Towards a strategy for culture in the Mediterranean Region : EC Preparatory document : needs and opportunities assessment report in the field of cultural policy and dialogue in the Mediterranean Region

The Ministers of Culture of the Euromediterranean Partnership decided in their meeting on 29-30 May 2008 in Athens to launch a process leading to the development of a Euro-Mediterranean Strategy on Culture. Therefore the European Commission has commissioned a report to identify strategic areas for both the public authorities and the civil society. First part presents an analysis of the cultural field, addressing cultural policy as well as the capacity of the cultural field in the Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, The Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria and Tunesia). The second part deals with the impact and the contribution of the cultural field on the society, both at the economic and social levels. It deals with the cultural and creative industries. It analyses the role of culture as an access point to development and social cohesion and underlines the importance of culture in education and youth programmes. The third part aims at giving an account of the situation in terms of regional collaboration and international dialogue and identifying some obstacles and opportunities to develop balanced partnership. Building inclusive partnership and exploring new network modalities and ways to collaborate, within and beyond the Mediterranean, to present examples and offer new directions for further development in order to envisage how to foster fruitful partnerships in the region.