Organisations from across the music industry have issued a joint statement on the European Union’s proposals to launch a new programme called AgoraEU as part of its budgeting plans for 2028 to 2033, an initiative that will support culture, media and civil society across the continent.
They welcome the proposals in principle, but say the current plan and accompanying funding should be “viewed as a baseline, not a ceiling”, and that the programme “must deliver not only funding but also a coherent policy strategy that reflects music’s economic, social and cultural importance”.
They add, “We urge EU policy-makers to ensure that music is not only funded but strategically supported in the next EU budget, turning political intent into tangible impact and giving European music the visibility, investment and policy recognition it deserves”.
When announcing the proposals for AgoraEU back in July, the EU said that the programme aims to “promote cultural and linguistic diversity and heritage”; “increase the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors”; “safeguard artistic and media freedom”; and “protect and promote equality, active citizenship, rights and values”.
In terms of the cash the EU is proposing to spend, it’s an €8.6 billion programme in total, with €1.8 billion earmarked for culture, €3.2 billion for media and €3.6 billion for civil society projects.
While the music industry will be hoping that a decent chunk of that money will be used to fund music-centric schemes that build on existing initiatives like Music Moves Europe, the statement from the industry organisations is also clear that other support is needed at the EU level.
“At a time when artistic freedom, fair working conditions and cultural diversity are under increasing pressure”, they go on, “ambitious funding must be matched with strategic, sector-specific policy action”.
“Despite its reach and impact, music remains underrepresented in EU cultural policy”, they add, before expressing concern that the current AgoraEU proposals do not explicitly reference music.
However, they go on, “The increased budget now offers a unique opportunity to build a music sector-specific approach based on existing evidence, momentum and political will. EU culture ministers advocate for such ‘sector- tailored EU incentives’ and the European Parliament has called for a European industrial strategy for music. AgoraEU must be the framework to deliver it”.
The hope, of course, is that the EU now refines its AgoraEU proposal over the next few months so that these extra elements can be factored in. We’ll see if that happens.
Organisations backing the joint statement include AEC, AEPO-ARTIS, ECSA, EMC, EMEE, EMMA, Europavox, FIM, GESAC, IMPF, IMMF, Live DMA, Liveurope, MCN, MTE, REMA, Reset! and YOUROPE.