Thirty years after Article 151 was written into the EU Treaty, enjoining the institutions to take cultural dimensions into account in all their policies, Brussels is finally getting a « compass » to guide its action. With its Culture Compass, the Commission promises to put culture back at the heart of the European project, but above all it is paving the way for AgoraEU, a future mega-program in which culture is placed at the service of political and geopolitical priorities. In other words, it’s all about culture. The European Commission has just equipped itself with a « cultural compass », the Culture Compass for Europe, supposed to guide the EU’s cultural policy until the next financial framework 2028-2034. Officially, the text sets out a grand vision, « Europe for culture – culture for Europe », broken down into four axes – rights and values, artists and audiences, competitiveness…
