The Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) held its annual meeting on 6–7 May 2025 in Luxembourg. The Board, consisting of 42 member States, serves as the authoritative body responsible for granting the 'Cultural Route of the Council of Europe' certification. Additionally, it addressed key elements pertaining to the 2025 programme of activities, including preparations for the Annual Advisory Forum to be held from 22-24 October 2025 in Cappadocia, Türkiye, as well as the review of several Country Mapping Documents.
The Netherlands, having joined the EPA on the opening day of the meeting, was represented by Ben de Vries, Project Leader at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. The Netherlands is currently crossed by 12 certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (for more information please see here).
During the meeting, Matjaz GRUDEN, Director for Democracy at the Council of Europe, and Nadir ALPASLAN, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, formalised a Memorandum of Understanding outlining their respective commitments and expectations for organising the upcoming Annual Advisory Forum.
The Governing Board also elected a new Bureau. This marked the end of the mandates of Meltem ÖNHON (Türkiye), outgoing Chair, and Baiba MURNIECE (Latvia), outgoing Bureau member, both of whom were thanked for their dedicated service. The newly constituted Bureau now includes:
- Chair: Sergio ORTEGA MUÑOZ (Spain)
- Vice-Chair: Eszter CSONKA-TAKÁCS (Hungary)
- Bureau Members: Maria Giusi LUPRANO (Italy), Astghik MARABYAN (Armenia), and Ilja KOCIAN (Czech Republic)
The Board further reviewed the 2024–2025 certification cycle, which included eight regular evaluations, two exceptional evaluations, and eight new candidate routes. Final decisions will be announced before summer 2025.
