One More Before Summer Break

ELIA Executive Director Maria Hansen shares one last update before the summer break, with the recent EU Budget proposal for 2028– 2034 announced, progress on the UAx Platform, and ELIA Team's fun day in Zwolle.   

As Europe moves into deep summer, ELIA still comes with one more newsletter before we, too, take a little break. There are many reasons for that, but one of the most important is certainly the recent announcement of the Multiannual Financial Framework budget of the European Commission on 16 July. This was the first presentation of the EU budget for 2028–2034. This may feel far away, but it is no less significant. As you may know, following this ‘kick-off’, negotiations will start at many different levels within the EU structure. The budget is very ambitious, and it is highly unlikely to be accepted in its current form. For ELIA members, it is important to understand how much the higher arts education community could benefit from this new budget. While the total budget amounts seem promising, the structure and content proposals for the funding programmes—still being drafted—will be a crucial factor in determining this. 

ELIA will continue to advocate for our members throughout the 2028–2034 EU budget negotiations. As the programme structures take shape, there will also be opportunities for you to contribute locally. We will keep you updated on how to get involved. I recommend you follow ELIA on LinkedIn to stay on top of our news on the topic. For now, you can read more about our take on the proposal further on in this newsletter. 

Funding has been on my mind quite a lot recently, as we are also implementing a longer-term fundraising strategy for ELIA’s Ukraine support and mentorship initiative, the UAx Platform. Such important work! Launched in 2022, UAx is now recognised for its unique impact in realising collegial peer support for colleagues and art students in crisis. Given that the war rages on, we are deeply committed to continuing this work. Stay tuned for more news on this—for now, we need all the good spirit you can muster to make this possible (and there may even be other ways to help us). We are grateful for the amazing support of the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation and would love to continue working with them and other partners on this important mission.  

This commitment to amplifying, uplifting, and standing in solidarity with artists extends to our continued efforts on Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI). ELIA is alarmed by the growing backlash and increasing restrictions on EDI initiatives across education. In light of these threats, the EDI Working Group, together with the ELIA Team, has issued a position paper calling on the higher arts education sector to stand with those confronting systemic inequality and resisting regressive, anti-EDI agendas. You can read the full position paper in this newsletter.
 
On a lighter note, for the ELIA Team, getting ready for summer always means that we take a day to relax together. This year, this took us to Zwolle and to ArtEZ University of the Arts – our host for the ELIA Biennial 2026. Given the international nature of the ELIA Team, many of us had not been to the beautiful historic city of Zwolle, which feels a bit like a best-kept secret in the Netherlands (fun fact: it’s older than Amsterdam!). We had a great time with the team at ArtEZ, who showed us around their different locations (all to be featured during the Biennial). We followed a workshop on the basics of printmaking, which got our creative juices flowing.  

We are bearing in mind ELIA’s great summer picks (with recommended reads, music, films, and podcasts) as we do our packing and wish you all a very lovely summer. After having crisscrossed through Northern Germany on my bicycle, I’ll be back in this space in September. 

PS: Before you sign off, do consider registering for Creative Skills Week 2025 in Prague, as well as the ELIA Leadership Symposium in Geneva. Both are nearing capacity, and you don’t want to miss them!