On 5 October, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe welcomed Albania, Lebanon and North Macedonia as its three new member States who joined the Agreement in 2022 on the occasion of the 11th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum held in Chania, Greece from 5 to 7 October. Ambassador Patrick ENGELBERG, Chair of the Statutory Committee of the EPA on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe welcomed Ms. Bisera KOSTADINOVSKA-STOJCHEVSKA, Minister of Culture of North Macedonia; Ms. Meri KUMBE, Vice-Minister of Culture of Albania and Special Advisory Dr. Rachid Chamoun, representing Mr. Walid NASSAR, the Minister of Tourism of Lebanon.

With the accession of these three countries, 37 member States of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) now express their political support and show the relevance of the programme among a growing number of Council of Europe member States and beyond.

Lebanon is currently crossed by 3 “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe”: The Phoenicians’ Route, the Routes of El Llegado Andalusí and the Routes of the Olive Tree. Four “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe” have network members in Albania: The Routes of the Olive Tree, the Phoenicians’ Route, ATRIUM and the Aeneas Route. And North Macedonia is currently crossed by 2 “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe”: The Routes of the Olive Tree and he Iter Vitis Route.

All the countries have the potential for further extensions among the 48 certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe.

A photo gallery of the 11th Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum 2022 and the welcoming ceremony of the new EPA members is available here.