Shaping Cultural Policies in Europe for Free and Democratic Societies

In times of multiple crises, when democracy is threatened by illiberal forces, and culture is facing budget cuts at local and national levels across Europe, a group of cultural experts and practitioners has produced an analysis and a set of recommendations on how to strengthen the cultural sector, and most importantly, why this is essential to democracy. This policy brief provides practical recommendations for local stakeholders, national governments and EU bodies.  

It was developed by experts from the Weimar Triangle and is based on the European project “Shaping Cultural Policies in Europe for Free and Democratic Societies”, attended by twenty experts and researchers from seven European countries in June 2025 at Castle Genshagen. The project was developed as part of a collaboration between Genshagen Foundation, the ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen and the UNESCO Chair “Cultural Policies for the Arts and Transformation” at the University of Hildesheim.  

The policy brief was published by the ifa and can be found on the ifa website.  

Partners: ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen; University of Hildesheim – UNESCO Chair “Cultural Policies for the Arts and Transformation”

Contact: Noémie Kaufman