With a view to the forthcoming International Culture Summit to be held in Edinburgh between August 13 and 14, the European Commissioner for Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, has stressed the need to sustain investment in culture despite economic difficulties. This will be the main takeaway from Commissioner Vassiliou to the representatives of culture gathering in the Scottish city.

Culture Ministers from around the world as well as artists, thinkers and other members of the global cultural scene will meet Edinburgh as part of the International Culture Summit. This event, which is organized in collaboration of the Scottish and British governments and the British Council takes place in parallel to the Edinburgh International Festival, one the most relevant cultural events of the European scene.

On the occasion of the celebration of this forum Commissioner Vassiliou stressed the role of culture and art in transforming people's lives. Following this approach, one of the main objectives in the European cultural policy is focused on promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. Achieving the full potential of innovative and the creative industries is an opportunity which should be fully exploited.

In this context, the new European Creative programme aims to help the cultural and creative sector to adapt to the challenges imposed by globalization and to seize the opportunities provided by developments such as digitization. These opportunities may, as the Commissioner points out, generate new business models and create new skills.

The debate taking place in the scope of the International Culture Summit will focus on three key areas: the role of arts and culture in strengthening understanding of the relationships between cultures and nations, public and private support to culture, and development of future skills for the creative industry alongside the role of technology.