A gala session of the City Council of the City of Ljubljana was held today at Ljubljana Castle to celebrate May 9, Ljubljana City Holiday – Peace Day. The meeting was also attended by a number of Mayors and delegations of capitals who are participating in the Mayors’ Meeting. The Mayor Zoran Janković has declared Prof Irena Grafenauer, an exceptional flautist, and academician Prof Dr Vinko V. Dolenc Honorary Citizens.
The awards of the City of Ljubljana for 2008 were given to Dr Lučka Kajfež Bogataj, blood donor Marijan Pečan and the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Finally, the placards of the City of Ljubljana for 2008 went to Uroš Lajovic, Vladislav Sluga, Tone Sazonov – Tonač, J.E. Krek – Sostro Fruit growing and gardening society, Jelka Kindergarten, Anton Tone Zadnikar, Dr Dimitrij Mitja Bartenjev, Dr Marjana Kobe, Rašiški rod Scouts society and Močvirski tulipani Scouts society.

Today at 6pm in the atrium of the City Museum in Ljubjana Mayor Zoran Janković is to unveil a statue of a White Angel, a symbol of Ljubljana's invitation to Vilnius in 2009 when Vilnius will be European Capital of Cuture.
Angels by renowned Lithuanian artist Vaidas Ramošk have embellished Vilnius for some years, and from this year on as a symbol of the goodwill and hospitality that Vilnius extends to other European cities. The symbol of kindness is already on view in Warsaw, Kaliningrad, St Petersburg and Stockholm, while by 2009 it will decorate a further 15 buildings and public spaces in other European cities. Each angel is created specially for the space in which it is later sited.

The mayors and delegations of the European capitals attending the Meeting will, accompanied by Mayor Zoran Janković, view a showing of parts of the documentary 'Divided God' at Ivan Cankar Hall today between 10.30 and noon.
This is the second consecutive year that the City of Ljubljana's Youth office has supported the Divided God project, which is a joint project between Ljubljana, Istanbul, Berlin, Mostar and Novi Sad.
Nowadays, we are witnessing an increase in negatively polarised social structures, such as for example the new conservativism that is spreading in Europe and elsewhere in the world. This phenomenon may be observed in post-communist countries in which all left wing values are understood and interpreted as unacceptable for the development of modern capitalism. Numerous revisions of newer history (especially the Second World War) are being published, written by right-wing authors to rehabilitate quislings and fascists. This is not only happening in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Slovakia, but also in Germany and the USA. Signs of xenophobia are increasing, even in traditionally open societies like the Netherlands and France, while religiously founded conflicts between Muslims, Christians and Jews have reached global dimensions.
In spite of the new logic of globalisation – or perhaps precisely due to it – individual approaches towards the local environment, family, education and religion have not decreased or disappeared. This is where the question springs up: Is the increase of new conservatism, xenophobia and religious fundamentalism a reflection of the basic human and social need for identity, safety and belonging to one’s social environment? Or is it a consequence of the social directing of manipulative religious leaders, politicians and elders who influence the development of children and youngsters?
The documentaries being shown are the work of participants in the project under the mentorship of Želimir Žilnik, who has been awarded a Berlin bear for directors. The project has also received praise from the European Cultural Foundation and has recently been invited to the University of Columbia.

Additional information on the Divided God project may be obtained at www.pozitiv.si/dividedgod

Pogačarjev Square will today, beginning at 10am, become for a short period a kind of 'European Village'. Pupils from Bežigrad Primary School will be on stands representing the 27 EU member states, their national symbols, history, culture, customs, traditions, national costumes, music, sport, culinary delicacies and other features. Mayor Zoran Janković is also to take part in the event accompanied by various mayors of the capital cities participating in the Meeting of Mayors of European Capitals.
The European Village is a project organised by Maribor European House and the School for Headteachers. The aim of the project, in which nine regional primary schools, a primary school from Medvode and Naklo Primary School are participating, is to stimulate intercultural understanding, tolerance, the acceptance of diversity, solidarity, the awareness of other nations and EU member states and above all to be also aware of one's own cultural identity

Both Ljubljana Declarations were signed in the Red Hall at Ljubljana City Hall a little before 6pm on 8 May by the representatives of capital cities, participants in the Meeting of Mayors of the capitals of EU member states, candidate states for membership and states from the EU enlargement area. The Declarations are the Mayors' Declaration on the role of the capital city in intercultural dialogue and the creation of active co-existence, which will contribute to respect for diversity and via this to raising the quality of life in capitals, and the Declaration on relationships between capital cities and the State, which is an expression of the desire for the independence of the local authorities.

The capital of the Republic of Lithuania has joined both declarations, which the Mayor of Vilnius wished to sign personally, but was unfortunately unable to participate in the Meeting in Ljubljana due to professional duties. Therefore, they will be sent to him to sign by mail.

		Declaration on relationships between capital cities
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		Declaration on the role of the capital city in intercultural dialogue
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The Mayors and delegations also adopted a Declaration on Relationships between capital cities and the State. Participants at the round table put special importance on capital cities, which are the economic, political, social and cultural centres of the state, and agreed that it was urgent to improve the system of financing local authorities, as the current division of funds does not enable development. Co-operation between them will also be important for the future of European capital cities, by which cities must not lose their own individual identities

		Declaration on relationships between capital cities
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Following the round table entitled ‘The role of capital cities in intercultural dialogue and in the creation of active cohabitation’, the capitals that are attending the Meeting of Mayors have passed the Mayors’ declaration of on the role of capital cities in intercultural dialogue and in the creation of active cohabitation.
Most capital cities had no objections to the Declaration; only the representative of Ankara expressed his disagreement, stating that solely the Greek part of Nicosia should be entered into the Declaration. Therefore, Ankara will rethink the signing of the Declaration.
On this occasion, the Mayor Zoran Janković emphasised that the main purpose of this Declaration is the activation of the intercultural dialogue, with which political borders would be surpassed.

		Declaration on the role of the capital city in intercultural dialogue
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At the first roundtable, the speakers presented differing views on intercultural dialogue in capital cities. The Mayor of Sarajevo, Smemiha Borovac, stressed that intercultural dialogue was not new to them, as the city had lived with it since its foundation.
Luxembourg is also an extremely multicultural city, for which intense metropolisation has been characteristic in recent years, meaning that many people merely travel to work in Luxembourg, while they actually live in other, neighbouring countries. The city is striving to keep these people in the future and therefore motivates integration in different ways. Communication is very important in this, as “language is an essential part of our identity and our advantage lies in being very open towards other languages” said Paul Helmiger, Mayor of Luxembourg. Thus, citizens can receive information from municipal offices not only in the official French, but in three other languages as well, while they have also set up several international schools.
In the past, Warsaw has not faced immigration, but nowadays certain new minorities have already appeared and they expect there to be more immigration in the future. Therefore, as Mayor Hanna Gronkiewiez Waltz put it, they wish to prepare for it, so that intolerance between different cultures does not spring up or that the dividing lines between them can be done away with.
The representative of Ankara stressed that Ankara was an important example of dialogue between civilisations as it co-operates both with the Islamic world and with Europe, and that its aspirations are for peace, not conflict.
In Vilnius, where many immigrants from Russia, Belarus and China have arrived in past years, integration is regarded as a challenge. However, as Deputy Mayor Artur Liudkovski said, any potential appearance of intolerance will be solved successfully as Vilnius has always been a multicultural city.
Although the percentage of immigration is extremely small in Tallinn, they nevertheless strive for Tallinn to become a tolerant city with European values. “Experience shows that cities are much more effective at integration than countries and therefore they can contribute strongly to the shaping of integration politics” Deputy Mayor Deniss Boroditš emphasised.

The official part of the Meeting of European Capitals’ Mayors has begun with an introductory greeting by Mayor Zoran Janković and a speech by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk.
The President congratulated the City of Ljubljana on their initiative for the networking of European capitals, which is nowadays of outstanding global importance. The Mayor reemphasised the importance of cooperation between the capital city and the state, as well as the ability of cohabitation by respecting differences. He expressed his conviction that the Meeting will close with the signing of both declarations which are to become the foundations for further work of the capitals and a bright future.
The Meeting of European Capitals’ Mayors has been attended by the Mayors of Ankara, Budapest, Dublin, Luxembourg, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje, Vienna and Warsaw, the Deputy Mayors of Nicosia, Paris, Tallinn, Tirana and Vilnius, as well as the delegations of Helsinki and Stockholm. The Mayor of Zagreb will join the Meeting in the afternoon.

This evening at 9pm at Pogačarjev Square there is a concert by the Slovenian Philharmonia entitled "Europe to Ljubljana – Ljubljana to Europe", which commemorates 9 May, European Day and the Ljubljana Holiday. The event is organised by the City of Ljubljana and the European Commission Office in Ljubljana. The concert is to be attended by mayors and delegations attending the EU mayors' meeting. The orchestra will play under the baton of conductor George Pehlivanian while soprano Sabina Cvilak also appears.

At 6pm today in the historic atrium at Ljubljana City Hall there is to be the opening of an exhibition of the 'Šmartinsko Partnership' international competition for the urban redesign of the broader Šmartinska Road area.
The purpose of the competition was to obtain planning and urban design solutions for the total facelift of an area covering 228 hectares between Šmartinska, Savska and Bratislavska Roads and the railway line. The Commission appraised 15 submissions and announced the prizewinning submissions from among them on 30 April 2008.
First Prize was won by Hosoya Schäfer Architects from Zürich with their partners Space Syntax Limited from London and Wüst&Partners from Zürich, giving a greater urban vision to the new part of town with a strongly expressed character and emphasised image of the centre based upon an internal central boulevard with a central park and combining two urban networks: the enlargement of BTC shopping centre and the enlargement of the traditional city core.

At 5pm today, 7 May 2008, in the Glass Atrium of City Hall in Ljubljana, Mayor of the City of Ljubljana Zoran Janković and Mayoress of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz opened an exhibition of photography by Wojciecha Kryńskega entitled 'New Warsaw'.
Warsaw has undergone marked changes in the last fifteen years. It has become a lively city full of cultural events that attract young people, while an inflow of foreign capital has meant great investment. All such changes have a positive influence on the contemporary city and on Warsaw architecture that is still being modernised and renovated.
The photography, which is to be on display until 21 May, showcases modern Warsaw, while it is also possible to see how older Warsaw architecture comes face to face with modern buildings and new areas of the city.

As early as today, the first Meeting of the Mayors of the capital cities of the EU member states, candidate states for membership and states from the EU enlargement zone is beginning in Ljubljana with the arrival of the first delegations. The meeting takes place at the initiative of Mayor Zoran Janković, while it is hosted by the City of Ljubljana.
The missions that have confirmed their arrival thus far are the Cities of Ankara, Budapest, Dublin, Helsinki, Luxembourg , Nicosia, Paris, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tirana, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw and Zagreb.