International network for contemporary performing arts
IETM
IETM is a network representing the voice of over 500 performing arts organisations and individual professionals working in the contemporary performing arts worldwide.
ID: 148663451193-42
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Georg Haeusler (Director Education, Youth, Sport and Culture)
19 Dec 2025 · European Performing Arts Prize
Meeting with Georg Haeusler (Director Education, Youth, Sport and Culture)
15 Dec 2025 · Meeting with FEDORA
Response to A Culture Compass for Europe
5 May 2025
In the performing arts sector, the drive for international collaboration is stronger than ever. Artists are deeply committed to forging global connections, even in the face of a fractured world. This is a profound opportunity for the EU to position culture at the heart of its global leadership - using the arts not only to promote shared values but to shape a more just and sustainable world. The Culture Compass must become the vehicle for this vision, with a strong, independent Creative Europe programme at its core - one fully dedicated to connecting the world through artistic expression. Culture must be given its own political space, rather than being narrowly instrumentalised for economic or security agendas. Europe must approach global cultural partnerships with a clear understanding of the deeply unequal playing field on which these collaborations unfold. Rather than replicating colonial models and power imbalances, new frameworks must be co-created - frameworks that empower marginalised voices to shape the system itself. This means embracing diverse lived experiences not as add-ons, but as central to how collaboration is defined, valued, and resourced. True fairness in transnational art collaboration is not simple - it requires attention to historical injustices, unequal resources, and differing working contexts. But it begins with shared principles: art is work; every artist deserves fair pay and the right to contribute on equal terms. Funders play a crucial role in enabling this equity by supporting context-sensitive collaboration and ensuring resource distribution reflects the realities of each partner. Providing cultural workers with sufficient time and space to engage in collaborative processes is key. Climate justice, too, is central. It acknowledges the uneven global impact of the climate crisis and demands a response rooted in human rights. In artistic collaboration, it calls for a rethink of mobility - adapting practices to geographic, political, and economic realities while maintaining meaningful exchange. Ecological and social fairness are intertwined. Both require rethinking how we work together: shifting from overproduction to slower, more sustainable models based on trust, reciprocity, and shared ownership. Arts can be the laboratory for piloting new solutions for humanity, thus the environmental dimension of Culture Compass should not be merely about reducing environmental impact of culture (even if also essential), but also about tapping to the potential of the arts to reimagine social structures in more sustainable terms. Artistic spaces for experimentation and risk-taking - especially across borders - are shrinking under political and bureaucratic pressure. Artists are burdened by excessive evaluation demands, even as their ability to contribute to society is questioned. The growing mistrust in the arts sector has been visible across different policy levels. Yet today's challenges - climate, democracy, inequality - demand collective imagination. The arts can respond, if given the space and trust to do so. Flexible, long-term funding - such as basic income or unrestricted grants - consistently leads to more impactful, high-quality work. This requires reimagining funding models to prioritise autonomy, not control. Europe must embrace cross-border artistic collaboration as a force for democratic renewal. Artistic practices are laboratories for social imagination - places where dialogue, solidarity, and new ways of living together can be rehearsed. When grounded in equity, these collaborations can model the kind of fairer, more inclusive global relationships we urgently need. Please read IETM's main research supporting these ideas here: https://www.ietm.org/en/resources/new-international-episode-publication-series/the-new-international-against-all-odds
Read full responseMeeting with Georg Haeusler (Director Education, Youth, Sport and Culture)
3 Apr 2025 · Meeting with Perform Europe