The publication of the new U.S. security strategy sent shockwaves through Brussels and European capitals. When your former best friend declares that Europe has “lost its way” and pledges to support oppositional forces to change its trajectory, this is not mere geopolitical posturing – it is the declaration of a cold culture war. It echoes the Western playbook for undermining the Soviet Union. Except now, from a MAGA perspective, the EU is cast as the new Soviet Union.
Europe must not only maintain its soft power but deploy it strategically – and emotionally – both internally and externally. The challenges to Europe are not only economic and defence, it is about belonging, identity, and the feelings that make Europe real in people’s daily lives. If we neglect that, the attraction of European values risks collapsing under external pressure. The question is: will we act before history rhymes in ways we do not want?
Hard power alone (tanks, drones, sanctions) cannot safeguard our way of life. We need a Doppelstrategie, a dual strategy, that treats soft power as equal to hard power, and we need to align it with how Europeans feel. Culture is the bridge: stories, symbols, shared rituals, and citizen engagement that generate trust and belonging. Sentiment is both a strategic resource and a vulnerability; feelings shape consent, resilience, and the legitimacy of democratic institutions.
Culture is not a luxury. It is a compass guiding choices, strengthening belonging, and shaping the future we aspire to. It is what makes Europe more than a market or a set of treaties; it makes Europe a community of values. Yet today, culture accounts for just about 0.2% of the EU budget through Creative Europe – a figure wholly out of step with its strategic importance.
The Cultural Deal for Europe alliance calls for a minimum of 2% for culture in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034), alongside a strong AgoraEU programme and reinforced cultural priorities across Horizon Europe, competitiveness funds, and regional plans.
But funding alone will not close the belonging gap. Europe must focus on making the Union tangible in people’s routines and spaces. A European Culture Card for 18-year-olds could open doors to museums, festivals, travel, and learning. A massive Erasmus-like programme for digital creators could empower the next generation to shape Europe’s narrative online. Connecting the 67,000 libraries to a European Social Network could turn trusted local anchors into gateways for European culture, dialogue, and digital literacy. Shared rituals such as a public European holiday could make Europe something experienced together, not just debated in Brussels policy circles.
Europeans are asking for this. The latest Eurobarometer on Culture (February 2025) shows that 87% believe culture and cultural heritage should have a very important place in the Union. Citizens crave a civic conception of Europeanness filled with tangible content in schools, libraries, festivals, public media, and digital platforms. Young Europeans should be empowered to experience and contribute to freedoms of borderless learning, traveling, and living as daily realities.
The battle in the digital realm is for people’s minds. To avoid having our identity defined elsewhere, Europe must pull its resources together to ensure tech and ideological sovereignty. Culture is central to this effort. European public-interest platforms for culture and knowledge, anchored in the library network and public broadcasters, can set standards rooted in rights, pluralism, and trust.
Open cultural infrastructures such as rights-clear archives, translation tools and creator support can make Europe’s stories accessible across languages and regions. Strategic communication must not be propaganda, but reciprocal storytelling: listening first, then responding in ways that feel relevant and respectful.
Culture is not a soft add-on; it is Europe’s key strategic asset. If Europe wants to remain a symbol of democratic, open spaces, it must defend its values not only with hard power but with imagination and empathy. This means positioning culture at the heart of EU policy, resourcing it generously, and making it a living practice of democracy, solidarity, security with everyday belonging as the measure of success.
André Wilkens is director of the European Culture Foundation.
André Wilkens is director of the European Culture Foundation.