A grid of six bold graphic posters, each with the words "ASK PAY TRUST" stacked vertically in large capital letters. The background and text colors vary across each panel: Top left: orange background with purple text Top center: neon yellow background with black text Top right: pink background with black text Bottom left: purple background with neon yellow text Bottom center: white background with black text Bottom right: black background with white text Each poster includes the small phrase "CULTURE ACTION NOW" centered at the bottom.

We’ve joined #CultureActionNow! 󰎾🎨
Culture Action Europe’s campaign calls on EU leaders to place culture at the heart of public policy. It’s time to Ask, Pay, and Trust the Artist to strengthen democracy, competitiveness, and
security in Europe.
Endorse: cultureactioneurope.org/projects/cul...

Home - Michael Culture Association Michael Culture Association

💫 MCA is pleased to announce our new presence on the social media Bluesky!

🔗 Feel free to join, to exchange or to contact us: michael-culture.eu!

We're ready for this new adventure!

#Innovation #CulturalHeritage #MichaelCultureAssociation

Best quotes always come from people that work in the sector.

Jeanne Brunfaut (Centre du cinema et de l'audiovisuel, Walonia) said: "We need EU money to complement national/regional money and to allow artists to make MISTAKES. Only if you are allowed to make them, you can sustainably create art"👏👏

What I'm more concerned about is this predominant discourse that sees economic competitiveness intertwined with the "réussite" and role of the cultural sector.

We need non-economical principles to guide our hand: freedom of expression, degrowth for the care of the planet, cultural pluralism etc.

Live from @culturaldealeu.bsky.social Policy Conversation

Nicolas Schmit makes an interesting case not just about the importance of culture, but also about the digital space and its role in the "battle for Europe".

Bottom line: we are behind and we are losing places.

Oh no OpenAI 🫠

It's so bad when someone takes something you created, and over which you have copyright, without asking and uses it for business purposes without compensating or acknowledging you.

Wait, where did I hear a similar story? Right, creators and artists' works used for AI training...

For all my cultural policy friends, go follow @culturaldealeu.bsky.social - on February 4th they will host in Brussels the most important conversation of the year with the EU Commission, MEPs and the civil society.

Register here to watch it live: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Picture of Donald Trump waving in a blue suit and red tie

As we brace ourselves for yet another tumultuous chapter in global climate diplomacy - @chiaramartinelli.bsky.social reflects on how climate unity can be Europe's trump card:

caneurope.org/europes-clim...

#TrumpInauguration2025

Guess who isn't invited to Europe's Holocaust memorials? One umbrella organisation of 30 Jewish peace groups – European Jews for Palestine – say they were snubbed by the EU’s antisemitism “tsar”, after twice requesting an invitation to the Holocaust...

One umbrella organisation of 30 Jewish peace groups – European Jews for Palestine – say they were snubbed by the EU’s antisemitism “tsar”, after twice requesting an invitation to the Holocaust remembrance conference.

ehi Mauricio :) me please, I deal with EU cultural policies

But as #European cultural sector, we can re-center the conversation around #culture - especially to bring it back for the next presidencies.

And we must participate in these conversations: environmental, digital and internal security. We certainly have a vision to bring on the table!

[6/6]

This programme doesn't come as a surprise.

#Poland has been straightforward since the beginning: we knew security would be central.

I am happy to see that in the instances they talk about #culture, they don't instrumentalize it in the direction of security.

[5/6]

XI International European Forum Europe with a View of the Future. Parliament of Words An international forum on the most pressing challenges facing contemporary Europe, promoting the idea of solidarity, with participation from leading figures in the fields of culture and science.

📅And then, events: 2 conferences will be crucial moments for fellow cultural professionals.

3 - 4 April: Safe #culturalheritage – European challenges in times of war and crisis
3 - 4 June: Parliament of Words (more in the link)

polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/events/xi...

[4/6]

Of course, there is something there.

🎓In the Education, Youth, Culture, Sport Council, the focus will be young people, "including supporting young artists in starting their careers"

Interesting: the Culture Commissioner Micallef will have to deliver on the Youth Policy Dialogues by March.

[3/6]

Programme of the presidency Poland takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time. Thirteen years after the first Polish presidency and twenty years after joining the EU, Poland presents an am...

The programme is very much axed around security. In the priorities, no mention of culture.

" #European security in all its dimensions: external, internal, economic, information, energy, food and health" said the Minister of #EU Affairs

polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme...
[2/6]

Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union From 1 January to 30 June 2025, it is Poland's turn for the second time to hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This kind of chairmanship involves a range of tasks. As president o...

It dropped!

The website by the Polish presidency of the #Council of the #EU is here.

🚦Waiting for a debriefing article on MCA website, here is thread about what we can see already, from the #culturalpolicies perspective.

polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/
[1/6]

XI International European Forum Europe with a View of the Future. Parliament of Words An international forum on the most pressing challenges facing contemporary Europe, promoting the idea of solidarity, with participation from leading figures in the fields of culture and science.

📅And then, events: 2 conferences will be crucial moments for fellow cultural professionals.

3 - 4 April: Safe cultural heritage – European challenges in times of war and crisis
3 - 4 June: Parliament of Words (more in the link)

polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/events/xi...

[4/6]

Of course, there is something there.

🎓In the Education, Youth, Culture, Sport Council, the focus will be young people, "including supporting young artists in starting their careers"

Interesting: the Culture Commissioner Micallef will have to deliver on the Youth Policy Dialogues by March.

[3/6]

Priorities During the first half of 2025, Poland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Find out more about the priorities of the Polish presidency!

The programme is very much axed around security. In the priorities, no mention of culture.

"[...]European security in all its dimensions: external, internal, economic, information, energy, food and health" said the Minister of EU Affairs
polish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme... [2/6]

European Citizens' Initiative Give your support !

"My voice, my choice"

✍️I just signed the European Citizens' Initiative for safe and accessible abortion in the EU.

This proposal asks the EU to indulge Member States to create safe and accessible conditions for abortion.

I warmly invite you to do the same
eci.ec.europa.eu/044/public/?...

Berlin announces huge €130 million cuts to culture budget Germany’s government has confirmed huge cuts to the culture budget in Berlin.

⚡Berlin announces massive €130 million cuts to its culture budget.
Just last year, Euronews' headline: 'Berlin's new culture budget more than doubles England's arts funding'. How quickly things change.
www.euronews.com/culture/2024...

🫠

Preserving Cultural Autonomy in a Shifting European Landscape <p>Luiza Moroz from Culture Action Europe discusses the critical need to protect cultural autonomy in Europe, addressing challenges from new political pressures, AI disruptions, and the quest for a st...

Always nice to hear or read the brilliant colleague Luiza Moroz from Culture Action Europe!

🎙️In this interview, she delves into cultural matters: the EU priorities and perspectives in the field of culture, artistic freedom suppression...

Read it here: creativesunite.eu/article/pres...

Tbilisi tonight.

Great insights, especially in the article:

"Digital art work and AI: a new paradigm for work in the contemporary art sector in China"

Artistic practices are changing - the artisanal labour is still there, it is just taking a different shape.

Culture, digital and research in the new Commission - Michael Culture Association November 20, 2024 After the European elections, also the EU Commission is changing. MCA looks at 3 commissioners specifically and what they have to say on cultural policy, digital and AI governance an...

🇪🇺President von der Leyen's Commission has just been confirmed by the Parliament by 370 votes.

Aside political considerations, it's interesting to see what this commission is planning to do around cultural, digital and research policy.

MCA wrote about it here: michael-culture.eu/culture-digi...

Where is Bluesky legally established in the EU what are its user numbers? Even modestly sized platforms need a page with such details as per the Digital Services Act. A spokesman for @ec.europa.eu said on Monday that the search is now on "for any trace" of @bsky.app in the EU's 27 member states.

Transparency and Copyright: considerations on the AI Act by MCA and CAE - Michael Culture Association November 25, 2024 The European AI Office has recently made a significant stride in shaping the landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) in Europe. Michael Culture Association and Culture Action Europ...

We are moving full speed: Michael Culture and Culture Action Europe on AI Act, copyright, transparency - while also participating to the AI Office discussion.

🔍The article also provides a general overview of the topic.

Read it and share it: michael-culture.eu/consideratio...

Feminist strike in Paris, Nous Toutes - November 23

"Feminism is anti-racist and anti-fascist. For a decolonial feminism."