Ján Figel', the European Commissioner responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, met with the EBU's new president, Fritz Pleitgen, in Brussels on 13 September 2006.

During the meeting they discussed the principle issues of the European policies that affect the activities and role of public service broadcasters. Particular emphasis was placed on dialogue between cultures, as 2008 is European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

Left to right: Ján Figel' and Fritz Pleitgen

Commenting on this topic, Fritz Pleitgen said: "Dialogue between different cultures is of particular interest to audiovisual media and the conference we are organizing in Essen in November will be a perfect opportunity for us to reflect, together with programme and decision-makers from across Europe, on the role of the media in the European immigration society and to explore new routes."

Click here for the press release.

pj / ep