covers culture and the arts. Although still at an early stage, the Civil Society Forum, through National Platform representatives, is an increasingly influential body and a useful channel for cultural sector advocacy and addressing cultural sector issues. Against this very formal and structured background, in which culture is rarely if ever mentioned, in 2008 the European Commission decided to look at the feasibility of setting up a culture-focused program for the Eastern Partnership countries. The impetus for this was probably as much as anything to do with there being a culture-based program for the southern Mediterranean countries (Euromed Heritage) which had operated since the 1990s and the anomaly of there not being such a program with the EaP Region, which in many respects culturally was much closer to the EU Member States. A report was produced, accepted, and followed up by specific recommendations for such a program in 2008. In a mutated form, this eventually led to an open call in late 2010 for projects from the region and the setting up of a unit, to be based in the region, to manage and develop the wider Eastern Partnership Culture Programme. The overall objective of the EaP Culture Programme is to support the role of culture in the context of the region’s sustainable development and to promote regional cooperation among public institutions, civil society, cultural and academic organizations within the Eastern Partnership region and with the European Union. Specifically, the Programme aims to: – support and promote cultural policy reforms at the governmental level; – build the capacities of cultural organizations and improve the “professionalization” of the culture sector in the region; – contribute to the exchange of information, experience, and best practices among cultural operators at the regional level and with the European Union; – support regional initiatives/partnerships which demonstrate positive cultural contributions to economic development, social inclusion, conflict resolution, and intercultural dialogue. With a budget of 12 million euros, the call for proposals resulted in fifteen regional projects being contracted and financed under the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme. In addition, 3 million euros has been provided for capacitybuilding activity and the setting up of a small Regional Monitoring and Capacity Building Unit (RMCBU) which is working out of Kyiv, with mainly Ukrainian staff.
46
terry sandell