Illustration by Daniel Liévano for Fine Acts

“Art creates a space for changing the world.” This is the first sentence of the joint declaration of the MANY. The MANY call for increased discussions and demonstrations to shine for a plural, democratic shape of the world.

Between 6 and 9 June 2024, the citizens of the European Union countries will exercise their democratic right by electing their representatives as Members of the European Parliament.

We invite you to take this opportunity to envision the role of dance in the future. What would it need to thrive? How do we share our responsibilities to sustain it?

Why Advocacy Matters

In the European Union, politicians serve five-year terms, but their time leaves little room to address cultural policy, typically managed by Member States.

However, the EU conducts significant development programs that benefit our sector enormously and have been especially instrumental in supporting internationalisation, career development, mobility of the art form, artists, and professionals, the cross-pollination of knowledge and practices, and our continuous striving for diversity and freedom of expression.

Today's public discourse is riddled with polarization and politicians struggle to maintain long-term sustainable visions.

Politicians have the responsibility to determine the conditions under which the arts will thrive. This is our time to think beyond the given and envision the role of dance in the future. How would we like it to be? How do we share tasks around our collective responsibilities? What kind of capacities does dance hold for communities that are based on differences?

With the upcoming EU parliamentary elections, we want to start by placing culture at the heart of political agendas and contemporary values at the heart of cultural policy. We agree that encouraging voter participation is essential to empowering our voices and ensuring decisions benefit contemporary societies’ values and needs.

How Does it Work?

While there are numerous online guides on how to register for the elections, selecting your candidate might still seem daunting. To help you make an informed choice, Culture Action Europe has compiled necessary information about the EU elections keeping cultural perspective in focus.

Where is Culture?

Compared to previous years, the 2024 EU election campaigns have given culture a notable increase in attention. The manifestos of the EU parties spotlight culture, arts, and creativity in diverse ways, with references to creative industries, shared identities, cultural diversity, artistic freedom, and more. IETM has prepared a comparative overview of the EU parties’ take on culture.

Working Conditions in the Arts

Together with IETM - International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts, Circostrada, and the European Festival Association, EDN supports a unified approach by the EU to promote and ensure more sustainable and fair working conditions for artists and cultural professionals.

To sustain Europe's vibrant and diverse cultural sectors, we advocate for well-informed, bold, and innovative measures.

Survey Results

Culture Action Europe, in partnership with Panteia, has released ‘Creative Pulse: A survey on the status and working conditions of artists and cultural and creative sector professionals in Europe’.

The report reveals alarmingly poor working conditions across the EU for freelancers and self-employed artists, irregular forms of employment, a lack of social protection, persistent gender inequalities and rising restrictions on artistic expression.

Cultural Deal for Europe

So, can we count on you to help us place culture at the heart of Europe?

Culture Action Europe, European Cultural Foundation and Europa Nostra call for culture to be included in the EU’s funding programmes, sustainable development strategies, relations with the rest of the world, and vision for our common future.

Use Your Vote

The European Parliament’s voting campaign is centred around a video featuring senior Europeans who have witnessed first-hand the transformative power of democracy in their lives.

These exceptional individuals wanted to pass on their personal stories - whether they lived through times of oppression or experienced the fragility of democracy - to their grandchildren and the next generation more widely.

Together, their testimonies paint a story of how voting is not something we should take for granted and urge the viewer to Use your vote!