Cultural Routes of Europe at the 11th Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week
Cultural routes with a seat in Slovenia — and those that cross the country — will be presented at the 11th Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week, one of the key annual gatherings of the EU macro-regional community.
The event takes place on 14 and 15 September 2026 in Izola, Slovenia, and brings together decision makers, national coordinators, project partners and stakeholders from the Adriatic-Ionian region and beyond, which makes it an ideal place to explain what the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme is, how it works in practice, and why it deserves a firm place in international EU projects.
When and where
- Event: 11th Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week
- Dates: 14 and 15 September 2026
- Place: Izola, Slovenia
- Cultural routes in Slovenia are scheduled to be represented in following parts of overall program:
- Monday, 15 September, 16:00 — round table
- Monday, 15 September, 17:00 — meeting with the representatives of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, including the visit of Director Rui Gomes to Slovenia
Cultural routes in Slovenia and Slovenian Cemeteries Route will be represented by several management representatives from the routes. Common work of routes in Slovenia will be presented within the planned activities.
What is the Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week?
The Mediterranean Coast and Macro-Regional Strategies Week is an annual forum where the EU macro-regional strategies — including EUSAIR, the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region — meet coastal and territorial development practice. EUSAIR connects ten countries around the Adriatic and Ionian basin around shared priorities: blue growth, connectivity, environmental quality and sustainable tourism, the pillar under which cultural heritage and cultural routes naturally belong.
Full event information is available on the official EUSAIR event page, and more about the strategy itself on About EUSAIR.
For cultural routes this context matters. Routes are, by definition, transnational: they only work when partners in different countries agree on a common theme, a common quality standard and a common way of telling their stories. Macro-regional strategies are built on exactly the same logic — cooperation across borders, around a shared territory.
Participation planned in two stages
1. Round table on the Cultural Routes programme in Slovenia
A presentation of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in Slovenia: to the stakeholders and decision makers in the region.
What was achieved, what are the strengths and opportunities, as well as weaknesses and threats that routes are facing.
Showcasing our Slovenian practical cases helps developing better EU tenders in the region.
Round table: Monday, 15 September 2026 at 16:00, Izola.
2. Meeting with the Director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes
A dedicated meeting with the Director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes, Rui Gomes.
An opportunity to discuss the position of routes seated in Slovenia, the visibility of routes crossing the country, digital tools for route networks, and the next steps in joint activities and project pipelines.
Meeting: Monday, 15 September 2026 at 17:00, Izola.
Why this is important for cultural routes in Slovenia
Slovenia hosts the headquarters of two certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: the European Cemeteries Route and the European Route of Women Writers.
It is crossed by a number of other certified routes. Presenting the programme in front of stakeholders from many countries has direct consequences:
- Visibility where decisions are prepared. National coordinators, regional authorities and programme managers in the room are the same people who shape future calls and project consortia.
- New partners for existing routes. Every route grows through members. A macro-regional audience is the shortest path to institutions that can become route members or project partners.
- Recognition of routes as project infrastructure. A certified route is not a one-off project — it is a permanent transnational network that can carry results long after funding ends.
- Stronger position for Slovenian-seated route management. Hosting a route seat is a responsibility and an asset; it should be recognised as such in international programming.
What it means for our project partners
Two ARTOUR projects are directly connected to this participation. Their partners are the ones who will feel the effects first — in visibility, in new contacts and in future project opportunities.
Slovenian Cemeteries Route
The Slovenian Cemeteries Route is the national network that connects cemetery managers, municipalities and heritage institutions around a shared, sensitive and remarkably rich part of our heritage. Presenting the Cultural Routes programme at a macro-regional level:
- positions the national route as a credible partner in international projects, not only as a domestic initiative;
- opens the door to cooperation with cemetery and heritage institutions in other Adriatic-Ionian countries;
- strengthens the link with the certified European Cemeteries Route, whose seat is in Slovenia;
- makes member content — points of interest, guides, stories — visible in a much wider European context.
Crossroads of Cultural Routes in Slovenia
Slovenia is a genuine crossroads: several certified Cultural Routes of Europe meet on a very small territory. This project makes that density visible and usable for visitors and for institutions. The participation at the event:
- presents the crossroads idea to stakeholders who work with exactly this kind of transnational logic;
- supports joint promotion of all routes passing through Slovenia, regardless of their theme;
- creates a platform for future joint applications with partners from EUSAIR countries;
- reinforces the argument that cultural routes are a sustainable tourism asset, not only a cultural one.
About the programme: the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme, launched in 1987, demonstrates through journeys in space and time how the heritage of different European countries contributes to a shared cultural heritage. Certification is granted by the Council of Europe and technically supported by the European Institute of Cultural Routes in Luxembourg.
About EUSAIR: the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region brings together ten countries around blue growth, connecting the region, environmental quality and sustainable tourism. Learn more.