The European Commission has published its final implementation report on the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026, assessing progress under four priorities and recommending a more focused action-oriented successor plan aligned with the 2025 Culture Compass for Europe and the 2026 Joint Declaration 'Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe'. The report, submitted to the European Parliament, the Council, and other EU bodies on 2 July 2026, is based on a survey of Member States and other inputs.
The Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026, adopted by the Council in December 2022, structured EU cultural cooperation around four priorities: empowering artists and cultural professionals (including improving working conditions, artistic freedom, digital and green transitions, and supporting the video games sector); enhancing cultural participation and the role of culture in society (focusing on culture and democracy, health, libraries, child protection online, and discoverability of European content); unleashing the power of culture through improved statistics, climate action, high-quality living environments, heritage safeguarding, and anti-trafficking measures; and strengthening the cultural dimension of EU external relations, including support for Ukraine's cultural heritage and international cultural relations governance.
The report finds that the Work Plan has informed national cultural policymaking and expanded policy agendas to new topics such as culture and health, sustainability, and artists' working conditions. Open Method of Coordination (OMC) groups and peer-learning activities have been highly effective in enabling knowledge exchange and evidence-based policymaking, though challenges like administrative burden and uneven follow-up remain. The report identifies key future priorities for EU cultural cooperation, including AI and culture, crisis preparedness, access to culture, strategic investment, artistic freedom, and improved working conditions.
The findings will directly inform the Council's discussions on the next multiannual work plan for culture post-2026, aiming for greater coherence, efficiency, and tangible policy outcomes. The report's recommendations include a more focused and action-oriented next work plan, aligning with the 2025 Culture Compass for Europe and the 2026 Joint Declaration 'Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe'.