2008 saw the third meeting of Euro-Med Ministers of Culture [51 KB] in May 2008 in Greece under the Slovenian Presidency.
In this meeting, the Ministers of Culture of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership decided to launch a process leading to the development of a Euro-Mediterranean Strategy on Culture. For the first time, the need for a coherent strategic vision was expressed and a mandate was given at the political level for the preparation of a regional Strategy on Culture that will have to be adopted by consensus by all partners of the Union for the Mediterranean. With the objective to draft a demand driven strategy responding to the needs of the cultural field in partner countries, the EC has commissioned a report to identify strategic areas for both the public authorities and the civil society. A team of two experts worked on a document to provide data analyzing the needs of the cultural sector and suggesting priorities and orientations (report [2 MB] ). The results of this work were discussed in a meeting with civil society representatives from Mediterranean partner countries in Brussels on 8 October 2009.

Gender: at a Ministerial meeting, under Finland’s EU Presidency, on “Strengthening the Role of Women in Society” (November 2006). Ministers adopted conclusions which include a set of principles and a 5 year framework for action to strengthen women’s role in political, civil, social, economic and cultural spheres, as well as to fight against discrimination.

Civil society: The European Commission supports and welcomes the work of the EuroMed Non-Governmental Platform which has been working in strengthening the role of civil society in the Euro-Med Partnership, organising the EuroMed Civil Forum and establishing a permanent interface between actors from EuroMed civil society and the public authorities.