Defend AgoraEU: Invest in European Citizens’ Future
An open letter ahead of the European Council, 15 – 16 October 2026
To the Members of the European Council,
As you meet in Brussels to discuss Europe’s competitiveness and the next Multiannual Financial
Framework (MFF), the undersigned call on you to preserve and defend a robust AgoraEU budget, at
least to the European Commission proposal, and move towards the European Parliament’s
proposed increase.
The Irish Presidency proposed cuts to AgoraEU have shocked the culture, media, and civil society
communities. The overall budget is reduced by 8% and cuts are very disproportionate across the
board. However, none are as large as the AgoraEU programme, which represents savings of just 0.2%
of the total budget. The costs saved are negligible, yet this has been proposed with no justification
and the damage to Europe’s resilience would be exponential and potentially irreversible.
The envelope proposed by the European Commission (€8.58 billion in current prices) is already a
minimum baseline for the cultural, media and journalism, and civil society sectors.
In his United Nations General Assembly Address, President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander
Stubb, stated that “the first remedy for a world in disorder is rule of law”. The next MFF is the
opportunity to shape the Europe we want to build and defend in a context of growing geopolitical
challenges, social tensions, declining trust in institutions, and rapid technological transformation.
AgoraEU is central to that task. In this context of growing disillusionment and fracturing
communities, AgoraEU supports organisations and spaces that bring people together across
territories, to make their voices heard and participate with equal opportunities and without
discrimination. When people feel that their rights are respected and policies address their needs,
grievances and hope for the future, they are more likely to come together around a shared European
project in times of uncertainty and change. While the EU Treaties promise rights, equality and
wellbeing for all, AgoraEU has the power to help fulfil this promise through artistic and media
freedom, culture and the active participation of people living in the EU.
Cultural organisations, films and audiovisual, press and journalism, civil society organisations, and
local networks provide this infrastructure, helping people connect, access reliable information,
understand and defend their rights, and contribute to decisions affecting their lives. Studies have
shown that protection of democracy and fundamental values is cited as the primary reason
Europeans trust the EU (42%), ahead of protection against external threats (33%).1 Similarly, 87% of
Europeans agreed that cultural exchange should have a very important place in the EU, helping
citizens from different countries to feel more European.
Securing Europe’s future requires more than physical, socio-cultural, digital and security
infrastructure. It needs the local networks, skills, creativity, and experiences that enable people to
connect, trust each other, and cooperate. Reliable information and trusted local networks help
communities respond to economic and natural disruption, navigate technological change and
better navigate a digitalised society, while cross-border cooperation enables them to share
practical solutions to better defend our democracies. The scale of the challenge is clear: two-thirds
of Europeans reported encountering disinformation at least more than once during the preceding
seven days. AgoraEU matters most precisely in remote and economically disadvantaged areas,
already affected by news deserts.3 European culture is equally central to building a shared sense of
belonging. Culture, film and audiovisual works allow European stories to travel across borders.
Supporting the creation, promotion and circulation of these works helps preserve Europe’s cultural
diversity and strengthen the common cultural ties that underpin the European project.
AgoraEU is also integral to Europe’s competitiveness agenda. For example, the annual budget for
groups working to implement Europe’s digital rulebook and safeguard rights online is equivalent to
€0.27 per resident annually across the EU countries. Strong communities, trusted information,
cultural vitality and civic participation are foundations for economic dynamism, social stability and
long-term growth. Eurostat recorded 8.9 million people in cultural employment, including
journalism, publishing and broadcasting across the EU in 2025, representing 4.3% of total EU
employment,4 more than agriculture, forestry and fishing (8.4 million in 2023).
Through culture, media, rights and civic participation, AgoraEU strengthens democratic resilience,
information integrity, social cohesion and local empowerment; assets that are essential to Europe’s
sovereignty, competitiveness and innovation. This is fully consistent with a modern and effective
MFF. The next EU budget must make clear choices about the infrastructure Europe needs to deliver
its strategic priorities. AgoraEU should be one of those choices.
As you consider the next Multiannual Financial Framework, we call on the Member States to
recognise AgoraEU as critical infrastructure for Europe’s collective future. It should be established
as a stable, coherent and sufficiently ambitious framework capable of delivering these objectives and
empowering citizens and communities across all regions, and advancing European competitiveness
and security through our shared values throughout 2028 – 2034.
Yours sincerely,
The Future of Europe Cohort
European Federation of Journalists
Civil Society Europe
Culture Action Europe
European Civic Forum
Centre for Sustainable Media
Centre for Democracy & Technology Europe
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
The Global Disinformation Index
See full list of signatories in the document attached: