Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture Moscow, 8 December 2009

1. Northern Dimension Partnership on CultureMoscow, 8 December 2009

2. International Workshop Russia-European Union: “Signs on the Road Map of Cultural Cooperation” Moscow, 8 December 2009 Establishment of a Northern DimensionPartnership on Culture Pia Erson, Director, Ministry of Culture Sweden Chair of the Ad hoc Expert Group on NDPC Mail: pia.erson@culture.ministry.se

3. Context • Renewed Northern Dimension Policy • Kaajani process • Nordic Council of Ministers’ Strategy for Globalization

4. Process • 2007 initiative by Nordic Council of Ministers for Culture - preparatory work - exploring desirability of creating Northern Dimension Cultural Partnership • Meeting in Riga October 2008 Ministers of Culture of the Baltic Sea States • Northern Dimension Ministerial Meeting in St. Petersburg, October 2008 • Establishment of Ad hoc Expert Group, March 2009

5. ...process • Nordic Cultural NDPC Forum, 11-12 Sept 2009 in Helsinki • Report, recommendations by Expert Group: ”Examining the desirability of a Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture” Sept 16 2009 • Decision by Senior Officials Meeting to establish NDPC, 12 Nov 2009 in Stockholm • ND Partnership Conference/forum, St. Petersburg in spring 2010

6. Recommendations The overall objective for NDPC: To function as a focal point in the field for networks, projects and other cultural activities in the ND area: • providing a platform for exchange of best practices, dialogue and meetings with stakeholders representing government (national, regional and local) and the privat sector as well as different sectors of cultural life (state and non-state); • facilitating a dialogue between cultural actors and the business community in order to seek areas of mutually beneficial cooperation and the development of the creative economy

7. ...recommendations • promoting coordination and cooperation between the four Regional Councils in the North with a view to avoiding overlap; A major objective of the Partnership is also: • to facilitate assessment of the financial viability of projects and access to multiple sources of financing and also to mobilise public-private funding for collaborating projects

8. Depending on funding possibilities, the Partnership can set itselt more resource demanding objectives: • to conduct analyses of what different audiences in various countries and regions would like to experience in the ND area; • to create tools to develop tailor-made cultural tourism in the ND region: • to encourage capacity-building in the field of marketing and entrepreneurship for artists, cultural institutions and operators • to arrange for ND cultural products to be presented to international audiences in festivals, exhibitions and similar events;

9. Cultural sector’s interest A consultancy study determined the interest - of the film, music, visual arts and tourism businesses - in the creation of major cultural projects, under the auspices of a NDPC: ”…cultural enterprises and projects in ND region are small and mostly funded by public funds; NDPC could open up new mechanisms for mixed public-private funding…”

10. Further stepsSetting up of a Preparatory Committee to finalise the organisational structure of the NDPC with aim to make it fully operational by the time for the ND Ministerial Meeting second half of 2010Conference/forum in St. Petersburg, spring 2010