The Conference of Venice was opened by the Euro-Mediterranean Mayors Forum where the Declaration approved in Byblos on the 27th September 2003 by the Eurocites' Euromed Commission and signed by Euro-Mediterranean Mayors was officially presented. The Declaration was addressed to the Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Foreign Affairs Ministers of Naples (2nd and 3rd December 2003) and to the Italian Presidency of the European Union Council in order to urge for the creation of a regional programme devoted to cooperation between Euro-Mediterranean cities from 2005 onwards, in the framework of the MEDA Programme.As a result of that action, the Euro-Mediterranean Mayors' Declaration presented in Venice on the 30th of November 2003, is quoted in point 54 of the Italian Presidency's Final Document - Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Naples, 2-3 December 2003, as a starting point for the creation of a decentralised Euro- Mediterranean cooperation programme in the future MEDA planning.

The working session in the afternoon will be structured in two workshops entitled "Sustainable Tourism as a local development resource for Mediterranean Cities" and "Giving value to Cultural Heritage for the local development of Mediterranean Cities".

The Conference got the patronage of Professor Romano Prodi - President of the European Commission, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - General Direction for Cultural Promotion and Cooperation, Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani (ANCI), Fédération Mondiale des Cités Unies (FMCU) - World Federation of United Cities (UTO) and UNESCO Venice Office (ROSTE) which guaranteed its scientific support.

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