Brussels, 18/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - “My vision of culture is not culture as an instrument. As science, culture is a way for people's fulfilment”, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, said during his meeting with representatives from the culture sector on 17 September. The objective of the meeting was to see how culture can contribute to the European project, and what support Europe can bring to culture. Insisting on the need to create emotional connections between Europe and its citizens, Barroso considers that Europe's citizens should be better informed of the mutual benefits generated by the relation between culture, the arts and Europe. Artists and intellectuals who were present warmly welcomed Barroso's proposal to continue the dialogue in greater depth from 2013. “Let's do something formidable. Let's create platforms to communicate, where women and men from culture debate Europe and where we all engage with citizens in a serious conversation about the future of Europe”, Barroso concluded. (IL/transl.fl)