On 5 May, the Council of the European Union adopted its partial mandate defining the rules for the proposed AgoraEU programme. The EBU welcomes the Council’s position, which marks an important step towards a new framework of European financial support for culture, media and democracy. The Council’s text maintains the Commission’s ambitious approach and supports a strong Media+ strand in AgoraEU.

“The Council has clarified the unique strategic role of media for democracy and for economies in Europe. Strong support for both the audiovisual and news objectives within Media+ is vital to support the sector’s competitiveness and societal impact. Now, we urge all EU decision-makers to secure a strong and inclusive AgoraEU and set the bar high for its funding to ensure that it can achieve its ambitious objectives.” Said Sofia Nobre, EU Policy Adviser, EBU.

The Council text further enhances the focus on the impact of digital technology on the creative and cultural sectors. We support the Council’s stance to strengthen support for responsible, ethical and sustainable use of innovative tools and technology. As recognized by the Council, establishing a firm synergy and complementarity with other major European innovation funds such as the new Competitiveness Fund is key in this context.

The Council’s partial agreement leaves aside discussions on financial issues and so the amount of funding designated to the AgoraEU programme will be discussed at a future date. The EBU further supports the recent recommendation by the European Parliament to raise the AgoraEU budget.

About AgoraEU

AgoraEU is a European Commission programme proposed in July 2025 as part of the EU's 2028–2034 budget. It merges the Creative Europe and CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) programmes into a single initiative with three strands: Culture, Media+, and Democracy/Civic Rights, and a proposed budget of 8.6 billion EuroThe initiative’s goal is to support culture, media, and democratic values across Europe.