Brussels, 7 May 2026

Timed to coincide with European Diversity Month and ahead of Europe Day this weekend, IMPALA is releasing today its action plan for an industrial policy for culture in Europe. This also comes at an important time for the EU which is in the process of implementing its Culture Compass, determining its budget priorities for the years 2028-2034 and reviewing its approach to key policies impacting culture.

With this action plan, IMPALA, the European association of independent music companies, is putting forward what it sees as the building blocks of a much needed, coordinated, industrial strategy that will unlock the full potential of Europe’s cultural ecosystem by boosting its competitiveness, growth and diversity. The plan seeks to guarantee Europe’s sovereignty over its intellectual property, cultural infrastructure and value chains.

IMPALA’s industrial strategy proposal is based on three overarching principles:

• Culture and diversity are societal, economic and geo-political priorities with particular needs and opportunities.
• Creators and independent businesses are at the heart of Europe’s cultural industries.
• Making Europe the best place in the world for culture requires a business plan with targets and action points.

IMPALA’s Executive Chair Helen Smith said: “The starting point is recognising that culture is unlike any other business, and that artists and independent cultural businesses are at the heart of cultural innovation, investment and diversity. They need to be the focus of a business plan and a coordinated industrial approach at EU and national level if we are serious about addressing the challenges of our time”.

Dario Draštata, Chair of IMPALA, President of regional association RUNDA Adria and Executive Director of Dallas Records, added: “It is important to have an ambitious approach to grow more big European independent companies which can offer more scale and prevent a “culture drain” by making it easier for ownership of intellectual property and infrastructure to remain in Europe. We need Europe to be at the top of the culture game, and this requires more powerful independent businesses”.

Francesca Trainini, President of IMPALA and Vice-President of Italian independents’ association PMI, added: “Today’s new cultural releases and diversity are tomorrow’s heritage. This action plan is an important step towards developing the coordinated approach Europe needs, because we believe that a fair, diverse and competitive European cultural ecosystem is not only good for business but can also contribute to strengthening Europe’s sovereignty.”

The detailed actions points are structured around six objectives:

1. Mainstream culture in all policy areas, prioritise pluralism, independence, and fair market access
2. Ensure strong rights, proper AI regime and fierce protection of all revenue sources
3. Enable cultural companies to grow through dedicated financing and tax mechanisms
4. Make diversity measurable and trackable, with new standards for digital services
5. Promote cultural diversity internationally, create a new global movement, raise copyright standards
6. Support the cultural sector’s leading role in sustainability & equity, diversity and inclusion efforts

While the EU has already recognised cultural and creative industries as one of 14 key industrial ecosystems, and Europe’s cultural landscape as a source of soft power and a reputational asset, the European Commission also acknowledged in its Culture Compass, published at the end of 2025, that “culture’s strategic importance for Europe is underestimated and yet to be fully valorised”. For IMPALA, having an industrial policy for culture in place is the logical next step.

IMPALA’s action plan builds on the recent report by Dan Fowler “Powering an Independent and Culturally Diverse European Music Ecosystem” which found that independence is synonymous with cultural diversity, outlined the economic and social importance of a strong independent sector and concluded that this ecosystem needs fair conditions to remain strong and vibrant. In the context of a rapidly evolving political landscape, the report called for a “fundamental rethink” to build a robust and actionable plan to support and grow Europe’s cultural and creative sectors.

As explained in the plan, these proposals are intended to complement IMPALA’s work in other commercially focused areas such as industry collaboration, finance and streaming reform.

Helen Smith concluded: “We look ahead to the discussion with EU and national decision-makers on how to take these recommendations forward and come up with a business plan to make Europe the best place in the world to be an artist and an independent cultural business”.

To read the full action plan, see here. To see an overview of the key action points, see the infographic below.