On July 2-3, the National Forum "Cahul4Culture" was held in Cahul, bringing together representatives of cultural institutions, national and international experts, government officials and community leaders to discuss and share ideas about the importance of cultural policies in promoting European values. The event was organized in the context of the 522nd anniversary of the city of Cahul.

On Tuesday, July 2, the official opening of the forum began with the congratulatory message of the Mayor of Cahul, Mr. Nicolae Dandiș, addressed to all residents and guests of the municipality, as well as with the messages of the event's guests: the Program Officer of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Giuseppe Paglione; the Member of Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Ms. Marcela Nistor; the State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Andrei Chistol; the national manager of the EU4Culture project, Mr. Constantin Vlas; the Vice-President of the Cahul District Council, Ms. Tatiana Seredenco and His Excellency, Mr. Nicola Gabriel, Consul General of the Consulate General of Romania in Cahul 

The first day of the National Forum “Cahul4Culture” featured several discussion panels that were held at the “BP Hasdeu” State University and the “Nicolae Botgros” Palace of Culture in Cahul. The first panel, entitled “European Integration Agenda in the Field of Culture”, was moderated by the Mayor of Cahul, Mr. Nicolae Dandiș, and included contributions from renowned personalities, such as Ms. Monica Urian from the European Commission, Ms. Marcela Nistor, Member of Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Andrei Chistol, Secretary of State, Mr. Veaceslav Reabcinschi, researcher, and the project manager, Ms. Silvia Strelciuc. The discussions focused on the importance of collaboration and European integration strategies in the cultural sector.

The second panel, “Practices of development and digitalization of culture at the local level”, was moderated by Mr. Constantin Vlas, EU4Culture country manager. The panelists, including the deputy mayor of Cahul, Ms. Tatiana Romaniuc, the director of the Cahul Land Museum, Ms. Marina Prepeliță, the CahulActiv project coordinator, Ms. Nadejda Cudobețchi, and the head of the Orhei Local and Regional Development Center, Mr. Mihail Gandrabura, discussed the implementation of modern technologies and digital solutions to improve access to and participation in cultural life in local communities.

The third panel, held at the “Nicolae Botgros” Palace of Culture, addressed the topic of creative industries in the Republic of Moldova, offering a perspective on policies and opportunities for development and internationalization. Moderated by Ms. Marina Lița, representing GEN Moldova, the panelists: Mr. Thomas Alveteg, Deputy Director of the Department of Development and Cooperation, First Secretary of the Embassy of Sweden in the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Andrei Chistol, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Ashot Tserunyan, Economic Development Officer of Armenia, Ms. Carolina Tulgara, Executive Director of ZIPHOUSE Fashion Hub, Mr. Nicolae Mocanu, Administrator of the Inotek Center and Ms. Olesea Fortuna, President of GEN Moldova, highlighted Sweden’s successes in supporting the creative sector, presented the National Program “Creative Moldova” and successful international experiences.

The last panel discussion was dedicated to the theme "Cultural Management and the Regulatory Framework" and brought together experts and practitioners to analyze the functioning of cultural institutions. The discussions were moderated by Ms. Lilian Danilov, national expert, and included contributions from the mayor of Slobozia Marevillage, Ms. Valentina Carastan, the manager of the Palace of Culture, Ms. Rodica Panașescu, and Ms. Marina Iurcu, museographer from the Călărași Museum of History and Ethnography.

Wednesday, July 3, marked the end of the second and final day of the “Cahul4Culture” Cultural Forum. Discussions focused on the development of cultural tourism in the Cahul region and on examples of good practices from European cultural capitals.

The moderator of the first panel "Development of cultural tourism in the Cahul region" was Ms. Elena Stepanov, director of ANTRIM. Among the participants were Ms. Tatiana Seredenco, vice-president of Cahul district, Ms. Silvia Știrbeț, mayor of Văleni village, Ms. Eugenia Negru-Stoica, manager of OMD "Lunca Prutului", Ms. Silvia Strelciuc, consultant of the VIA Cahul tourism cluster, and Ms. Elena Bălățel, representative of the National Tourism Office.

The panelists laid the foundations for initiatives aimed at promoting this area with a rich cultural heritage.

The second panel of the forum was dedicated to the theme "European Capital of Culture - a model of local and inclusive development" and was moderated by Ms. Romaniuc Tatiana, Deputy Mayor of Cahul Municipality. This discussion was attended by Ms. Simona Neimann, national expert from Timișoara, Romania (European Capital of Culture in 2023), Ms. Silvia Strelciuc, EU4Culture Cahul project manager and Mr. Constantin Vlas, EU4Culture country manager. The panel highlighted the importance of cultural initiatives for local development and social inclusion, inspiring the local community of Cahul to adopt successful models from other European Capitals of Culture.

The discussions focused on strategies for developing and promoting cultural tourism, capitalizing on local resources, and inter-institutional collaboration to attract visitors and stimulate the local economy. The Cahul4Culture Forum represented an excellent opportunity for the exchange of ideas and good practices, confirming the commitment of all parties involved in the sustainable development and prosperity of the Cahul region.

The forum was organized by the Cahul City Hall in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, the "Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu" State University of Cahul and the Cahul District Council, with the financial support of the European Union within the project "Cahul - Cultural-Creative Capital of the Republic of Moldova". This project is implemented within the European Union project EU4Culture by the Goethe Institute (implementation leader), the French Institute Georgia, the Danish Institute and Czech Centers.