7th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum

Lucca, Italy, 27-29 September 2017

30 years of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe:  building dialogue and sustainable development through European values and heritage

From 27 to 29 September 2017, the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme celebrated its 30th anniversary on the occasion of the 7th Annual Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The event was organized by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, the Tuscany Region, the Province of Lucca, the City of Lucca and the European Institute of Cultural Routes.

The 2017 Annual Advisory Forum celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme, highlighting its past, present and future contributions to the promotion of the values of the Council of Europe in the field of human rights, cultural heritage and intercultural dialogue, with a particular attention to the role of democratic citizenship and sustainable, accessible cultural tourism. Other themes explored during the Forum were cultural heritage and sustainable tourism in terms of democratic participation, local development and accessibility, and the promotion of cultural diversity, dialogue and cultural diplomacy.

During the Forum, the “Lucca Roadmap” was prepared with the aim of giving clear indications on actions which Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe should implement in order to achieve the objectives indicated in the Declaration by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe 30th Anniversary of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (1987-2017), better known as the "Santiago +30 Declaration".

Forum brought together almost 400 participants from more than 30 countries of Europe and beyond.  Representatives from almost 30 certified Cultural Routes and 20 network projects were present, as well as delegates from 20 Member States of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes, of the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the European Parliament, UNESCO, ICOMOS and the World Tourism Organization.