Flanders shares its strategies with the Basque Country on promoting Cultural and Creative Industries

The conference ‘Promoting creativity in Flanders’ took place yesterday in Bilbao. Representatives of Flanders District of Creativity, or Flanders DC, an organization created by the Flemish Government to promote creativity, explained the strategy of this leading region.

They explained how Flanders, in pursuit of a more creative region, is committed to the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). Pascal Cools, director of Flanders District of Creativity, and Carlo Vuijlsteke, coordinator of the creative district network, talked about the tools they use to promote innovation in sectors related to CCIs, as well as some specific programs revolving around design, fashion and video games.

"The Basque Country is making an important commitment to CCIs, and Flanders is a reference in this field," said Vice Minister for Culture of the Basque Government, Joxean Muñoz. "Conferences like these are excellent ways to exchange experiences and open the door to future collaborations," he added. During their stay in Bilbao, the representatives from Flanders will visit Azkuna Zentroa and ZAWP (Zorrotzaurre Art Work in Progress), a landmark for CCIs in Bilbao.

The Basque Government leads the European project Creadis 3, an initiative in the area of CCIs, which links six territories of the European Union. Together with the Basque Country, the project’s partners include one European country and four European regions: Slovakia, Central Finland, Emilia-Romagna, Wallonia and Western Greece. CCIs offer a broader perspective to culture, including fields traditionally on the margins of what we call the arts and halfway between art and industry (design, fashion, gastronomy, videogames ...). In addition, the Basque Government promotes different lines of subsidies with the aim of promoting the CCIs in Euskadi.