THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MAKEDONIA

Given that the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo proposes itself as a key subject of the Mediterranean Civil Society working towards the creation of an effective dialogue among the people living on its shores. It paid particular attention to South-Eastern Europe and the countries of the Southern shore, that due to historical events occupied a secondary role in terms of culture and international politics of the last few centuries.

A post-colonial era cannot be conceived of in a serious manner without sensing the deep unity which ties all countries of the Mediterranean, whatever their degree of social and economic development. Lacking this harmonising vision and its consequent unifying conduct, many mediterranean countries will find difficulties in coming out of the situation they fell in the historical period when they were objects rather than subjects (slave trade, colonialism, exploitation of the South; stagnation under the great empires and conditions of underdevelopment for the South-East).

In order to overcome this phase and to reach a full and equalitarian participation a change in conscience is needed, based on the recognition of the role played by those Countries in the shared history, and a political revolution that overcomes direct or indirect assistence in order to enter a true partnership logic, able to rediscover and respect the historical individuality and the cultural uniqueness of all Mediterranean people in order to establish equalitarian form of association.

Essential preamble of this process is a new vision of the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean must be seen in its entirety, not partially by sector or region.

Upon this concept the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo has structured its main actions, proposing Regions, Cities and local collectivities of euromediterranean countries as the focus of all action.

Given that the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo is a non-profit organisation legally recognized by the Regional Council of Campania with resolution n. 11315 dated 25/3/97, and by the Ministry for Arts and Culture with resolution dated 20/4/99 and issued on the G.U . n. 113 dated 17/5/99. The Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo is recognized “Ente culturale di Rilievo” with resolution n. 2228 dated 18/5/99 by the Regional Council of Campania.

The objectives of the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo are:

a) Pursues an ideal of peace and brotherhood among the people of the Mediterranean area - "cradle" of some of the most ancient civilisations – in order to give value to dignity to the Mediterranean world and multiple realities that compose it contributing to allow Macedonia to assume a important role for Europe and Mediterranean countries.

b) Records and diffuses the experiences made by the various euromediterranean people in order to remove hostiliities and misunderstandings, getting closer, from North to South and from East to West, the shores of the Mediterranean.

c) Promotes common values through a stronger dialogue between cultures that contributes to a reconciliation of the societies and of the people of the Mediterranean, in the awareness of the common challenges and of the necessary commitment of joint responibility towards the creation in the region of an area of peace and shared prosperity.

d) Promotes the value and the coexistence of different cultural-linguistic entities giving priorities to human and Civil Society rights in the Euromediterranean region.

e) Promotes and enhances the knowledge, the communicaton, the comprehension, the cooperation and the respect for mediterranean people, also through research and valorization of different traditions and cultures, environment and territory conservation, valorization and safeguard of the past and present euromditerranean cultural heritage.

f) Promotes studies, researches, publications, permanent forum, conferences and cultural encounters.

g) Identifies and valorises a “mediterranean culture" in order to assert, by respecting and giving value to each specific identity, a common identity that favours feelings of peace and cooperation between people.

h) Promotes and develops initiatives in terms of Euromediterranean partnership and decentralised cooperation in order to transform the debate taking place in the Mediterranean area and involving the Euromediterranean area, concomitant but divided, in an open and constructive collective talk, promoting the encounter, the exchange, mutual respect, the collaboration and the solidarity between neighbouring Countries.

i) Plans, develops and activates specialising databases in various disciplines.

l) Promotes and valorises - through “EuromedCity” - the identity of euromediterranean cities.

m) Favours dialogue and constructive confrontation between young mediterranean people.

n) Works towards the amelioration of schooling infrastructures and universities with the aim of realising a basic curriculum common to all Mediterranean countries.

o) Promotes research into health and for the promotion of physical well-being.

p) Creates a network between the various organs of the euromediterranean Civil Society.

q) Constitutes a network of relations and cultural and scientific exchanges between Universities, Associations, etc. – of euromediterranean countries – pursuing the same scopes and working towards reinforcement of the euromediterranean partnership.

r) Be the executive instrument of the Academy of Mediterranean.

s) Promotes, organizes and manages:

- Training, updating and qualification activities focused on young people enemployed and/or employed;

- Training, updating and qualification for teaching and administrative staff, of public institutions, amministrations and universities;

- long-distance training activities;

Given that the Fondazione realises the above stated objectives through the following organisms it established: LABMED, ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, EUROMEDCITY, ISOLAMED, ALMAMED.

In such context the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo has signed collaboration agreements with States, Regions, Cities, Bodies, Institutions, Universities and Associations of Mediterranean Countries in order to promote and support the Euro-Mediterranean partnership development.

Here are some of the protocols already undersigned:

STATES: Albania, Bosnia, Israel, Macedonia, Malta, Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal, Palestinian National Authority, Cyprus.

REGIONS: Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Catalogna, Corsica, Liguria, Piemonte, Sicily, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Toscana, Algarve, Emilia Romegna, PACA.

CITIES: AlgIers, Amman, Assisi (Bettona), Avellino, Barcelona, Bologna, Casablanca, Cattolica, Chieti, Genoa, Jerico, Lecce, Lisbon, Livorno, Ljubijana, Marrakech, Montpellier, Naples, Ohrid, Palermo, Porto Torres, Rome, Sarajevo, Sestri Levante, Skopje, Turin, Trieste, Tunis, Cairo, Marsiglia, Bari, Split, Struga, Athens, Istanbul, Alexandria, Nardò.

UNIVERSITIES: Comunità delle Università Mediterranee – CUM (Bari), Istituto Universitario Orientale (Naples), La Sorbonne (Paris), La Sapienza (Rome), Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Turin, Università di Alessandria (Egypt), Università di Bari, Università di Palermo, Università di Trieste, Università Federico II (Naples), Università di Bologna, Università di Marrakech, Universtà di Rabat, Università di Tunisi, Università di Giordania (Amman), Università di Cadi Ayyad (Marrakech).

INSTITUTIONS, AssociaTIONS, ngOs: Alpe Adria Cinema (Trieste), Associazione Gron (Naples), Centre d’Etudes Mediterranéens (Tunis), Centro Francescano di Cultura «Oltre il Chiostro» (Naples), Centro Paesaggio (Naples), Cineteca del Comune di Bologna, Comunità Mediterranea dei Trasporti (Rome), C. S. I. Piemonte (Turin), Fondazione Humaniter (Milan), Fondation Pégase (Bruxelles), Greenpeace (Rome), GOAL (Bibliotheca Alexandrina), International Peace Center di Sarajevo (Bosnia), LEM (Livorno Euro-Mediterranea), ONU-IDNDR (Geneva), Provveditorato agli Studi di Naples, Sipco (Società Italiana di Psicologia di Comunità) Naples, Società Umanitaria (Milan), UNESCO, European Union, Università Euromediterranea Itinerante, WWF Italia.

Given that the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo, through the “Labmed” network, is active in the following fields:

1 Intercultural Dialogue - The initiatives are directed in favour of the encounter and confrontation between different cultures, religions, traditions and different mode las of social organisation of the Countries on the two shores of the Mediterranean. The construction of opportunities for the encounter, debate and elaboration with the widest and most articulated participation possible, constitute the working objective in this sphere through the “Labmed interculture” project.

2 Development of the cultural heritage (artistic, architectural, archaeological, environmental) of the Mediterranean by cataloguing and monitoring through the use of new technologies and telecommunication instruments. The exegesis of the mediterranean cultural unit underlying such diversity of cultures through the millennia constitutes one of the priority objectives. The acknowledgement of the memories of the past overcomes a ‘mere inventory value’ of the cataloguing activity operated on the cultural heritage. In such area the project “Labmed cultural heritage” has been activated, aiming at cataloguing and endorse the cultural heritage on a mediterranean scale in order to increment the opportunities of employment and development linked to the exploitation of such heritage.

3 Youth – Young people represent the emerging group of the mediterranean area. To favour a dialogue between them and a constructive and permanent confrontation is a priority that is explicited through the project named “Labmed Youth”. The immediate objective is to work towards the constitution of a permanent Forum of young people from Mediterranean Countries for the exchange of knowledge and experiences on themes such as schooling, work, training and employment at the dawn of the third millennium, as well as on their reciprocal cultural values.

4 Women, democracy and rights – The citizenship rights of women risk to remain the enunciation of a formal principle if the entire Civil Society does not work towards their actualisation. It is expected that instruments promoting their development be established, in cooperation with the numerous associations and women’s networks existing in the entire mediterranean area. The Project “Labmed women, democracy, rights” is its expression.

5 Individual-environment-community interaction: development, education and training – The construction of the social assets takes place within the interaction between individual experiences (affections, beliefs, memories, sentiments and plans) and collective social processes; thus, it is considered opportune to favour individual and social wellbeing identifying the aspects that facilitate the construction of positive synergies between the different Countries as well as between ethnic and religious groups. Promotional actions for development, education and training are co-activated in relation to the problems and themes identified. A peculiarity of the project is to act in a perspective of promotion of the participation and activation of the resources that the groups and Countries possess. Such activity area is expressed through the project “Labmed empowerment: education, training, employment”.

6 Cities – In light of the economic, political and social transformations arisen from the actualisation of the global market, the Labmed network and the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo work to reaffirm the identity of mediterranean cities and act through projects, initiatives and actions aimed at re-qualifying the urban context and its liveability.

7 Documentation Centre – Studies and research as well as the collection of scientific and cultural material realised by the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo constitute a documentation and technical support centre for the projects and the activities realised through the Labmed network.

8 Civil Society Database – In order to consent to the interested parties (Universities, research institutes, chambers of commerce, private entrepreneurs, local authorities, international organisations etc.) the rapid identification of partners with whom to present projects to the EU or other international organisations, the Fondazione Laboratorio mediterraneo has activated a Database of the Civil Society.

Given that the ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN – established in Naples by the FONDAZIONE LABORATORIO MEDITERRANEO on 10th October 1998 – is the congregation of all of the NATIONAL ACADEMIES and other ACADEMIES and CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS highly representative of the Countries bordering the Mediterranean.

To date the Academy* boasts 561 participating institutions, among which 168 Universities, 67 national and regional Academies, 200 cultural and research Institutes, 48 Cities, etc..

The ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN has its FIRST OBJECTIVE in the creation of the critical inventory of the culture of the Mediterranean - through specific and coordinated programs, each entrusted to one of its branches, a bureau or a long established Institution specialising in a particular field.

“Culture of the Mediterranean” signifies its:

A) natural and environmental heritage in their physical and historical evolution;

B) learned and popular imagery heritage, studied through its roots, in its developments and the possible archetypes;

C) cultural heritage, determined by all of its oral and written manifestations.

By cultural heritage it is meant “material” culture, literary and artistic culture, the thought tradition, speculative and scientific, popular culture, the technical and practical traditions.

The ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN thus establishes a vast database resulting from the total of the programmed databases, which are being realised or have already been completed.

This in progress electronic inventory constitutes the ensemble of necessary but not sufficient data for the second objective of the ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN.

The SECOND OBJECTIVE of the ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN consists of establishing the complete ecology of mediterranean culture.

Ecology must be intended for its current linguistic significance, originally defined by Einar Haugen, The Ecology of Language, (Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1972) as the studies derived from it and lately redefined by Louis-Jean Calvet, Pour une écologie des langues du monde (Plon, Parigi, 1999 ).

As ecology studies the relationship between organisms and their environment, the ecology of mediterranean culture studies the relationship among mediterranean cultures between them and mediterranean societies, that is essentially the relationships and interactions between mediterranean cultures and also between these cultures and mediterranean societies.

In order to actualise this second objective the ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN will undertake through its HEADQUARTERS, BRANCHES and BUREAUX research activities, divulged through the planned publications of the ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN.

All research will consist of new and original contributions on the problems tackled, no matter their nature. Excluded is – to the ACADEMY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN - the diffusion of repetitive texts, in so far as everything which scientifically selected information is already contained in its databases.

The synthesis of its research activities will constitute the Encyclopaedia of the Mediterranean, organised following distinct criteria already established by the FONDAZIONE LABORATORIO MEDITERRANEO.

As the global database accomplishes the activities voted at serving the first objective thus the Ebcyclopaedia of the Mediterranean will complete the research and study aimed at the actualisation of the second objective.