The ambassador of The Kingdom of The Netherlands in Sofia, HE Willem van Ee, gave a special press conference for the official launch of the "BG-NL: Cultural Celebration 2007" program.

The program is devoted to the first year of Bulgaria's EU membership.

As ambassador Van Ee said: "Bulgaria's EU membership is a historical step and we should celebrate it. And what a better way of celebrating it than with culture."

A special logo has been created to mark the year of celebration. The aim of the program is to bring The Netherlands and Bulgaria closer together in a spectacular cultural celebration. In the true European spirit the Dutch and Bulgarian people will share a rich variety of cultural events.

"Cultural Celebration 2007" includes series of events in various fields such as: dance, music, films, photography, literature, theatre and design, which will take place in Bulgaria throughout the year. It is coordinated by the Netherlands Embassy in Sofia and the Service Centre for International Cultural Activities (SICA) in Amsterdam.

Funding for the project is provided by The Netherlands Culture Fund, financed by the following Dutch institutions: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Service Centre for International Cultural Activities, Amsterdam and the Netherlands Embassy in Sofia. The Netherlands Culture Fund allocated an additional budget for the program, which together with the regular Embassy budget for culture accounts for nearly BGN 320.000.

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