The first Maltese arts festival joined the European Festivals Association (EFA) in May 2012: the Malta Arts Festival. Now, EFA Secretary General Kathrin Deventer visited the island for an exchange of civil society representatives: on 30 and 31 May, the Valletta 2018 Foundation organised its conference “Imagine 18” to develop Valletta’s bid to host the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2018. The conference brought together artists and cultural operators from various spheres from all over Europe. Imagine 18 placed the Cultural Programme Valletta will need to submit in its final bid later this year at the centre stage, gathering ideas and feedback from stakeholders and interested parties alike. The contributions of artists, cultural managers and journalists formed the basis for an informed civil society input into the bid book. In her presentation, Kathrin Deventer underlined the role of civil society, responsibility and ownership of the local arts and civil society community, the important for the capital to be a project of quality, and an opportunity of change of structures, and even policies on a longer term perspective. The panel consisted of Vince Briffa (artist), Rebecca Cremona (film maker), Kathrin Deventer (European Festivals Association Secretary General), Immanuel Mifsud (writer), Greg Richards (ECoC expert), Karsten Xuereb (V.18 Project Coordinator) and Ruben Zahra (composer). EFA support the position of the civil society initiative A Soul for Europe that the European Capital of Culture is an immense opportunity for each city, and for Europe, to increase a city’s and Europe’s cultural potential and use it more efficiently. The European Capital of Culture is a project that focuses on the quality of what already exists in the local context – which is unique – and on how it can be developed. Deventer stressed: “It is a project that is just a moment, in a process, and that now, six years prior to it, a generational process is launched. The year serves as a catalyst, as a motor of the process which needs and has to allow time – time to consult, to include, to make people participate.” Deventer further explained the importance to involve a city’s citizens in the project: “It is also a project of the citizens with responsibility given to the cities’ actors throughout the process. They become co-creators, in particular the young ones. It is a project of the citizens that lasts, because of a sustainable structure carried by new civil society networks, new thinking, new processes that the ECoC can bring about in a real partnership between culture and business. Even on a political level, new political priorities and new consultation procedures can be initiated.” And added: “It should not risk to be destroyed by political interference: policy should be involved into a dialogue to recognise the value of arts and culture.” Participants agreed: it is a huge opportunity to put culture high on the agenda, as well as Europe, in all its diversity. Related links: • Valletta 2018 • Conference “Imagine 2012” • Photo Gallery • Position of A Soul for Europe