Design Policy Mapping in Europe

Abstract

This study set out to map how design features in national policy frameworks across Europe. The results of the study reveal a striking paradox. On the one hand, explicit design policies are rare: in 2025 only two countries – Latvia and Iceland – maintain government-adopted national strategies dedicated to design. This represents a marked decline from the 2010s, when European Commission initiatives such as the Innovation Union and its Action Plan for Design-driven Innovation inspired more than a dozen national and regional design policies. On the other hand, design is more visible and influential than ever. Our mapping shows that it now appears in a wide range of policy domains. Beyond its traditional home in Cultural and Creative Industries strategies, design has been taken up in innovation policies, industrial competitiveness strategies, circular economy and sustainability plans, digitalisation agendas, and built environment frameworks. In each case, design is framed differently – as a creative sector, a business capability, a sustainability lever, a public-service tool, or a means of shaping places and infrastructure.