Press Release: Culture: Ján Figel’ in Lisbon for the first ever Permanent Partnership Council on culture with Russia

The first meeting of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council (PPC) on Culture will be held on 25 October 2007 in Lisbon under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU. At the meeting, the EU - represented by the Portuguese Minister of Culture Isabel Pires de Lima, Commissioner Ján Figel' responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Youth and by the Minister of Culture Vasko Simoniti of the incoming Slovenian Presidency – and the Russian Federation - represented by the Minister of Culture Alexander Sokolov – will adopt a Joint Statement outlining the future priorities for cultural cooperation between the two partners. This statement will be an important contribution to the EU-Russia summit which takes place in Mafra on 26 October.