European Culture: Brussels Knows How to Count Expenses, but Not Their Impact
Never before has the European Union provided such substantial funding to the cultural and audiovisual sectors. Nor has it ever produced so many dashboards, indicators, and evaluation reports. Yet, measuring the actual effectiveness of these policies remains a surprisingly uncertain endeavor. With just a few days to go before the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, and as the European Parliament begins to examine the future budget architecture AgoraEU set to succeed Creative Europe after 2027, one question is becoming increasingly central in Brussels as well as within the cultural industries: do we really know how European funding for culture is distributed, and can we assess its effectiveness? A Major Issue The issue extends far beyond mere budgetary debates. Creative Europe, the European Union’s main support program for the cultural…