New EU Report “Culture and Health: Time to Act” Highlights i.a. the Baltic Model of Arts on Prescription

A new European Union report – Culture and Health: Time to Act – has been published, marking a significant step forward in recognizing the power of culture as a driver of health and well-being across Europe.

Developed by the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) Group for Culture and Health, the report responds to the EU Work Plan for Culture 2023–2026, which identifies culture as a vital source of innovation, social cohesion, and human connection. The OMC Group’s mission is to recommend concrete actions that can help the EU unlock the full potential of culture and health collaboration – an area now acknowledged as both timely and transformative in meeting key EU policy priorities.

The report draws upon a growing body of international evidence showing that participation in cultural and creative activities – including music, visual arts, dance, theatre, writing, and heritage engagement – can improve physical and mental health, support disease prevention and recovery, and strengthen community well-being.

Recognition for the Interreg BSR project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region

The OMC group report recognizes the achievements of the Interreg BSR project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region 2023–2025 as one of the leading examples of innovative cross-sector cooperation in Europe. The report highlights the project’s Baltic Model on Arts on Prescription, which has been developed and tested by partners from Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.

The Baltic Model demonstrates how structured collaboration between health and cultural sectors can support mental health and social well-being. Through the model, participants are referred by health or social care professionals to take part in arts-based activities led by trained artists and cultural practitioners – an approach that has already shown measurable positive effects in pilot programmes across the region.

By featuring the Arts on Prescription initiative, the EU report underscores the Baltic Sea Region’s pioneering role in shaping evidence-based, people-centred approaches to public health through culture.

A Call to Action

The OMC Group’s report urges Member States and EU institutions to act now to strengthen the culture-health ecosystem through strategic investment, policy development, and cross-sector collaboration. As the report concludes, unlocking the potential of culture in public health is not only an opportunity – it is a necessity for the well-being and resilience of European societies.

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European Commission: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, Culture and health – Time to act, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/0432398

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