EU Commission 2019: Culture and Education Dropped from Portfolio Titles

The new European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has published its list of Commissioners, notably omitting any explicit reference to culture, education, and research in portfolio titles. The previous portfolio "Education, Culture, Media, Youth and Sport" has been renamed "Innovation and Youth," assigned to Bulgarian Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. This change has alarmed the cultural sector, with figures like former European Parliament Culture Committee chair Silvia Costa expressing concern that culture and education may be diluted within broader categories. Despite assurances that operational responsibilities remain under existing Directorates-General (Research and Innovation; Education, Youth, Sport and Culture), critics argue that the symbolic removal of culture from titles signals a shift in political priorities. Von der Leyen's mission letter to Gabriel mentions culture and sport as tools for well-being and job creation, but neither culture nor education are directly cited in the priorities for this mandate. The decision follows years of EU cultural policy documents emphasizing culture's role in growth, innovation, and identity, including the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage. The article by Massimiliano Zane on Artribune questions whether this is merely a cosmetic change or a substantive downgrade.