” “"Intercultural dialogue: a fundamental value of the EU". This will be the topic of the international conference, due on Monday 7th January in Ljubljana, to start the events associated with 2008 as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. The next day, also in the capital of Slovenia, the Year will be officially opened by a ceremony that will be attended by the prime minister Janez Jansa (current president of the EU Council), the head of the EU Commission José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering. In addition, the ceremony will be attended by the culture commissioner Jan Figel’ and the research commissioner Janez Potocnik. The two events intend to "highlight explains a note from the EU Executive the interaction between the cultures, discuss the relations between nationalities and religions, and promote through dialogue the strengthening of understanding, tolerance, solidarity and a shared sentiment" for a community of values, that must involve the citizens of the 27 member states. "University lecturers, intellectuals, writers, artists and journalists from different countries" have been invited to the conference of January 7th to "discuss subjects related to multicultural Europe". (continued)” “
