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.

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 Ultimate Cookbook for Cultural Managers: The Artistic Freedom Regulatory Framework in the EU is 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. The support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and doesn’t engage the responsibilty of the European Commission for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.