From 4-6 June in Krakow, a conference and experts’ round table on ‘Culture and Development: 20 Years After the Fall of Communism in Europe’ organised by the Council of Europe in the framework of “CultureWatchEurope”, the Council of Europe’s information platform for culture, heritage and media development, took place. Under the patronage of the Polish ministry, 40 experts on cultural policy discussed the state of play of culture and cultural policies in the former communist countries. Subject areas including the position of culture, values of culture, cultural behaviours, culture in rural areas, what citizens spend on culture, the place of culture in the economy were analysed and discussed. The Cracow process The conference resulted in a statement on the key role of culture and cultural policy for development and progress. Participants agreed, amongst others, that culture must be given a more central position in the policy and development strategies at every level. The final recommendation paper will be presented to the Culture Committee of the Council and brought into national ministries. Related documents: • Conference statement • Conference background paper