Speech by the EU High Representative and Vice President Federica Mogherini at the Cultural Forum

consult and inform regularly stakeholders at European level, including civil society, on the progress of the Work Plan in order to ensure the relevance and visibility of the activities, including via the European Culture Forum;

(3) The wide range of activities carried out in the Member States (by a public sector body or natural or legal persons) and by various international organisations and programmes such as FAO, the European Cooperative Programme for Crop Genetic Resources Networks (ECP/GR), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) regional and subregional organisations supported by the Community, the European Regional Focal Point (ERFP) of National Coordinators for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources, the European Fores ...[+++]t Genetic Resources Programme (Euforgen) and the related commitments of the ongoing Ministerial Conference on the protection of forests in Europe (MCPFE) to which the Community is signatory call for an effective information exchange and close coordination between the Community main actors and with the relevant organisations throughout the world with regard to the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture so as to enhance their positive impact on agriculture.

As shown by employment data directly or indirectly linked with tobacco cultivation, and clearly reiterated by local authorities during the Forum, any change in the common market organisation will have to face up to the potential risks producing areas will be exposed to.

These three objectives have been widely agreed as having a real European added value by cultural stakeholders (see the EP resolutions of 22 October 2002 and of 4 October 2003 respectively on the importance and dynamism of theatre and the performing arts in an enlarged Europe and on cultural industries, as well as the Council Resolution of 19 December 2002 on European added value and mobility of persons and circulation of works in the cultural sector, the conclusions of the Forum on cultural cooperation of November 2001 and the results ...[+++] of the public consultation on a new programme).

The OECD organised two conferences on GM crops and feed in 2000 and 2001 with world-wide participation, the UNIDO intends to organise a Global Biotech Forum later in 2003, the WHO is working on GM food safety, and the World Bank has launched a consultative process on the proposed international assessment of the role of agricultural science and technology in reducing hunger, improving rural livelihoods and stimulating environmentally sustainable economic growth.