Culture & Tourism Group

North Sea Commission

Culture and Tourism Group

XXII Meeting, Seefeld in Wesermarsch (Lower Saxony, Germany) 2-3 May 2004

The XXII Meeting of the Culture and Tourism Group was organised as a thematic conference on culinary heritage. The conference 'Old Ways New Tastes' was co-organised with the Economic Development Group and the Education and Research Group. The Environment Group had a meeting simultaneously at the same venue.

There will be a separate report on the conference.

A short business meeting of the Culture and Tourism Group followed the conference.

Minutes of XXII Meeting of the Culture and Tourism Group

The meeting took place at the Seminarhotel Kunze-Hof in Seefeld, Lower Saxony, starting at 14PM on Sunday 2 May and continuing on Monday 3 May at 9.30PM.

Present

Chair Baroness Ros Scott
Suffolk County Council

Co-ordinator Mr Geir Sør-Reime
 Rogaland County Council

Members                            

Ms Marianne Jørgensen
Ringkjøbing County Council

Ms Karen-Sofie Therkildsen
Ringkjøbing County Council

Mr Svein Schrøder-Amundsen
Hordaland County Council

Ms Conny Boersma
Province of Zeeland

Mr Giles Goyder
Suffolk County Council

Mr Tomas Olsson
Västra Götaland Region

Mr Keith Newton
Aberdeenshire Council

Mr Jan Lindh
Vestfold County Council

Ms Karen Greve Somerset
NSC Secretariat

Mr Richard Beaton
NSC Secretariat

Observers

Ms Katerina Staneva
Interreg IIIB North Sea Region Secretariat

Ms Ann Brown
Co-ordinator, Education and Research Group (Items 3 and 5a only)

Ms Vivien Collie
Co-ordinator, Economic Development Group

Regrets had been received from Ms Annelie Stark, Vice-Chair (Västra Götaland Region), Mr Jacques Suurmond, Vice-Chair (Province of Zeeland), Mr Erik Bach Andersen (Viborg County Council), Mr Michael Knights (Norfolk Council Council), Mr Carsten Mogensen (Nordjylland County Council) and Ms Gyrite Anderssen (Ribe County Council).

1. Welcome to the County of Wesermarsch, State of Lower Saxony

During the official dinner on Friday evening, Mr Jörg Wilke welcomed all participants to the County of Wesermarsch on behalf of the County Council.

2. Minutes of XXI Meeting, Middelburg 2-5 October 2003

The minutes were approved as true records of the proceedings.

Before this meeting, Mr Keith Newton has circulated a paper entitled 'In the footsteps of history: cultural heritage and tourism in the North Sea region'. This paper was strongly commended by the group, and it was agreed to circulate it to the Executive Committee and to the delegates at the General Assembly. Members were also encouraged to send additional material to Keith to be included into the final version of this document, which the co-ordinator intends to have printed for the delegates of the General Assembly.

3. Sustainable tourism strategy for the North Sea

This item originated with a scooping study carried out by the Interreg IIIB North Sea Region secretariat. Based on our discussion in Middelburg, our Chair, Baroness Ros Scott, sent a letter to the Interreg secretariat inviting to a dialogue on this issue. The Interreg secretariat responded with a letter from Ms Lorraine George, Head of the Secretariat. Then followed an exchange of e-mails between the co-ordinator and Mr Jens Kurnol of the Secretariat. As a result of this, Ms Katerina Staneva from the Secretariat attended this meeting and presented the Secretariat's thoughts and views on a possible tourism strategy or framework project.

After Ms Staneva's presentation, there followed a vivid discussion on several aspects relating to the issue.

Important aspects discussed included the concept of tourism strategy and the relations between national and regional levels in the North Sea region.

It was considered that there would be little value in a strategy as such since large numbers of executive agencies at regional and local level already have tourism strategies in place. What could be of value would be a framework setting some high-level goals for sustainable tourism around the North Sea, and promoting the sharing of experience and good practice.

The group also expressed concern over the fact that the Secretariat is asking regional authorities to contribute matched funding for a project they have a strong interest in themselves, and that it would seem unlikely that a number of regional authorities would be willing to contribute co-financing to the extent needed for this project.

The group also was not entirely convinced that such a 'strategy' document is really needed, and the group would await the final discussion of the Steering Committee before making further progress on the issue.

The other co-ordinators also expressed concerns over the extent of the project and the necessary co-ordination needed to organise the project as outlined.

Then followed a discussion on the more practical aspects of developing a project.

The Steering Committee of the Interreg IIIB North Sea Region will meet on 13-14 May and will then decide whether there will be a focused call for a tourism strategy project and the details of such a call.

The co-ordinators will then liase with the Interreg secretariat and also try and work out a project brief for further discussions on e-mail with the group members and the Interreg secretariat.

Suggested timetable for the project drafting process:

Project on sustainable Tourism                               

Project on sustainable Tourism
Who	What	When
Katerina	Report back to the secretariat	4 May
Steering Committee	Focused call	11-12 May
Geir	Report outcomes to working group	13 May
Coordinators (Geir, Ann, Vivien, Per)	Send outline draft to working group	30 May
Working group	Send reactions to Geir	before 30 June
Coordinators	Meeting with secretariat	July
Coordinators	2nd draft outline for secretariat and working group	30 July
Secretariat	Reaction on outline	August
Geir	Report reaction on outline to working group	Before 10 September
Geir	Draft project on agenda meeting Suffolk	Before 10 September

4. Co-hosting of tourism forum in October 2004

The Interreg secretariat had also suggested a possible co-operation between the North Sea Commission and the Interreg secretariat on a tourism forum in Lund in October 2004. The group was positive to doing so, but noted that there is no additional funding now available for any co-financing from the North Sea Commission. Ms Staneva would discuss this matter with the secretariat for clarification of conditions for co-operation on the organisation of this event.

5. Project presentations and updates

a. E-VOICE project

Mr Gerard J.D. Offerman and Mr Jan Walburg gave a thorough presentation of this Interreg IIIB North Sea Region project proposal.

The project in principle deals with public access and participation in political processes on local/regional level.

The project applied for Interreg funding this round, and expected Steering Committee decision next week. If successful, they would like to use several of the thematic groups of the NSC as reference forums.

b. North Sea Cycle Route

Mr Giles Goyder and Ms Karen-Sofie Therkildsen reported. There have been 2 international management group meetings under the new project. This project has 2 levels of participation: a. the core topics where all participates and b. the specific actions, where a more limited number of partners participate. The specific actions include route development and the development of tourism products, including signage, leaflets etc. The project has also started actively looking beyond Interreg IIIB.

c. Waves of Culture

It was reported that the project proposal still awaits decision by the Culture 2000 programme on funding.

d. NAVE nortrail

An additional application, with an extended partnership has been approved. Next meeting will be in Yorkshire.

e. Clinkerboat

Mr Geir Sør-Reime gave a brief report on this Culture 2000 project proposal. Further details will be circulated to all members of the group.

f. NorthSeaScapes

Ms Connie Boersma reported that Zeeland has taken parts of the project proposal into an Interreg A project proposal. The project itself awaits decision by the Steering Committee next week.

6. Christmas card 2004

Ms Connie Boersma confirmed that she will see to that there will be a Dutch Christmas card this year.

7. Next meeting of the group

It was decided to stick to the original plan and arrange a meeting in Suffolk in September 2004 with archives and libraries as the main theme. The meeting will focus on life-long learning, but also on the co-operation between archives, libraries and museums.

8. AOB

a. Interreg IV

Ms Boersma asked how the group should try and influence a possible Interreg IV North Sea programme. The co-ordinator remarked that the document prepared by our group had been presented to the Executive Committee and had also been referred to the CPMR. There is now the Third Cohesion report, which suggests new Interreg IV projects, but states that it is up to the member states to suggest any Interreg IV programmes/regions. There will probably be a resolution at the AGM in Gothenburg calling all member states of the NSC to lobby for a new North Sea Interreg programme.

b. Thanks

The Chair, Baroness Ros Scott, on behalf of the entire group, extended her most sincere thanks to Mr Jörg Wilke for hosting this meeting and making all the practical arrangements, and for having selected such a beautiful and scenic venue for the event.

She also extended her warmest personal thanks to Mr Giles Goyder, who is now taking retirement, for his active participation in the group, starting with the IX Meeting in Peterhead, February 1998! He has also been supported the Chair during all the years Baroness Scott has been in the group. The whole groups seconded the words of thanks expressed to Mr Goyder.

Finally, she thanked all members, and especially the Interreg IIIB North Sea Secretariat for attending this meeting.

She also informed the group that the President of the NSC, Mr Bent Hansen, has announced that he will step down as President at the AGM in Gothenburg in June. This will also mean that the NSC Secretariat will move. She and the whole group therefore expressed their gratitude for the great work Ms Karen Greve Somerset has undertaken as the NSC representative on the group for so many years, and wished her all the best for the future.