Culture ministers and civil society representatives from the 39 members of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership are meeting in Athens on 29/30 May to exchange views on the cultural dimension of the partnership and to explore the substance and scope of a joint cultural strategy. They will be discussing the political processes and mechanisms that will lead to the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Strategy.

The meeting is set within the context of the "2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue" and that of the “2008 Euro-Mediterranean year of dialogue between cultures”. It follows the recent policy recommendations by the Commission for the upgrading of relations with Mediterranean partners in its Communication ‘Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean’.

The Athens conference will constitute an opportunity to further implement the strategic vision of the role of culture in external relations, as outlined in the May 2007 ‘European agenda for culture’ proposed by the European Commission and subsequently endorsed by the Council.

Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said: "Increasing contacts between people of all walks of life in the Mediterranean is an important part of strengthening our ties through mutual understanding and wider knowledge of each other."

European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel', explained further: "This meeting of cultural ministers will now pave the way to a deepening of our relations, with plans for a joint cultural strategy that will have benefits for all in the partnership”.

Ministers will take stock of the progress already made and the results achieved in the cultural dimension of the Partnership, and launch the necessary political processes and follow-up mechanisms for the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Strategy. They will endeavour to build this strategy around two distinct, but interlinking strands:

• Intercultural dialogue.
• Cultural policy.

The new strategy will be consistent with the principles of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression (2005), and will strive to take the major concerns of the cultural sector in the region into account. During their meeting the Ministers will hear those concerns raised by representatives of civil society; media, intellectual and audiovisual sectors, and will give particular attention to capacity-building in partner countries and the establishment of more balanced cultural exchanges.