Summer Guide to the Future of European ERA and EEA Policy – AgoraEU

Discover how negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the EU's key research and education programmes have evolved over the past year.

In the next article of our summer guide to the new European programmes, we introduce the AgoraEU programme. Although it only partially relates to the European Research Area and the European Education Area, it will also offer interesting opportunities for research and educational institutions. In the new programming period, AgoraEU will bring together Creative Europe and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme with the aim of strengthening cultural diversity, media freedom, democratic resilience and European values through transnational cooperation and innovative projects.

The proposed AgoraEU programme builds to a large extent on the priorities of Creative Europe and CERV, which operate as separate programmes under the current programming period. Creative Europe currently supports the cultural and creative sectors and the audiovisual sector. It funds transnational projects focusing on cooperation, the mobility of artists and cultural organisations, audience development, innovation, digitalisation, and support for European films and media. The CERV programme focuses on promoting democracy, citizens' participation, fundamental rights and European values. It funds projects that strengthen citizens' active participation in democratic life, uphold the rule of law, promote gender equality, combat discrimination and violence, and support civil society organisations.

There are two main reasons for bringing the programmes together in the next programming period. As part of its efforts to simplify the structure of the EU budget, the European Commission has proposed significantly reducing the number of programmes from the current 52 to 16. Through this step, it aims to provide easier access to funding, make programmes more transparent and increase flexibility in the use of EU funds, therefore achieving a broader and more coherent impact. The second reason is the close thematic relationship between these areas. AgoraEU will bring together culture, media, citizens' engagement and cross-sectoral cooperation to strengthen democratic participation and societal resilience. This connection also reflects the European Union's view of culture as a means of supporting democracy.

What will the programme look like?

The European Commission proposal presented in July 2025 divides AgoraEU into three thematic strands:

• Creative Europe – Culture, which will contribute to cross-border cultural creation and cooperation, the mobility of cultural professionals, support for literary translation and the book sector, music, and the protection of Europe's tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
• MEDIA+, which will strengthen the diversity and competitiveness of audiovisual production, cinema and the video games sector, while also supporting free and independent journalism, news media and the fight against disinformation.
• CERV+, which will promote fundamental rights and equality, combat discrimination and gender-based violence, strengthen citizens' participation in democratic processes, and support the development of an independent and strong civil society.

The merger of the programmes has also resulted in a proposed new structure, under which the part building on Creative Europe will no longer have three strands. The proposal removes the current Cross-sectoral strand and retains the other two. Under the current programme, the Cross-sectoral strand supports activities that do not clearly fall under either of the other strands or that combine several areas and create synergies. However, the proposed programme maintains cross-sectoral cooperation as a priority that should run throughout the programme.

Another new element is the planned establishment of Agora Desks in the Member States to provide advice and assistance on funding opportunities and cross-border cooperation. Their role will be further clarified during the negotiations, but they are expected to build on the work of the existing Creative Europe and CERV contact points.

Positions of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament

Member States agreed their position on the programme at the Council meeting in May 2026. In terms of the programme's structure, their position does not propose significant changes to its overall architecture. However, Member States consider it important to maintain their role in shaping the programme's direction and therefore propose the establishment of an AgoraEU programme committee. Other important Council proposals include clarifying the definition of the cultural and creative sectors under Creative Europe – Culture, developing a more targeted approach to cultural sectors, and emphasising both the artistic value and the economic contribution of the cultural and creative sectors. Another important aspect is taking into account the specific circumstances of individual countries, for example their capacities in areas such as production, distribution and access to content. In view of the rapid development of AI, the Council also emphasised the irreplaceable role of human creativity and the need to use AI in an ethical, sustainable and responsible manner.

The draft European Parliament position was prepared jointly by the CULT Committee (Committee on Culture and Education) and the LIBE Committee (Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs), which are considering the proposal jointly. Emma Rafowicz is the rapporteur for CULT and Alice Kuhnke for LIBE. Although this is still only a draft position, some parts already demonstrate differences in the approaches of the Council and the European Parliament. While the Council supports the proposed programme structure, the European Parliament committees propose dividing the programme into seven strands instead of three. Three cultural strands with a shared budget would focus on Creative Europe, the music sector and media. The proposal also envisages a strand dedicated to journalism and information, with its own budget. The final three strands would comprise CERV+, Daphne, focused on zero tolerance for gender-based violence, and Union Values. These three strands would also share a common budget. This is linked to a new proposal for the allocation of funding within the programme. One potential risk of this approach is that it could give greater priority to certain areas compared with the Commission proposal, at the expense of areas that are not explicitly mentioned. Other proposed changes include stronger links with the Culture Compass, greater protection for artists, and more accessible and equitable access to funding opportunities under the programme.

What will the AgoraEU budget be?

The budget available to the programme in the next programming period will be crucial for its implementation and the achievement of its objectives. As part of its proposal for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the European Commission proposed a budget of approximately EUR 7.6 billion in constant 2025 prices for AgoraEU. This is approximately double the combined budgets of the current Creative Europe and CERV programmes. In current prices, the proposed budget amounts to approximately EUR 8.6 billion.

The European Parliament is more ambitious in its draft position and calls for the budget to be increased to approximately EUR 10.7 billion in current prices, around 25% more than the Commission proposal. This forms part of the Parliament's broader call to strengthen key programmes under the 2028–2034 MFF. The Council has not yet included the financial envelope in its partial general approach, as budgetary matters form part of the horizontal negotiations on the MFF.

Next steps

The Council of the EU set out its position on the AgoraEU proposal by adopting a partial general approach at the meeting of Member States' culture ministers in May 2026. This established its position on the programme's substantive provisions, structure and governance. However, agreement on the programme's funding is still needed to complete the Council's position. This will form part of the broader negotiations on the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.

The CULT and LIBE committees presented the draft European Parliament position in June 2026. MEPs subsequently tabled more than 1,500 amendments. Given the large number of amendments, the CULT and LIBE committees are expected to vote on their final position in autumn 2026. The European Parliament plenary vote is not expected until November 2026.

Once both institutions have adopted their final positions, they will be able to begin interinstitutional negotiations with the participation of the European Commission in the form of trilogues. The current timeline suggests that these negotiations will not begin before early 2027.