From 6 to 8 May, the city—European Capital of Culture 2030—hosted the 16th international conference of Culture Next, the network linking 50 former, current and candidate European Capitals of Culture.

Under the title Empowering the Cultural and Creative Sectors, the gathering moved decisively away from event-led narratives, turning instead to people, responsibility and trust. Not showcases, but rights.

The session opened with a round of introductions, moderated by Andras Farkas, Policy Coordinator, followed by the State of the Network address by Ștefan Teișanu, Secretary General of Culture Next. The presentation offered an overview of the Network’s evolution, current priorities and future ambitions, highlighting how Culture Next strengthens cooperation among European Capital of Culture cities and contributes to a more lasting legacy and greater cultural impact across Europe.

The conference continued and central to the discussions were cultural rights, artistic mobility and the urgent need to rethink international cultural relations beyond extractive or symbolic models. Speakers repeatedly called for governance structures based on reciprocity, long-term exchange and care.

That perspective was powerfully articulated in the keynote address European Capitals of Care by Mary Ann De Vlieg, an independent consultant specialising in artists’ rights and displacement. Her focus was uncompromising: artists cannot be treated as collateral damage of crisis. Empowerment, she argued, begins with networks of solidarity, shared responsibility and the recognition of culture as a right-bearing field of work.
Artists themselves reinforced this message in a panel moderated by Kelly Diapouli, Artistic Director of Larnaka 2030. Contributions from Ahmed Tobasi (Artists on the Frontline), Eleana Alexandrou (Lemesos 2030 finalist), Nurtane Karagil and Yulia Khomchyn (Cultural Strategy Institute, Lviv) laid bare the constraints under which many cultural practitioners operate—war, exile, political pressure, economic precarity—while also demonstrating how artists continue to act as catalysts for agency within their communities.

Questions of fairness and sustainability were addressed in the session Toward an Equitable, Fair Creative Economy, facilitated by Tom Fleming, Director of TFCC and Culture Next Policy Expert. Alma Salem, Director of Al Mawred, reflected on the interconnected histories of Mediterranean cultures and the need for shared futures grounded in equity. Carla Rogers, Steering Committee Member, National Campaign for the Arts of Ireland, outlined the impact of Ireland’s Basic Income for Artists, offering a rare example of structural reform, while Marilyn Gaughan Reddan, Chair, EIT Culture & Creativity, stressed the importance of aligned strategies for talent development, investment and innovation across Europe, pointing to the work of EIT Culture & Creativity.

Attention was also given to the infrastructure behind cultural policy. Maud Aubert, TFCC Intern, presented the Culture Next archive of European Capital of Culture bid books, highlighting how weak archiving and fragmented knowledge management continue to undermine institutional learning within the programme.

A parallel focus on regional cooperation framed the MCCN session Bridging Shores, Building Futures, moderated by Rita Orlando, General Coordinator of Matera 2026 – Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue. The exchange reaffirmed the Mediterranean not as a dividing line but as a shared cultural and political space, where cities can use culture to confront common challenges and strengthen social cohesion. The discussion included Stefano Dotto, Senior Expert of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Gulf; Genci Kojdheli, Director-General for Strategic Planning at the Municipality of Tirana; and Agnès Ruiz Clarasó, Policy Officer and Focal Point for Culture at the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) network.

Among the shared experiences and proposed initiatives, the contribution of Matera stood out. Former European Capital of Culture in 2019 and now Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue 2026, Matera positions itself as a hinge city between Europe and the Mediterranean—capable of speaking both to a restless South and a disoriented Europe, of holding together memory and contemporaneity, community and creation.
It is within this framework that the city has proposed the creation and inclusion, within the Culture Next network, of emerging Mediterranean capitals. While these cities may still be in an early phase and not yet fully established, they can—through shared experience and structured dialogue with ECoC cities—participate in shaping European cultural policies, attract new cultural projects, and give artists a voice as citizens.

What emerged from Larnaka was a clear message: there can be no credible cultural policy without concrete protection for artists—their labour conditions, freedom of expression and personal safety when political and social orders collapse. Conversations on exile, war and fragile creative economies are not peripheral concerns; they are the core of a new European cultural paradigm, one that understands culture as civic infrastructure and a space of care.
The contrast with Venice is stark. There, the Biennale—one of the most powerful symbols of contemporary art—has been shaken by resignations, institutional conflict and unresolved geopolitical tensions. Artists find themselves exposed, while the framework meant to protect them fractures. It is a reminder of how even the strongest institutions falter without a shared commitment to cultural rights.

From Cyprus, the Culture Next network now looks ahead. The next chapter will unfold in Oulu, European Capital of Culture 2026, where these questions—of rights, responsibility and resilience—will continue to shape the future of European cultural policy.