Aware of the fact that the present Plan of Action represents a continuation of the Plan of Action that was implemented during the Georgian Coordination of the BSEC Working Group on Culture (2008-2010);

    Taking into consideration the necessity for stronger cooperation in the field of culture between the BSEC Member States;

    Recalling the commitments undertaken by the Ministers of Culture of the BSEC Member States by adopting the Sounion Declaration in the Hellenic Republic, on 4 July 2007;

    Acknowledging the fact that sharing common cultural values and cultural heritage elements represents an instrument for prosperity and harmony in the region;

    Taking into account the richness of the cultural heritage and of the traditions of the BSEC Member States;

    Keeping in mind the important role that the international organizations play in the wider Black Sea region in the field of culture and especially in what concerns the development of policies regarding regional and international cultural cooperation, especially by preserving tangible and intangible heritage as a means of dialogue and sustainable development;

The Romanian Coordination of the BSEC Working Group on Culture sets the following goals for the activity that it will coordinate in 2011-2012:

• Cultural routes – development of cultural routes and itineraries that are specific for  the Black Sea region, in view of protecting the heritage of this area; maritime heritage – opportunities for regional co-operation between the BSEC Member States; awareness campaign focusing on the importance of the heritage of the wider Black Sea region and on the necessity to safeguard it; the sustainable use of heritage, by correlating the cultural actions of the various stakeholders involved (national and international), considering the social factor of the existent communities and the economic background that can provide support for the projects concerning cultural heritage; strengthening the regional collaboration in the field of intangible heritage, aiming at exploiting and preserving the folklore and the traditions of the Black Sea region; the necessity to have an interdisciplinary approach to the exploitation of cultural heritage, involving tourism, transportation, civil engineering etc.;

• Strengthening and bolstering the cultural cooperation and the contacts between the BSEC Member States, encouraging creativity and stimulating innovation and, consequently, economic development. As such, the initiation of a project consisting of creating a web site, a virtual library containing the cultural goods of the BSEC Member States, is important for promoting regional individuality. Each Member State will upload on the website relevant information regarding its cultural specificity: national legal framework concerning the protection of historical monuments and archaeological sites, of national mobile cultural heritage, of intangible heritage; examples of good practices; description of different cultural projects etc. Also, an intercultural approach contributes to enhancing the attractiveness of our region, for the local community and tourists alike. This may include actions of promotion for various cultural projects, exhibitions, exchanges in literature, music and the arts, research in various cultural fields;

• Promotion of cultural and creative industries and strengthening of the role that they play in the co-operation between the BSEC Member States (analysis of the current situation in each State as concerns the SMEs that are active in the field of cultural and creative industries, the financing opportunities in that field, as well as best practices examples in the BSEC Member States).

As concerns the meetings, Romania in its capacity of the Country-Coordinator of the Working Group on Culture is considering for the period of 2011-2012 a documentary film festival of the Black Sea will be held in Bucharest, in November 2011. The festival, named “Heritage values reflected in the national cinematographies of the countries in the Black Sea region”, will bring together documentary creators of this region. Also, a Meeting of the Working Group on Culture will take place in November 2011, while a major cultural event will be organized in 2012, marking the 20th Anniversary of BSEC. During 2012 two Meetings of the Working Group on Culture planned to be organized by the Romanian Coordination of the Working Group.