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The Nordic and Baltic ministers of culture met in Turku on 4 April. They discussed the goals and results of the Nordic-Baltic mobility programme for culture and decided to continue the programme for culture for three more years, i.e. 2012-2014. This programme for culture was established by a joint decision of the Nordic Council of Ministers and the ministers of culture from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2008. Since 2009 the Baltic countries have participated in the programme on an equal footing with the Nordic countries. Nordic Culture Point in Sveaborg has responsibility for the programme administration.
""During the two first years the players in the field showed great interest in the Nordic-Baltic mobility culture programme. The programme has offered us many opportunities to promote co-operation in the region, amongst other things by providing grants for mobility, network building and residence centres"", stated the Minister of Culture and Sport, Stefan Wallin.
The ministers also discussed a new evaluation report on the mobility programme drawn up by a Latvian analysis institute. ""The report confirmed the ministers' view that setting up the new mobility programme met a real need. Interest and demand has, in fact, exceeded the practical resources of the activities"", said minister Wallin.
The ministers also decided on some practical improvement to the programme for the next period, in agreement with the recommendations in the report, such as e.g., the possibility of funding mobility for small groups too. ""Together we noted that, from a regional as well as a European perspective, it is important to strengthen Nordic-Baltic cultural mobility"", stressed Wallin.
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