15/10/2026
Today, EU heads of government meet in Brussels for the European Council to discuss Europe’s competitiveness and the next long-term EU budget (the Multiannual Financial Framework, or MFF).
Ahead of the summit, 600 organisations across Europe have signed an open letter urging leaders to defend AgoraEU, the EU funding programme supporting culture, media and journalism, and civil society.
The Irish Presidency of the Council has proposed cutting the overall budget by 8%. But the cuts are far from evenly spread, and none is as large as the one to AgoraEU. That cut would save just 0.2% of the total budget. The signatories say it comes with no justification and that the damage to Europe’s resilience could be severe and potentially irreversible.
They are calling on leaders to keep AgoraEU at least at the European Commission’s proposed €8.58 billion, already a minimum baseline for these sectors, and to move towards the European Parliament’s proposed increase.
AgoraEU funds the infrastructure that keeps Europeans connected: independent journalism, cultural organisations and local civil society networks. These are the spaces where people access reliable information, understand and defend their rights, and take part in decisions that affect their lives.
The numbers in the letter make the case:
- Two-thirds of Europeans came across disinformation more than once in a single week, and remote and disadvantaged areas, already hit by news deserts, depend on this support most.
- 87% of Europeans say cultural exchange should have a very important place in the EU.
- 8.9 million people work in the EU’s cultural sector, including journalism, publishing and broadcasting. That is 4.3% of total EU employment, more than agriculture, forestry and fishing.
The signatories ask Member States to treat AgoraEU as critical infrastructure for Europe’s collective future, one of the choices that strengthens democracy, social cohesion and competitiveness at the same time.
The letter is coordinated by the Future of Europe Cohort, the European Federation of Journalists, Civil Society Europe and Culture Action Europe, among others. The Good Lobby is proud to be one of the supporting organisations.