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Culture Action Europe
Culture Action Europe (formerly known as the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage) has been since 1992 one of the leading advocates for the Arts and Culture in Europe. Its main objective is to influence European policies for the long-term benefit of the artistic and cultural sector.

Culture Action Europe provides cultural and civil society operators with a common arena in which they can reflect on the European project, identify their interests and organise their political representation. With immediate access to decision makers and as a unique resource of information and expertise on the EU and its cultural policy, many institutions see Culture Action Europe as the first port of call for informed opinion and debate about arts and cultural policy in Europe.

What is Culture Action Europe's mission?

Culture Action Europe provides cultural and civil society operators with a common arena in which they can reflect on the European project, identify their interests and organise their political representation. With immediate access to decision makers and as a unique resource of information and expertise on the EU and its cultural policy, many institutions see Culture Action Europe as the first port of call for informed opinion and debate about arts and cultural policy in Europe.

What is the structure of Culture Action Europe?

CAE is a Europe-wide network of membership organisations, with a Secretariat based in Brussels. It has an Executive Committee elected from among our membership organisations who meet four times a year. CAE's membership organisations meet during the annual General Assembly.

Culture Action Europe currently has over 110 members that together represent over 80.000 arts and culture players across Europe and beyond in more than 15 artistic disciplines.

What is Culture Action Europe's action?

Since its creation Culture Action Europe published numerous studies and reports, participated in key parliamentary hearings and discussion groups, influenced the design of the early cultural funding programmes Kaleidoscope and Raphaël, as well as the two generations of Culture programmes that followed, had an active role in the debates which led to the development of ‘A European Agenda for Culture’, co-initiated the creation of the Platform for Intercultural Europe and, most recently, actively participated in the structured dialogue with civil society set up by the European Commission in June 2008.

One of Culture Action Europe’s most high profile successes has been the 70 Cents for Culture Campaign launched in 2005 to increase the EU’s culture budget from roughly 7 cents per citizen per year to 70. European parliamentarians, Commission officials and Ministers of Culture were targeted with a view to influencing decisions on the 2007-2013 Culture programme. The campaign struck a chord. It received the support of more than 1,300 persons and organisations across Europe. The 70 cents’ objective has of course always been ambitious, but the campaign did influence the debates and managed to raise the profile of culture during rough political negotiations on the EU budget.

CAE is currently running a campaign to influence the multiannual budget of the EU beyond 2013. Entitled we are more - act for culture in Europe, this Europe-wide campaign is an open source advocacy tool that encourages individuals and organisations to get involved in and stand up for increased support to arts and culture in the policies and programmes of the European Union.