On 8 July 2010, Kathrin Deventer, Secretary General of the European Festivals Association (EFA), attended the festive opening of the Belgian Festival de Namur – one of the branches of the Festival de Wallonie. In the framework of the Belgian EU Presidency, the Festival of Namur and its President, Michel Foret, governor of Liège Province, invited high-level European representatives and of permanent representations of the Council of Cultural Affairs to Namur to conclude their first working day in a festive environment. In 2010, to mark the Walloon Region’s 30th anniversary, the Festival de Wallonie celebrates the region under the motto: “Il est un beau pays en moi.” It explores its territory in all its diversity and travelling back in time in the company of local artists and composers. Following the grand opening in June 2010 in Brussels at the cultural centre Flagey, the festival travels to various cities in Wallonia including Namur, Liege, St Hubert and Stavelot. The Council, this year in November, will announce the Council programme for the next 4 years and its priorities for culture. Important strategic points are on the agenda. Other focus points: the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion and creative and cultural industries. See the full programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council here. The joint dinner was an opportunity for the festival and EFA to exchange on the Council’s work and re-underline EFA’s contribution to the structured dialogue with cultural ministries all over Europe. The work of EFA is well recognised by the Council; representatives appreciated the receipt of the recently published EFA Festivals’ Booklet and thanked Kathrin Deventer for EFA’s efforts for the cultural sector. Next year, the Festival de Namur will focus on youth and the next generation while 2012 will be dedicated to Iberian culture: collaborations with festivals in Spain are envisioned, as Mr Michel Foret, President of the Festival de Wallonie, underlines. Find out more about the Festival de Wallonie.