunities and cross-border collaboration — and said its text specifies the support they should offer and the tasks they would carry out, including training and promoting the programme.
To reflect the impact of technology, the Council said its position includes provisions to promote the ethical, sustainable and responsible use of artificial intelligence and other tools, including protecting cultural and creative data.
It also proposed setting up an “AgoraEU Committee” made up of member-state representatives to discuss and vote on implementation issues across the programme’s strands.
The partial position will be used as the Council’s mandate to negotiate with the European Parliament on the regulation, while the programme’s budget for 2028 to 2034 will depend on the final agreement on the next MFF.
The European Commission published the proposed regulation on 16 July 2025, including a proposed funding package of €8.6 billion.
