The Board of Governors of the Anna Lindh Foundation approved yesterday the Annual Work Plan of the Anna Lindh Foundation and renewed the presidency of its Board thus confirming the relaunch of the political and cultural dialogue within the Union for the Mediterranean.

After seven months of suspension, the Board of Governors of the Anna Lindh Foundation met yesterday, 6 July in Brussels, and validated its forthcoming activities. The Board elected the Slovenian Ambassador Veronika Stabej as Chairman and the Tunisian Professor, Dr. Mohamed Mahjoub, as Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors.

The President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, André Azoulay, congratulated both elected members and thanked the previous Chairman of the Board, Muhyeideen Touq (Jordan) and the Vice Chairman, Ambassador Lars Bjarme (Sweden) for their continuous commitment and support to the Foundation since its establishment in 2005.

In his opening speech, André Azoulay highlighted the symbolic importance of the meeting that took place after the institutions of the Union for the Mediterranean experienced a major crisis these last 7 months due to the war in Gaza. In this context, A. Azoulay stressed on the fact that "the Foundation has chosen to remain active and engaged in its work and role during a period of major crisis, being proactive and creative in fulfilling the expectations of civil societies."

During the meeting, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Andreu Claret, presented the work plan with particular emphasis on the forthcoming publication of the 1st Report on intercultural trends within the Euro-Mediterranean Region as well as the preparation of the Anna Lindh Forum which will gather in Barcelona in March 2010, more than 500 member organizations from the 43 National Networks of the Foundation.

Andreu Claret has also emphasized the importance of the active participation of the Foundation's Networks, composed by more than 2,800 civil society organizations, in implementing the Foundation's programme.

The Programme has been approved following a debate involving more than twenty representatives of the forty-three countries that form the Council, and the President gave the members a period of fifteen days to present amendments if there were any.