Planning Future of CoC

Over the next two years, the UBC Commission on Culture (CoC) will help member cities develop, fund and promote projects at the local level, as well as to share experiences and improve cooperation on a regional basis.

Board members elected in October set out the CoC agenda for 2004-06 during their first meeting, which was hosted by the Tukums Museum on 20 March. Among the highlights, the new board proposed the topics and sites for the CoC's upcoming annual general meetings.

With the accession of several Baltic border countries to the European Union in 2004, the centrepiece of this year's meeting will be an exploration of the means available for local cultural events and programmes from EU funds. Bergen, Norway, is proposed as the host city, though Brussels and Strasbourg - the twin seats of the EU government - also have been mooted as possible venues.

In 2005, delegates will examine the models and structures for museum operations, including the development of educational programmes and ways to boost cooperation with municipal governments. The Museum in Isvara, Russia and city of St. Petersburg are proposed as host.

The city of Vaasa, Finland, has offered to host the CoC's 2006 meeting, which will look at the ways member cities and local institutions can better manage international co-operation. Vaasa will celebrate its 400^th anniversary in 2006.

In addition, the board was updated on the progress of'A Strand of Baltic Pearls: A History of Cities in the Region.' A special meeting is set for 30 May -1 June in Szczecin at which contributors to the book and lecture series will discuss their efforts in greater detail. The board also heard about a new project - the Water Energy Festival - that will take place in Gdynia, Poland, next year.

The meeting was extremely enjoyable and eventful. The board visited many cultural institutions in the Tukums district.