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Each year, in order to raise public awareness and to draw support from national governments, the EU focuses on specific themes of relevance to Europe’s growth and development. The Czech Presidency of the EU and European Commission launched the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 on Wednesday, 7 January with the slogan “Imagine. Create. Innovate”.
At the accompanying launch conference, the Ambassadors for the Year presented a report on creativity and innovation in the EU, whose message is that investment in education and in the skills and creative capacity of Europe should be the top priority of EU institutions and governments. The aim of the Year is to promote creative and innovative approaches in different sectors of human activity and contribute to better equip the European Union for the challenges ahead in a globalised world.
The European Year begins against the backdrop of the current economic crisis, and many speakers underlined that boosting creativity and innovation is part of the solution. ”We do not know how long this crisis will last and how deep it will become. But when it is over, those who will have invested in creativity and innovation will find themselves well ahead of the pack," the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel', said in his address.
There was unanimous consensus among the speakers that investment in education and in the skills and creative capacity of Europe should be the top priority of EU institutions and governments. They stressed that it would be a fundamental mistake to cut research & development and education spending in the context of the current crisis. For them, creativity and innovation are vital tools to tackle Europe's challenges, including demographic change, globalisation, climate change, and the transition of the EU to being a knowledge-based society.
The European Year of Innovation and Creativity aims to raise awareness of the importance of creativity and innovation as key competences for personal, social and economic development. By emphasizing creativity and innovation, the EU aims to shape Europe's future in a global competition by fostering the creative and innovative potential in all of us. The EU will offer a framework for raising awareness of the issues concerned and promoting a policy debate on how to increase Europe's creative and innovative potential. As with previous European Years, measures will include promotion campaigns, events and initiatives at European, national, regional and local levels.
In addition, six public debates on key topics relating to Creativity and Innovation will be held in Brussels during the Year to provide a platform for reflection and exchange of ideas which can contribute to policy discussion on Creativity and Innovation. They will cover such issues as cultural diversity, public sector, education, knowledge society, sustainable development or creative arts and industries.
In Ireland, the contact point for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation is the International Section of the Department of Education and Science in Dublin.
For more information see the official website at http://www.create2009.europa.eu
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