EU Joint Declaration on Culture Signals New Momentum for Cultural Rights and Agency
For the first time, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission have jointly signed a Declaration on Culture, marking a significant step in recognising culture as a strategic pillar of European democracy, participation and social cohesion.
The Joint Declaration reaffirms the importance of artistic freedom, cultural rights, cultural diversity and equitable access to culture. It highlights culture's role not only as a sector of creative production, but also as a fundamental element of democratic life and European identity.
The declaration commits European institutions to strengthening cultural participation, protecting artistic freedom, supporting cultural and creative sectors, and recognising culture's transformative contribution to Europe's social, economic and civic development.
For Roma cultural actors, institutions and communities, these developments are particularly relevant. The declaration reflects an emerging understanding that culture should not be approached solely through frameworks of inclusion, but also through questions of agency, self-representation and cultural power.
This perspective resonates with the arguments presented in the recent publication From Inclusion to Cultural Power: Roma as a Test of European Cultural Policy by Tímea Junghaus, Executive Director of the European Roma Cultural Foundation (ERCF). The chapter, published in Minority Policies and Governance in Europe (IEŚ Policy Papers 1/2026), calls for a shift from approaches centred on inclusion towards policies that enable Roma cultural production and participation on its own terms.
As stated in the publication:
“The task ahead is not merely to include Roma within existing cultural systems, but to establish the conditions under which Roma cultural production can operate on its own terms.”
The Joint Declaration on Culture represents an important opportunity to advance these discussions across Europe and to strengthen the role of culture as a space for participation, representation and democratic engagement.
