Pioneering study receives praise from leading Italian political figures for its new approach to rebuilding cross-cultural relations and focusing on shared values across the two shores of the Mediterranean

Rome; 26 November 2010: The President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfanco Fini, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini, presented yesterday the Anna Lindh Report on Intercultural Relations at the Italian Parliament, in an institutional event which gathered leading politicians, intellectuals and media experts and was attended by the Director of the Foundation, Andreu Claret. The presentation, organised by the Forum of Foreign Relations of the Democratic Party, involved also the MP of this organisation, Piero Fassino, and the Senator and President of the Anit-mafia Commission, Pisanu.

The Anna Lindh Report, which is based on the very First Gallup Opinion Poll carried out with 13,000 people from 13 countries in Europe and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region, has involved experts on cross-cultural affairs from Italy and over twenty other Euro-Mediterranean countries.

Praising the Anna Lindh Report,Gianfranco Fini, stressed that "in the Mediterranean it is not possible to focus only on the economic cooperation, but also on the social and cultural issues".

"After September 11, there is a necessity to develop together soft security mesures", said Fini, which underlined the role of the Foundation for the promotion of intercultural dialogue. Considering the Report conclusions "of great interest", Frattini stressed "the existence of a sense of belonging to the Mediterranean among the people of the Region".  Frattini recalled the pionnering role of Italy in the EuroMediterranean dialogue and the commitment of his government with the Anna Lindh Foundation.　

The Report and its region-wide Survey was coordinated by the Anna Lindh Foundation, an institution shared by the 43 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean with a mandate to bring people together for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding.　

Presenting the outcomes of the Report, Claret pointed out that “according the findings of the survey, we share fundamental values, such as family solidarity, hospitality, curiosity towards other societies". He stressed that those values "appear like cultural bridges within and across societies of our common Region.”

In the conclusions of the presentation, Fassino insisted on the importance of the Union of the Mediterranean as an institution created to promote cooperation in the region, and considered the Anna Lindh Report as "an initiative able to make more focused and efficent any strategy of intercultural dialogue".

The following debate focused on the reassessment of approaches to building intercultural relations at the national level as well as across the two shores of the Mediterranean, given in particular the important role Italy has played historically in trans-Mediterranean cooperation.  Based on the findings of the Survey and expert analysis, the Report presents proposals for action, including investment in education for intercultural learning, developing tools for an improved quality of interaction and supporting the potential of media for improving knowledge and respect.

The Rome Debate is part of a series of national debates aiming at presenting the results of the Anna Lindh Report and providing an insight into people’s perceptions about each others from both shores of the Mediterranean as well as the similarities and differences in their value systems.

The whole video of the debate is available here:

For more information on Anna Lindh Report 2010:
www.annalindhreport.org