07/04/2003 - French Culture Minister visits Romania, Hungary and Poland to strengthen links prior to their joining the EU

Poland, Hungary and Romania are the three Central European countries to be visited by France’s Minister for Culture and Communications Jean-Jacques Aillagon to strengthen cultural links with those about to enter the EU.

Jean-Jacques Aillagon, the French minister for culture, will meet his counterparts in Romania, Razvan Theodorescu, Hungary Gabor Görgey and Poland Waldemar Dąbrowski. The key issue will be the "importance of cultural links in Europe and the need to defend cultural and linguistic diversity".
At the press conference to announce the launch of the ARTE TV channel in Hungary, scheduled for 9 April in Budapest, discussion will centre on Europe’s film and audiovisual industries. The event also features the screening of Etre et avoir and the groundwork for the French Film Festival scheduled for 25-27 April in Budapest, organised by Unifrance, the agency that promotes French cinema abroad, will be also be laid. Aillagon will be in the Romanian capital, Bucarest, on 8 April and will meet with Polish film and audiovisual representatives in Warsaw on 10 April. The Polish delegation includes director, Andrzej Wajda as well as numerous younger filmmakers. Roman Polanski will speak at the conference on the subject of cultural diversity scheduled to take place in Warsaw on 11 April.

(Translated from French)