The panel discussion “Europe, turn up the volume!” brought together music experts and MEP Emma Rafowicz (S&D, FR), rapporteur of the AgoraEU file in the CULT Committee of the European Parliament, to discuss what the EU can do to support a strong, diverse, and resilient music ecosystem in light of the next MFF.
A central theme of the discussion was the need for a dedicated sectoral approach for music within AgoraEU, backed by a dedicated budget. MEP Emma Rafowicz highlighted the Parliament’s role in this:
“We need to do more. We need an increase in the AgoraEU budget of €2 billion. This proposal was already voted by the European Parliament. My goal is that we will have a sectoral approach with defined funding. It is our obligation if we want to build on the already great success of European music initiatives.”
She linked these needs directly to the survival of European values: "When we support culture and music, we can see that it also strengthens our democracy. One of the best responses to the democratic crisis is to make sure culture is supported in full, creating our shared identity as Europeans.”
Gordelia Miländer, artistic director at Paavli Kultuurivabrik, highlighted the impact of EU-funded initiatives such as Liveurope:
“Estonia is a very small market, so for us at Paavli Kultuurivabrik, it’s very important to be part of Liveurope. If we want to take the risk of booking emerging artists, Liveurope helps us to keep our creative freedom and show our locals new music from all over Europe.”
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