The Regional Forum Trans-Balkan Cultural Corridor Greece-Bulgaria-Romania – Shared Heritage and Common European Future (Plovdiv, 16-17 November 2007) is part of a project initiated by the Regional Governor of Plovdiv Region under the EU Communication Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria 2007, and is realised in partnership with the Association for Cultural Tourism. The Forum will develop and specify the ideas from the Regional Forum Cultural Corridors of South East Europe and the commitments of Varna Declaration (Varna, 2005) and the Regional Forum Communication of Heritage (Opatija, 2006). The project is linked with the project Cultural heritage: education – science – preservation – integrated in tourism (HERITAGE: ESPRIT) by UACEG, NAA, ACT and ICOMOS/Bulgaria, selected by the Ministry of Education and Science Study on National Historic and Culture Legacy as a part of European Cultural Heritage and Advanced Methods for Preserving.

The theme of the Forum is the cultural corridor Eastern Trans-Balkan cultural road between the three countries – a basis for mutual knowledge of each other, sustainable regional development and enhancement of the positive image of the countries from the region of South East Europe. One of the goals the Forum puts forward is to foster the undertaking of common actions through the creation of a mechanism for partnership between the concerned parties for a balances sustainable development of the cultural heritage, cultural tourism and cultural industry along the Eastern Trans-Balkan road as a basis for a regional politic for the preservation and use of the cultural values.

The participants – Bulgarian regional administrations and municipalities, representatives of the regional authorities from Greece and Romania, the neighbouring countries along the Eastern Trans-Balkan road, experts from Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, representatives of NGO – will adopt a Final document for the undertaking of common actions for realisation of the first cultural corridor between the three countries – members of the European Union.

An integral part of the Regional Forum in the Exhibition Cultural Corridors and Cultural Heritage of South East Europe, arranged by the Association for Cultural Tourism. It will present with modern information technologies the concept for the cultural corridors, the achievement of Bulgaria in its development and the role of the Eastern Trans-Balkan road and the major cultural values along it.