On 3 November, Csaba Borboly, rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions on the AgoraEU programme, spoke as a designated speaker at a roundtable in the European Parliament on socially engaged arts and the next EU budget. The event was organised by Culture Action Europe and the Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts.
Why this debate matters for Europe
The next Multiannual Financial Framework will shape the lives of young Europeans who are becoming adults today, until the middle of the next decade. It is a decision about the future, not only about money.
Europe cannot afford two Europes. One with strong cultural life, free media and active citizens. And another where cultural houses close, local media disappear and people feel left behind. Our shared values must be lived everywhere, in the East and in the West, in capitals and in villages.
Key messages from the roundtable
In many villages, the cultural house is the only public room. When it closes, the community loses its voice. This is civic infrastructure.
Eligibility is not yet investment. If culture is only possible in the new plans, it will easily be forgotten.
Regions and cities must have a seat at the table from day one when the National and Regional Partnership Plans are drafted. Culture must be visible in these plans. And funding must reach small places, through small grants, regranting, local support and a low own contribution.
The partnership plans can build the house. AgoraEU brings Europe into the house. AgoraEU does what no country can do alone: cooperation across borders, networks, twinning and youth exchanges, with direct access for local actors even when national politics are difficult.
The proposed 30 percent cut to AgoraEU would be a small saving with a big loss. And culture must not be paid for by cutting cohesion policy.
Where there is no culture, there is silence. Today, this silence is quickly filled with fear and false news. Regions far from the centre of policy are more exposed to extremist views. Culture in small places is how Europe protects trust.
What the Committee of the Regions has achieved
The CoR opinion on AgoraEU was adopted unanimously on 6 May 2026, after dialogue with all political groups and consultations with the Cypriot Council Presidency. It calls for simplified access and local contact points, a maximum 10 percent own contribution for small projects, territorial monitoring of funding, explicit recognition of national, ethnic and linguistic minorities, support for local media and living heritage, and stronger town twinning and youth exchanges.
Bringing East and West closer
The coming weeks are decisive. The European Parliament votes on the partnership plans at the end of November, and EU leaders continue their budget talks. Member States and regions will then write their own plans.
This is the moment to build bridges between East and West. Regions that receive less attention today need a fair chance to shape and use European funding. When a village association in Eastern Europe and a cultural cooperative in Western Europe can work together, the European Union becomes real in people’s lives.
Europe is strongest when every region feels it belongs. That is why the voice of the regions must be heard now.