The EU Culture Compass & Its Implications for Armenia’s Cultural Policy
January 19
Introduction
On 12 November 2025, the European Commission unveiled the Culture Compass, a new long-term strategic vision for culture. In recent years, multiple EU institutions and cultural stakeholders have underlined the need for such a framework, pointing to the importance of stronger coherence and clearer strategic direction in the way the European Union develops and coordinates its diverse cultural policies, actions, and initiatives. The Culture Compass is anchored in the guiding principle “Europe for Culture, Culture for Europe,” articulated through four key directions:
1. European values and cultural rights
2. Artists and cultural professionals
3. A more competitive, resilient, and cohesive cultural and cultural heritage sector
4. International cultural relations
The Vision
The Culture Compass is built around the vision “Europe for Culture, Culture for Europe,” proposing a relationship of mutual reinforcement between the European Union and its cultural ecosystem. The “Europe for Culture” dimension reflects the EU’s commitment to creating enabling conditions for cultural and creative sectors to flourish, innovate, and remain competitive on a global scale. It signals an inward-looking focus that acknowledges the specific realities and structural challenges of these sectors, while seeking to strengthen their foundations through coordinated policy action. Conversely, “Culture for Europe” frames culture as a strategic asset through which Europe can respond to contemporary societal challenges. Within this perspective, culture is understood as a driver of democratic resilience, social cohesion, wellbeing, economic vitality, and broader societal transformation. Importantly, the notion of “Europe” within the Compass extends beyond the formal borders of the European Union. Numerous non-EU European countries continue to actively shape, sustain, and promote European culture, and their contribution to the shared cultural landscape deserves clear recognition within the strategic vision.
Core Dimensions
The Culture Compass seeks to recalibrate three interrelated dimensions: the priorities and sustainability of the cultural sectors themselves, the active participation of citizens in cultural life, and the wider social, economic, and democratic impacts of culture. Artistic freedom is appropriately positioned as a central priority. The strategy acknowledges that freedom of artistic expression is increasingly under pressure, affected by political or institutional interference, the application of so-called morality laws, censorship, intimidation, and the growing phenomenon of self-censorship. In response, the European Commission plans to integrate a dedicated focus on artists’ lived experiences of artistic freedom into its future annual monitoring framework, ensuring that these challenges are systematically observed and addressed. The Compass also recognizes persistent structural gaps within the cultural and creative professional ecosystem and places strong emphasis on improving artists’ working conditions. It introduces the concept of an EU Artists’ Charter, intended to establish core principles, guidance, and shared commitments aimed at ensuring fair, sustainable, and transparent working conditions across the sector. The Charter will be developed through a consultative process, drawing on input from the cultural field during an upcoming EU high-level exchange with stakeholders and social partners. In addition, the strategy highlights the importance of widening access to culture, particularly for young people, and proposes the mutual recognition of national culture passes. Notably, the Culture Compass adopts an integrated policy perspective, acknowledging the close interconnections between cultural participation and other policy areas, including education, science, health, social cohesion, and wellbeing.
International Cultural Relations
At a time marked by global uncertainty and Europe’s evolving role on the international stage, the Culture Compass underscores the need for a bold and forward-looking vision for the EU’s international cultural relations, supported by a strong and strategic budgetary framework. While the planned update of the International Cultural Relations Strategy, the continuation of the Cultural Relations Platform, and the development of region-specific initiatives are welcome, a gap remains: the absence of a truly long- term, visionary approach that positions the EU as a global leader grounded in shared cultural values and practices. In a context of shrinking spaces for dialogue and increasing geopolitical tension, culture must lead through transformative policies rather than being reduced to an instrument of “soft power.” Against this backdrop, it is particularly significant that EU4Culture—implemented in Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova—has been recognized as one of the twenty EU flagship programs within the Culture Compass framework. The program’s first phase ran from 2021 to 2024, with a second phase launched in 2025.
Implementation Mechanisms
The effective implementation of the Culture Compass will require sustained political commitment, adequate funding, and the introduction of new policy instruments. To this end, the European Commission intends to propose an interinstitutional Joint Declaration entitled “Europe for Culture –Culture for Europe,” to be endorsed by the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission. This declaration aims to reaffirm shared political commitment to core cultural policy principles at the EU level. Furthermore, the Commission plans to periodically publish a Report on the State of Culture in the EU, providing a comprehensive overview of the European cultural landscape and assessing progress in strengthening cultural and creative sectors, with particular attention to artistic freedom. Complementing this reporting mechanism, a structured EU-level dialogue with cultural and creative stakeholders will be established to discuss findings, monitor implementation of the Culture Compass, and foster exchange, co-creation, and policy alignment.
Key Policy Implications for Armenia
While Armenia is not an EU Member State, it is deeply embedded in the European cultural ecosystem through policy dialogue. The Culture Compass is therefore likely to shape expectations, funding priorities, and policy standards relevant to Armenia in the coming years. The EU Culture Compass offers Armenia a shared strategic language and reference framework rather than a prescriptive model. Its impact will depend on how proactively national institutions engage with its principles to strengthen Armenia’s cultural ecosystem, democratic resilience, and international cultural positioning.
1. Cultural Rights and Artistic Freedom
The Culture Compass places artistic freedom and cultural rights at the center of cultural policy. For Armenia, this highlights the need to strengthen safeguards for freedom of expression, institutional autonomy, and transparent governance of publicly funded cultural institutions.
Implication: Armenian cultural policy will increasingly be assessed against European standards related to artistic freedom and democratic values.
2. Status and Working Conditions of Artists
The proposed EU Artists’ Charter signals a shift toward fair pay, social protection, and sustainable working conditions for artists and cultural professionals.
Implication: Armenia will face growing pressure from civil society and international partners - to address structural gaps in artists’ legal status, remuneration, and social security.
3. Integrated and Cross-Sectoral Cultural Policy
The Culture Compass promotes culture as a cross-cutting policy field linked to education, health, social cohesion, youth policy, and regional development.
Implication: Armenia has an opportunity to move beyond event-based or heritage-only approaches toward integrated cultural strategies that contribute to community resilience and wellbeing.
4. Cultural Participation and Audience Development
Expanding access to culture—particularly for young people—is a core priority of the Compass.
Implication: Cultural participation, mediation, audience development, and cultural journalism will gain strategic importance within national cultural policy.
5. International Cultural Relations and EU Partnership
The renewed EU focus on international cultural relations, including the recognition of EU4Culture as a flagship program, positions Armenia as a long-term cultural partner rather than a peripheral beneficiary.
Implication: Armenia can strengthen its role in European cultural cooperation through longer-term institutional partnerships and strategic policy alignment.
Recommendations for the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Armenia
1. Embed cultural rights and artistic freedom explicitly into national cultural strategies and monitoring frameworks.
2. Initiate a policy dialogue on artists’ status, drawing on the principles of the EU Artists’ Charter and involving professional associations and civil society.
3. Promote cross-sectoral collaboration, integrating culture into education, youth, social cohesion, and regional development policies.
4. Support cultural participation and mediation, including audience development programs, cultural education initiatives, and cultural journalism.
5. Strengthen strategic cooperation with the EU, using EU initiatives as platforms for long-term institutional learning and reform.
6. Invest in cultural research and data, enabling evidence-based policymaking aligned with emerging European standards.
Reference
European Commission (2025). Culture Compass – Europe for Culture, Culture for Europe.
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