EU Commissioner Ján Figel’ Pays a Visit to Linz
Press Information
Sunday, 13 Sepember 2009
As member of the European Commission responsible for education, training, culture and youth, he underscored the Festival’s status as “an especially important event within the scope of the Capital of Culture year.”
In conjunction with his visit to the Bruckner Festival, Figel’ also met with directors of the European Festivals Association, who presented him with a Declaration of Intention, a statement of their will to carry on their commitment to actively implementing European cultural policies.
During the afternoon, he addressed scholars attending the 2009 Cultural History Day symposium at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, where he summed up cultural policymaking activities during his five-year term in office and outlined future prospects.
Wrapping up his one-day visit, Ján Figel’ expressed how impressed he was by the diversity and high quality of this year's European Capital of Culture program. “Linz09 is a superb example of successfully bringing together local and international artists to produce interesting projects. This city also illustrates how an industrial heritage can very fruitfully dovetail with innovation and creativity,” Figel’ stated.
The European Capital of Culture initiative was launched by the European Union in 1985 and is co-financed by funding from the EU budget.
