First of all, I would like to thank the Spanish Presidency of the European Union for organizing this important and timely forum.
I would also like to congratulate the organisers for their decision to invite such a broad array of stakeholders from the cultural sector, business and education.
The cultural and creative industries cut across many social and economic areas, and the broad debate that has animated this forum is a proof of it.
So, it was a good decision to give everyone the opportunity to share their views. It is important for all of us in our different spheres of action to find a way to work together towards shared objectives.
Many issues have been raised over the past two days by the different speakers.
- We’ve heard about access to funding, capacity building, and skills development.
- We’ve heard about the need to open up a common European space to help cultural and creative industries develop locally and go global.
- We’ve heard about initiatives that are aimed to unlock the potential of cultural and creative industries in our countries, regions and cities.
Author: Androulla VASSILIOU, European Commissioner responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth
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