Brussels, 04/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday in Brussels, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Training and Youth Ján Figel inaugurated the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008. He was accompanied by Katerina Batzeli (PES, Greece) and several figures from the cultural scene in Europe and further afield (Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, Slovak conductor Jack Martin Händler, Romanian film director Radu Mihãileanu, Slovenian conceptual artist Marko Peljhan, Catalan bass viola player Jordi Savall, Turkish piano player Fazil Say, and Serbian Eurovision champion Marija Šerifoviæ). Figel also inaugurated the website http://www.dialogue2008.eu , which will provide all available information on this event. With the slogan “Together in Diversity”, the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 intends to build the basis for European strategic initiatives that go beyond 2008. The year has been allocated a €10 million budget, supporting the information campaign, surveys and studies on intercultural dialogue, the co-financing of the seven flagship European projects. These projects, the results for which will be presented in the second half of 2008, focus on urban culture, people's art, youth participation, immigration, media, local initiative exchanges, video and immigrant community activities. 27 national projects - one per member state - on intercultural dialogue across the EU will also be funded. Six debates will also be organized during 2008 in Brussels. Each debate takes a specific sectoral view on intercultural dialogue, and will cover such topics as media, arts and heritage, the workplace, inter-religious dialogue, education and youth, migration and integration. Commissioner Figel pointed out that one of the three key objectives in the European cultural agenda in the era of globalisation is implementation of action in support of cultural diversity and inter-cultural dialogue. He declared: “Now we can see the achievement of the European Union, and its remarkable success in uniting Europe's countries. Therefore, we can and should face up to the challenges of our continent's cultural and religious mix”. (I.L.)