Accessible, Diverse and Sustainable: A Green Approach to Culture

The paper examines how Green parties in Europe use cultural policy to combat far-right narratives and promote core values. It highlights specific initiatives: Ireland's Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) to reduce precarity, Luxembourg's Kulturentwécklungsplang (KEP) to strengthen the legal and social status of artists, and Latvia's use of culture as 'social glue' for cohesion amid security threats. The author argues for a future green cultural policy that localises funding, integrates culture into the just transition of post-industrial areas, and establishes a clear stance on copyright and AI to protect creative autonomy.

• In Ireland, the Green-led Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot, launched in 2022, provided 2,000 artists with 325 euros per week to reduce the precarity of freelance creative work and prevent the loss of skill and experience in the sector.
• Luxembourg's Kulturentwécklungsplang (KEP), introduced in 2018, aimed to formalise the status of the artist by lowering VAT for creatives to 3 per cent, reducing conservatoire admission fees, and expanding the 'intermittent artist' status to provide better social security.
• Latvian Green cultural policy frames culture as 'social glue' to enhance societal resilience and cohesion, particularly in a context where the Russian minority comprises 25 per cent of the population and security threats from Russian aggression are high.
• The author proposes that a green cultural vision should address the 'cultural loss' in post-industrial communities by connecting renewable energy infrastructure with cultural provisions, such as including cultural spaces in the design of wind or solar farms.
• There is a identified need for Green parties to develop a definitive position on copyright and artificial intelligence, as AI companies currently train software on creators' work without licenses or remuneration.
• The document argues for the localisation of cultural funding to ensure access in rural communities and the protection of traditional rural heritage, suggesting the application of Elinor Ostrom's principles on governing the commons.

APA

Murray, S. (2025). Accessible, Diverse and Sustainable: A Green Approach to Culture. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/accessible-diverse-and-sustainable-a-green-approach-to-culture/

Chicago

Murray, Sam. Accessible, Diverse and Sustainable: A Green Approach to Culture. Green European Journal, 2025. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/accessible-diverse-and-sustainable-a-green-approach-to-culture/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murray |first1=Sam |title=Accessible, Diverse and Sustainable: A Green Approach to Culture |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 December 2025 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/accessible-diverse-and-sustainable-a-green-approach-to-culture/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murray2025accessible, author = {Murray, Sam}, title = {{Accessible, Diverse and Sustainable: A Green Approach to Culture}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/accessible-diverse-and-sustainable-a-green-approach-to-culture/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }