11-12-2025
Brussels, 11 December 2025
Pearle* and EFA continue their fruitful collaboration with a brand-new edition of The Ultimate Cookbook for Cultural Managers on one of the most pressing issues facing the cultural sector today: artistic freedom.
Artistic freedom is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of democratic societies. It empowers artists and cultural professionals to express ideas, question power structures, and offer diverse perspectives to the public. Although this freedom is firmly anchored in European and international law, it is increasingly coming under pressure across the continent.
In recent years, artists and cultural institutions in several EU Member States have faced growing interference and restrictions. These threats take many forms: from performance bans to the dismissal of cultural professionals for their (political) views, to funding cuts targeting organisations that promote experimental or socially engaged work. Less visible but equally damaging is the rise of self-censorship, fostered by environments where artistic expression becomes politically or socially sensitive.
In line with previous editions, this new cookbook seeks to equip cultural professionals with the tools to identify risks, understand the legal landscape, and take action to defend and promote artistic freedom. Protecting this freedom is not only about safeguarding artistic expressions, individual artists and cultural organisations; it is also about preserving a society in which culture can flourish, critical thought is encouraged, and diversity is valued.
The Cookbooks are developed as part of the ongoing Pearle*/EFA cooperation under the Care for and Share the Alliance project, which runs from 2025 to 2028 and is supported by Creative Europe.
Care for and Share the Alliance is the Creative Europe Network programme 2025-2028 of the European Festivals Association (EFA). It will explore the guiding question: “How do the arts, arts festivals, cities and regions specifically contribute to better living conditions of people and of the planet?” The project focuses on two priorities: to increase accessibility to and of the festival sector for participation and interaction in the Alliance; to deepen Alliance stakeholders’ capacities and expand their impact.
The European Festivals Association (EFA) is a community dedicated to the arts, the artists and the audiences. EFA’s main role in the permanently developing world of digitisation and globalisation is to connect festival makers to inform, inspire and enrich the festival landscape. In this perspective, EFA is a festival’s service, knowledge and training provider; the oldest cultural network of European festivals set up in 1952.
Pearle*-Live Performance Europe is the ‘Performing Arts Employers Associations League Europe’. Pearle* represents through its member associations the interests of more than 14 000 organisations in the music, performing arts and live entertainment sector. This includes profit as well as non-profit organisations, ranging from micro-enterprises to organisations with over 250 employees. As a European employers’ association, Pearle* takes part in the European sectoral social dialogue.
