Safeguarding democracy in Europe: Council shines a light on culture’s vital role

At a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty, culture and cultural heritage are essential to safeguarding democracy and upholding European values.

This is the message put forward by EU culture ministers in conclusions approved in Brussels today. The ministers stress the need to protect and promote culture in all its forms and Europe’s cultural heritage as crucial factors in building and maintaining democratic resilience.

Culture, cultural heritage and audiovisual works play a vital – yet often underestimated – role in sustaining democratic societies. By opening up spaces for all people, they foster civic engagement and instil a sense of community, belonging, and shared history and values.

The Council is calling on EU countries to contribute to the protection of our European values by promoting culture and cultural heritage, including by protecting artistic freedom and facilitating access to cultural activities and heritage, in particular multilingual content. It also highlights the importance of integrating cultural institutions such as libraries, museums and archives into crisis preparedness planning.

Moreover, ministers acknowledge the importance of international partners such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO, and encourage the Commission and member states to continue their efforts to safeguard and promote cultural rights and diversity in cooperation with these partners.

Finally, the Council invites the Commission to consider raising awareness about the role of culture, cultural and linguistic diversity and cultural heritage in upholding common values and democratic resilience, for example in the implementation of the recently published Culture Compass initiative.

Background

The European Council’s Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029 prioritised the promotion of cultural diversity and heritage as a way of upholding European values in a free and democratic Europe.

Safeguarding European democracy through cultural resilience has been a priority for the Danish presidency of the Council. On 4 November 2025, ministers from 26 EU countries, as well as the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, signed a declaration prepared by the presidency on the necessity of culture and media as a safeguard for European democracies.

More information: European Council