Minister of Culture: The follow-up of the EU-Russia Expert Meeting

Excellencies,
Mr Minister,
Ladies and gentlemen,

As Mrs Kaivosoja has certainly informed you, I come here from the presidential session of the Government. I thank you for accepting my invitation to attend this luncheon where we can discuss the follow-up to the Kajaani process, as well as enjoy a good meal.

I'm sure you are all aware that we will have general election later this month and soon after that a new government.

When I started as Minister of Culture in Matti Vanhanen's Government in 2003, I focused my attention not only on matters in my portfolio, but also on those that influence cultural issues or could be promoted by culture. One of these was the aim in the Government Programme to further develop our good relations with Russia and actively influence the content of EU-Russia relations.

During my term as minister, I have had the pleasure to be personally involved in cultural cooperation with Russia. In 2003 I attended the Finnish-Russian Cultural Forum in St Petersburg, the next year in Turku and in 2005 in Vologda. They have given a good insight into our neighbouring country and her culture.

In 2005 the Ministry of Education devised the first Russia Programme in Art and Culture with the aim of strengthening northern cultural partnership. As we see it, this bilateral cultural cooperation forms part of the European Union's external relations policy and Northern Dimension policy. Within the scope of our Programme, we concluded a cooperation agreement at the Vologda Forum with the Russian Federation's Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication. The core aims in the agreement are to promote EU-Russia cooperation and cultural cooperation in the northern regions, to carry on the bilateral Cultural Forum activities, and to develop direct contacts between cultural actors in our countries.

Today we are here to discuss how the process, which began at the St Petersburg Summit in 2003 and led to the preparation and implementation of the Culture Road Map, could be carried forward by our joint efforts.

As we all know, the meeting of cultural experts in Kajaani started a process we now call the Kajaani process. Its purpose is to activate cultural operators in EU countries and in Russia to devise joint projects and also create frameworks for them. The Kajaani meeting recommended the appointment of a joint working group to draft an action plan for EU-Russia cultural cooperation. The intention is to submit this action plan to the first permanent partnership council on culture for adoption.

The Kajaani process also invites different stakeholders and organisations to coordinate their activities and programmes with the action plan. For instance, there is an ongoing process for creating a joint Nordic programme for cooperation with Russia. In this context we are exploring ways to achieve the best possible synergy between action taken in the Nordic area, in the EU and in the EU Member States. The cultural working group of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council is currently drawing up a new action programme, which will take into account the new perspectives in EU-Russia cooperation. Actually, we have been thinking that the cultural actors in the northern areas - namely the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Baltic Sea Council - should meet to prepare joint proposals for use in the drafting of the cooperation action plan. In 2007 Finland holds the presidency of the Nordic council and we have taken initiative for convening such a meeting.

There are several cultural networks within the European Union area. One of these, EUNIC, links cultural institutes operating in other EU countries. At the Kajaani meeting, the EUNIC president, Sir David Green noted that this network, for one, could offer an excellent forum for developing cooperation with Russia.

At the Kajaani meeting, Director General Riitta Kaivosoja described the operation of the Finnish-Russian Cultural Forum. As a result, we have received a request to allow representatives of the EU countries to attend the Forum to be held in Tver next September. Consequently, the Finnish and Russian organisers of the Tver Forum are preparing a separate seminar for the representatives of EU countries at the Forum.

The follow-up to the Kajaani meeting has progressed well. The Group of Rapporteurs, who prepared the Kajaani recommendations, have already met three times: twice in Brussels and once in Moscow, on the 16th of February. The Rapporteurs represent the Commission Directorates General responsible for cultural and external relations - more recently also audiovisual matters; Germany, Portugal, Finland, and naturally Russia.

I have approached Commissioners Figel', Ferrero-Waldner and Reding by letter, sounding them out as to their willingness to take part in the Kajaani follow-up. This would involve setting up an official working group and formulating terms of reference to it. All commissioners gave green light to the idea. I heard that the Moscow meeting made good headway in preparing the terms of reference.

As I noted earlier, activity among Northern Dimension actors is increasing. With their geographical and historical contacts, such cooperation with Russia certainly comes naturally to them. But this is not, of course, enough when we think of the EU as a whole.

In our aspiration to increase the relative weight of Russia cooperation in the Union, our rationale was that Russia is part of the European cultural heritage, as we also noted in the non-paper we submitted during the preparation of the Fourth Common Space in 2004. It's not possible to think of Western culture without the contribution of Russian literature, ballet, film, art, music. And Russia has correspondingly absorbed influences from western Europe. Interaction between the cultures of the EU countries and Russia will build up European cultural identity and boost the competitiveness of European culture.

In view of this, it is important that countries and cultural actors in central and southern Europe are also active in developing cooperation with Russia.

The Federal Republic of Germany was closely involved in the preparation of the Kajaani meeting and its follow-up. As the current EU Presidency, Germany is taking the Kajaani process forward. The official work for drafting a cooperation action plan, led by the Commission and Russia, will begin during the German Presidency.

I have heard that the next Presidency Portugal is planning to convene the permanent partnership council on culture. As this would be its first meeting since the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation took force in 1997, it will indeed be a milestone in the history of EU-Russia cultural relations.

Dear guests,

We have documented the work done so far within the Kajaani process. I feel great pride in this achievement; the Kajaani meeting raised culture alongside other sectors in EU-Russia cooperation. It is my pleasure to hand the first copies of this publication to the representative of the German Presidency; to the representative of the next Presidency Portugal, which will convene the first permanent partnership council on culture; to the representative of Slovenia, which will carry on the process after Portugal; and to our strategic partner Russia.

I hope that the Kajaani process will lead to ever closer cooperation between the EU and Russia. I'm convinced that cooperation between cultural actors will contribute to the strategic partnership between the European Union and the Russian Federation by developing cooperation methods and skills and by deepening mutual understanding.

Now I would like to ask the representatives of Germany, Russia, the Commission, Portugal, and Slovenia to accept this document and to take the relay baton forward.

Mr Schumacher, please,
Mr Busygin,
Mr Peltomäki,

Mr Silva Leitaõ, and
Mr Hocevar

With these formalities over, I would like to ask you to join me at luncheon and continue our discussions there.