Kutaisi hosted the 2nd regional conference to strengthen cooperation between EU4Culture network cities
On 6-7 October 2022, in Kutaisi, Georgia, the EU-funded project EU4Culture organised the 2nd Regional Network Conference to facilitate cooperation between the 14 non-capital cities and towns from five Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) that prepared their Cultural Development Strategies. Zugdidi, Poti and Kutaisi were among the cities participating in the conference.
The event focused on the facilitation of networking between the cities that joined the “EU4Culture Cities Network” and explored grounds for further cultural cooperation between them. Mayors and other representatives of the cities, project partners and international experts participated in the conference.
Conference networking sessions and panel discussions highlighted the benefits for the cities of regional cultural cooperation, encouraged them to identify common areas of interest and plan future joint activities. At the conference, the EU4Culture winning cities that have received EU funding of up to €300,000 to implement the Cultural Development Strategies presented their strategies. From Georgia, the city of Zugdidi presented its Cultural Development Strategy, which received funding of up to 300,000 euros from the European Union to implement the elaborated strategy.
“EU4Culture Cities Network is a unique cooperation platform for the cities to share experiences and generate new ideas that will enable them to develop joint cultural partnerships. The EU supports cultural exchanges because they contribute to preserving our capacity to unleash the power of creativity to invent our future, “– Highlighted Christophe Masson, Team Leader Inclusive Society, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), European Commission.
The EU-funded EU4Culture project supports the cultural and creative sector with a special focus on non-capital cities and towns in the Eastern Partnership countries. The project is implemented by the Goethe Institut (lead), Institut Francais Georgie, Danish Cultural Institute and Czech Centers.