This occasion, which gathered an eminent European cultural crowd in Maribor, is a traditional meeting of European Cultural Contact Points, organized twice a year - each time in the country presiding the EU. The meeting took place between 11th and 14th June in Ljubljana and Maribor.

Maribor was visited by 40 representatives of national information centres from all EU Member states and  candidates, who provide cultural implementers and creators with expert information and counselling to prepare international projects and apply for support within the only EU cultural programme Culture  (2007-2013). At the same time they are partners of the European Commission and the EACEA Executive Agency, whose task is to design and implement the EU cultural policy and make decisions about EU financial support for European cultural projects. One of the reasons for them to have chosen to visit  Maribor has been our candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2012, which was specifically presented at this occasion. Apart from that, representatives of Cultural Contact Points and of the Executive Agency also wished to meet Maribor-based cultural creators, artists, leaders of cultural organizations and institutions, managers of public institutes as well as the independent sector within culture.

At 11 am in Kibla Multimedia Centre the reception by Andrej Verlič took place. It was followed by a concise presentation of the project European Capital of Culture 2012, emphasizing some of its main programmes.

More about the meeting of Cultural Contact Points, organized in the framework of Slovenian EU presidency, is available at www.ccp.si


On the photo:  Representatives of national information centres from EU Member states and  candidates, taking a look at Jonathan Barnbrook's work.