Malta's EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sports Glenn Micallef said the European Union is well placed to lead a renewed effort to support cultural workers, with better protection, and stronger recognition of the sector's social and economic value.

While acknowledging the pressures facing many creatives, he said the EU must ensure that cultural work offers a decent living.

"I want culture to pay the rent," he said. "It should not require a second job just to earn a decent living," Micallef said.

Micallef was appointed as Malta's representative on the European Commission last year, succeeding Helena Dalli. He took over the role for the next five years last December.

Micallef stressed the importance of supporting workers in the cultural sector, particularly as AI reshapes creative work.

"There is no cultural sector without people. This is a sector that employs around nine million Europeans and contributes €200 billion annually. From bookshops to cinemas, to music venues, this sector matters," Micallef said.

Since the pandemic, however, many cultural workers have left the industry, and few are replacing them.

He said that there are plans to launch a high-level dialogue across the EU to address working conditions in the sector. "We are looking at best practices and existing systems to see what works," Micallef said.

He acknowledged that AI presents a major challenge. "There are serious questions about copyright and the use of creators' material to train AI models. Workers must be aware their content is being used, and they must be fairly compensated," Micallef said.

Micallef said that the EU already has regulatory frameworks in place: the Digital Services Act, the AI Act, and the Copyright Directive. However, he said that these were designed before the current AI boom.

He has been tasked by the EU Commission President with developing a strategy to align AI and the cultural and creative sector.

"We are working to ensure platforms provide transparency on what material is being used, and that AI-generated content is properly labelled," Micallef said.

A compass for culture

One of the first major initiatives Micallef will set in motion is the Culture Compass, a policy tool designed to elevate the voices of small and medium players in the cultural sector and guide EU cultural policy with greater precision and inclusivity.

"We wanted to give more of a voice to those who are often unheard, the small theatres, music venues, independent artists, creative freelancers," he said.

"For the first time, we are placing particular emphasis on the cultural sector, something which did not happen in previous mandates," Micallef said.

The Culture Compass is not just symbolic, Micallef explained, but rather it is a mechanism to gather insight, promote best practices, and shape future legislative priorities.

"Culture strengthens identity, community and democracy. If we want to make the EU stronger, we must invest in culture like we invest in infrastructure," Micallef said

The tool will help map the challenges faced by cultural actors across the Union, from economic insecurity to access to funding, digital transformation and threats to artistic freedom.

It will also be tied to new discussions on workers' rights, particularly as creatives face the dual pressure of precarious contracts and evolving technologies like AI.

A smooth start, but urgent priorities

Micallef described his first six months in office as a well-prepared transition.

"Once the mandate began, because we were prepared, we immediately set off with our work to implement the priorities of the portfolio," he said.

Those priorities, he said, cut across four core sectors. In culture, the aim is to reinforce Europe's position as a global leader.

"Europe has a very rich and diverse culture, which defines the EU. This is something which needs to be preserved, promoted and safeguarded," Micallef said.

Speaking about youths, Micallef said that the goal is to elevate their role in democracy and society.

"From the start, our commitment was clear, to make young people more prominent in Europe's democracies, give them more responsibilities, more of a say in what the EU is doing," Micallef said.

On the sports sector, Micallef said that "we have an inactivity pandemic". He said that his office will focus on strengthening the EU sports model and promote physical activity across all age groups.

On intergenerational fairness, Micallef said that he wants the EU to become a champion in this area, with long-term, sustainable decision-making that safeguards the rights of future generations.

"One of the positive surprises in this Commission is that there is a spirit and will to work together to address the challenges we are facing," Micallef said, adding that comprehensive solutions are required for today's challenges, as no challenge is independent from another.

Youths and intergenerational justice

Young people across Europe are struggling with housing, insecure jobs and rising costs, and many young people feel as if they are paying the price for decisions made by older generations. 

Micallef was asked what exactly "intergenerational fairness" means in practice, when many feel they are inheriting a worse deal than their parents.

"In the youth sector, our strategy is built on three pillars: engagement, connection and empowerment," he said.

In the first 100 days, his office prioritised listening to young people's aspirations and concerns.

"We started by engaging directly with them, to understand what is holding them back from getting closer to the Union," Micallef said.

He said that "connection" refers to mobility opportunities like Erasmus, which Micallef said his office wants to strengthen.

"This summer we will propose an even stronger Erasmus programme, with more resources," Micallef said.

He said that empowerment means expanding youth work and involvement in decision-making.

"Intergenerational fairness is about harmony, not one generation blaming the other. Today, for the first time, we have five or six generations living in the same society. We must ensure everyone has a voice," Micallef said.

Micallef spoke of systemic inequality in the housing sector and said that there is accumulated wealth among some generations, while others face huge affordability issues.

He said he supported intergenerational housing models as used in some EU countries, where young people and the elderly live together in shared communities.

"It brings fresh air to these communities and tackles both loneliness and affordability," Micallef said.

Micallef spoke of a recent milestone when the Commission adopted the mid-term review of the EU's cohesion policy, giving member states flexibility to use cohesion funds for affordable housing.

"For the first time, there is also an EU Commissioner responsible for housing, and the first EU Affordable Housing Plan is set for 2026," Micallef said, adding that the Commissioner is currently gathering information about the current situation, especially among youths.

EU's primary aim is to promote peace with dialogue

With wars in both Gaza and Ukraine, many, especially younger Europeans, are questioning the consistency of the EU's response.

Micallef was asked if he thinks various contrasting reactions have hurt the EU's credibility and fuelled growing public disillusionment on the conflicts, particularly among youths.

"The EU was born as a project of peace. Its aim was, and remains, to bring people around a table, to resolve conflict through dialogue," Micallef said.

He expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. "Today's reality is that there is an illegal and unjust attempt of invasion of a country in Europe, and a humanitarian crisis developing in the Middle East," Micallef said.

"It was heartbreaking to see the ceasefire fail and aid blocked for months. Around two million people, including children, are being deprived of food, water and medical care," Micallef said, on the situation in the Middle East.

He said that the EU must keep raising its voice on both Gaza and Ukraine.

"If we do not, we would be making a cardinal mistake," Micallef said.

Having visited Ukraine three times, Micallef said that in Lviv, he saw large masses of land turned into burial grounds for frontliners. "These are the human costs of war," Micallef said.

"We must defend what makes us European. And that means standing with innocent people suffering the consequences of conflict. The EU's primary responsibility is to promote peace to help these people," Micallef said.

On the situation of the Conscience aid ship, which allegedly suffered an Israeli drone attack just outside Maltese territorial waters as it was on its way to Gaza, Micallef said that it is his duty to continue sending the message that humanitarian aid must not be obstructed in any way, in route to its destination.

'EU must be part of solution'

Asked whether global leaders understand the psychological and political toll of constant crises on youth, the instability of which could have long-term impacts on future generations, Micallef said the EU must be part of the solution.

"We have seen in the Eurobarometer that over 60% of young people believe the EU can make a positive difference in their lives. That gives me courage," Micallef said.

He said quality of life, housing and employment must remain central to the EU's agenda.

"We must act on the realities young people are living," Micallef said.

He was asked about the troubling rise in authoritarian tendencies globally, from democratic erosion to wider crackdowns in the Global South, and if he is concerned about the long-term implications for the EU's global partnerships and soft power.

Micallef said that the EU's responsibility remains that of promoting the union's values.

One of the most fundamental values is democracy, he said, and investments in cultural sectors strengthen democratic participation among citizens, leading to more active citizens.

"Democracy is one of the EU's core values, and cultural investment strengthens citizen participation. But today, we see threats to artistic expression, censored productions, even arson attacks on dissenting businesses," Micallef said.

He sees the upcoming Culture Compass as part of the answer. "Through culture, we can make a difference to address these concerns in Europe," Micallef said.

Asked if Europe could one day have a single football team, Micallef said he could "only dream of it".

With a laugh, Micallef noted that at the same time, in the EU sports model, autonomy is key and sports federations govern themselves.