The Bureau of the Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) met in Luxembourg to prepare the upcoming Governing Board meeting and review ongoing activities and programme developments.

Chaired by Sergio ORTEGA MUÑOZ, the members of the Bureau reviewed the Report of Activities for 2025, the draft Programme of Activities for 2026. They also held an exchange of views with Ambassador André BIEVER, President of the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR) and with Ambassador Patrick ENGELBERG, Chair of the EPA Statutory Committee, about recent developments in the EICR and the Council of Europe. The meeting took place in the new facilities of the EICR, which also inaugurated a new hybrid meeting system. Bureau members expressed their admiration and gratitude for these installations, reflecting the continuous support of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme and the EICR. 

A major focus of the meeting was the review of the 2025-2026 certification and evaluation cycle, including 8 regular evaluations. The applications of six candidate routes to the certification as Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe were thoroughly analysed and discussed, with input from independent experts. The analysis was based on the certification criteria established in Council of Europe Committee of Ministers' Resolution CM/Res(2023)2. 

The Bureau also prepared the agenda for the Governing Board meeting, scheduled for 5-7 May in Luxembourg, and reviewed progress on several items such as the Country Mapping Documents, the study on the impact of the armed aggression by the Russian Federation on Cultural Routes networks in Ukraine and the preparations for the 15th Advisory Forum of Cultural Routes.