A meeting of the Ambassadors for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 (EYCI) took place on Wednesday, 25 March in Brussels. The Ambassadors' discussions over the coming months will lead to a "Manifesto for Creativity and Innovation in Europe" to inspire future work at European level.

(source: EUROPA Rapid Press Releases)

A meeting of the Ambassadors for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 (EYCI) is taking place on Wednesday, 25 March in Brussels. The Ambassadors' discussions over the coming months will lead to a "Manifesto for Creativity and Innovation in Europe" to inspire future work at European level. Creativity and innovation are relevant to a vast range of human activities, and the composition of the group of the Ambassadors for the Year reflects the breadth of this range and the diversity of the issues at stake.

The Ambassadors for the Year are prominent personalities who are committed to the aims of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 and are helping to make it a success by taking part in various events organised throughout the Year. They are not only raising its visibility, but also helping to shape the debate by contributing insights from their respective fields of expertise.

The European Commission has proposed that creativity and innovation should be one of the pillars of future European cooperation on education and training. Building on the Ambassadors' experiences, the Commission would now like to explore with them how to create an environment in which creativity can flourish.

During the first meeting of the Ambassadors in Prague on January 7 there was unanimous consensus that investment in education and in the skills and creative capacity of Europe should be the top priority of EU institutions and governments. It would be a fundamental mistake to cut spending on research and development and education in the context of the current crisis. Mr. Esko Aho cited the Finnish example of tackling the economic crisis of the 90s, overcome through increasing R&D spending and preserving spending in education. Individuals and communities should be at the core of strategic approaches to creativity and innovation, as Europe depends on its human capital, stated Mr. Radu Mihaileanu, while a stronger collaboration between business, universities and research centres and the public sector was brought up by several speakers.