Together with representatives of Council of Europe member states, steering committees benefit from the participation of other organisations as observers, including civil society and representatives of business, technical, professional and academic communities (without the right to vote and without defrayal of expenses).

Criteria for granting observer status to the steering committee for organisations (associations, foundations, NGOs) include:

• a broad experience in the areas of competence of the CDCULT; 
• an ability to make an effective and high quality contribution to its activities;
• representation at a Europe-wide level and, where relevant, at a broader level.

The following are currently observers to the CDCULT:

• Israel;
• European Cultural Foundation (ECF);
• European Cultural Centre in Delphi;
• Culture Action Europe;
• European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres (ENCATC);
• Association of Commercial Broadcasting and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT);
•  European Broadcasting Union (EBU);
• European Film Agency Directors (EFAD);
• European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF);
• European Association of Archaeologists (EAA);
• Europae Archaeologiae Consilium (EAC);
• Europa Nostra;
• International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS);
• Organisation of World Heritage Cities (OHWC);
• International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP);
• IFLA EUROPE - European Region of International Federation of Landscape Architects
• European Council of Town Planners (ECTP);
• European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools (ECLAS);
• International Association of the European Heritage Network (AISBL);
• European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers’ Organisations (ECCO);
• European Federation for architectural heritage skills (FEMP);
• Civilscape;
• FEDE (Federation for Education in Europe).