More than 500 European civil society organizations call for strengthening the funding of “AgoraEU” 

Civic Alliance–Latvia (CAL) is among more than 500 European civil society, media, and cultural organizations that have signed an open letter calling for increased funding for the “AgoraEU” programme in the next European Union multiannual budget. 

The letter is addressed to European Union institutions, including the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Council of the European Union, as well as other EU decision-making bodies involved in shaping the multiannual budget. 

The letter emphasizes that culture, independent media, and civil society form the infrastructure of European democracy and security, which is essential for resilience against disinformation, foreign influence, and the weakening of democratic institutions. At the same time, these sectors face structural underfunding and insufficient capacity in EU programmes, which are unable to meet the growing demand. 

The signatories support the European Parliament’s proposal to increase funding for “AgoraEU”, highlighting its importance in strengthening democratic resilience, media independence, and civic participation across Europe. 

From Latvia, the letter was also signed by Donum Animus, Transparency International LATVIA, The Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation, the association “Papardes zieds”, Zero Waste Latvia, the Latvian Council of Creative Unions, and the association “Sievietēm 50+”. The letter was initiated by the European Civic Forum, which invited a broad network of organizations to sign it before submitting it to European institutions. 

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