The 2016 Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Advisory Forum (26-27 October, Vilnius, Lithuania) was co-organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania and the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, the Council of Europe Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes (EPA) and the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR). The Forum was attended by more than 200 participants from over 30 countries, representatives of the Council of Europe’s certified routes and candidate projects, representatives from EPA member states and Observers, international organisations (European Union, UNWTO, ICOMOS), NGOs, local and regional authorities, universities and professionals in the cultural tourism sector.

The event was opened by the Lithuanian Minister of Culture, Šarūnas BIRUTIS, the Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Economy, Rasa Noreikienė, the Council of Europe Director of Democratic Governance, Claudia LUCIANI, the President of the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR), Colette FLESCH, and Ambassador Carlo KRIEGER (Luxembourg).

The Forum’s conclusions from the exchanges held during the two thematic workshop will be incorporated in the “Vilnius Roadmap”, which sets out guidelines for future activities of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme. Their follow-up will be examined at the next Advisory Forum, to take place in Lucca (Italy) in October 2017, on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Council of Europe Cultural Routes programme.