Cultural and Creative Sectors from the EU and UK publish joint Policy Recommendations to strengthen EU-UK relations

Here at The Mighty Creatives, we’ve contributed to a series of policy recommendations which were developed at the Forum on EU-UK Cultural & Media Relations held in Brussels back in October. During our visit and attendance at the forum, we connected and collaborated with hundreds of representatives across the cultural and creative sectors – both from the EU and the UK. The result is a series of policy recommendations, emphasising that culture and creativity are vital to the political, societal and economic relationship between the EU and UK. Find out more in the full press release below.

More than 200 stakeholders from the EU’s and the UK’s Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS) – often referred to in the UK as “creative industries” – today published joint Policy Recommendations developed at the inaugural Forum on EU-UK Cultural & Media Relations, held on 20 October 2025 in Brussels. Around 40 CCS representatives from the EU and the UK as well as governmental and parliamentary observers from both sides of the Channel contributed to the development and drafting of the document.

The Policy Recommendations emphasise that culture and creativity are vital to the political, societal and economic relationship between the EU and UK, particularly at a time of growth of the CCS, rapidly evolving technologies and new regulatory challenges.

The signatories – including many organisations and networks such as British Screen Forum, Culture Action Europe, the European Music Council, On the Move and UK Music – call on EU and UK policymakers to commit to practical measures, including:

● Full UK participation in the EU’s Creative Europe programme and its proposed successor AgoraEU (2028-2034)
● Remove barriers to cross-border mobility of CCS professionals, making it easier to work between the UK and the rest of Europe
● Establish a structured CCS dialogue, giving CCS representatives from both the EU and the UK the opportunity to highlight and address barriers to ensure stronger EU-UK collaboration
● Address the impact of emerging technologies on the CCS, such as Generative AI, with joint efforts

The Forum on EU-UK Cultural & Media Relations is an independent pan-European grassroots initiative led by Prof Mafalda Dâmaso (London) and Benjamin Feyen (Brussels).

Press contact: press@forum-uk.eu
www.forum-uk.eu

Initiators & Co-Chairs:

Mafalda DÂMASO (London), Benjamin FEYEN (Brussels)

Further information / notes to editors

The contribution of the CCS (or “creative industries”, as commonly referred to in the UK) to the EU’s and the UK’s GDP is estimated to be around 4-7% by different sources, with overall more than 10 million people working in it. (UK source)

The UK, since 2024, participates in Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation cooperation funding programme, and there have been sustained calls for it to participate again in Erasmus+.

Creative Europe is the EU’s cooperation and funding programme aimed at the CCS. Non-EU countries can participate – currently there are 14, including Norway, Serbia, Iceland, Tunisia, Georgia and Ukraine.

Several campaigns and open letters have previously called for improved EU-UK conditions for the sectors:
● Face the Music campaign on artist mobility
● BOZAR recommendations (2018)
● Open letter from UK arts sector (2020)
● Open letter from European sector representatives (2020)
● High-profile artists have campaigned for change

Culture is a devolved matter in the UK. The Scottish Government has set out its desire for renewed association with the Creative Europe programme and the Welsh Government has also expressed support.