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12.03.2015

The Forum d’Avignon laureate of the 2nd edition of the 2015 French-German Award for Cultural and Creative Industries

Paris. December 2nd 2015. At the initiative of Guy Maugis, President of the Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Jérôme Duval-Hamel, President of the French-German Award for Cultural and Creative Industries, and with EY partnership, the French-German Award for Cultural and Creative Industries has been attributed to the Forum d’Avignon and Forum d’Avignon Ruhr during the 2nd edition of the Award ceremony, in the presence of Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, Matthias Fekl, French Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Iris Gleicke, German Secretary of State, representing the Federal Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister of Economics and Energy. The three ex-aequo 2015 winners have been designated amongst 5 selected nominees out of 112 selected projects.

From the first International meetings of the Forum of Avignon in 2008, the French-German friendship was underlined. This will was translated by a partnership between the think tank of the Forum of Avignon and ecce, the structure created for the European capital of the culture Ruhr 2010 and the organizer of the Forum of Avignon-Ruhr of which the fourth edition was kept on September 22nd and 23rd, 2015 in Essen.

Created on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Elysée Treaty and of the French-German award for Economy in 2013, the aim is to reward individuals, companies and institutions that have strengthened French-German industrial or commercial cooperation in the cultural domain.

“The Forum d’Avignon is particularly honored by this award that will honor not only a solid French-German friendship, but also the shared conviction between two countries, which must be tirelessly recalled, that culture is an investment that is collective, political and individual, and that its triple nature – artistic, economic and social – actively participating in the citizen and territorial development.” Hervé Digne, President of the Forum d’Avignon, and Axel Ganz, Vice-President of the Forum d’Avignon declared.

“With about 84 Mds€ of the revenues in 2013 in France and 145 Mds€ in Germany, 1,3 million jobs in France and 1,6 M in Germany and 8 % of companies, the cultural and creative industries have a central role for the economic and social attractiveness of territories, Laure Kaltenbach, Managing director of the Forum d’Avignon specified. This belief from the beginning has had an active relay in Germany thanks to the partnership during the EU project Catalyse that called European actors to action in March 2014 to restate culture’s role as a strategical necessity for the future of Europe.”

“The cooperation between the Forum d’Avignon and ecce (manager of the Forum d’Avignon Ruhr) is instrumental to foster the European potential of the Ruhr region, Prof. Dieter Gorny, Managing director of ecce explains, and thus contributes to the sustainability of the European Capital of Culture, RUHR.2010. This European bridge is an inter-cultural as much as inter-policy energy diffuser for all stakeholders in the Ruhr - as such it could be a role model of how Europe contributes directly to the success of cities and regions“.

Download the press release of the Forum d'Avignon

Download the official press release of the event