The European Commission appointed a Follow-Up Committee comprising
Professionals, institutional representatives, members of the European Commission and Experts. The professionals include: Kofi Ansah (Ghana, fashion/design), Balafu Bakupa (DRC, cinéma), José da Silva (Cape Verde, music), Isobel Dixon (South Africa/United Kingdom, literature), Nicole La Bouverie (Belgium, audio visual), Abdoulaye Konate (Mali, visual arts), Lorraine Mangones (Haïti, cultural promoter), Etienne Minoungou (Burkina Faso, theatre), Letila Mitchell (Fiji, cultural promotion), Opiyo Okash (Kenya, dance), Wayne Sinclair (Jamaica, music) and Mike van Graan (South Africa, theatre/cultural promotion).

Institutional representatives are Carlos Alberdi, President of the EU, Gabrielle von Brochowski, Special Consellor of the European Commission in the Directorate of Development, Finn Andersen, President of EUNIC, Alain Godonou of UNESCO, Aya Kasasa, Secretariat of the ACP, Marianne de Tolentino of the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Culture and Desire Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso's Ministry of Culture (the latter two being observers).

Representing the European Commission are Jean Claude Boidin, Giorgio Ficcarelli, Christoph Pelzer, Gilles Fontaine and Raymond Weber while the Experts Group comprises Francisco d'Almeida, Mary Ann de Vlieg, Ayoko Mensah, Toussaint Tiendrébéogo, Marion Le Boulch, Patricio Jeretic, Jesus Rogado and Dominique Thiange.

The Follow up Committee had its first meeting on 4 May 2010 and met throughout the Girona Seminar to assess the implementation of the recommendations included in the Brussels Declaration and the commitments the Commission made on that occasion. The Committee also sought to examine the priority orientations for the cultural cooperation programs that exist between the ACP Group and the European Union.

The Committee agreed on its mission as follows:
1-To contribute to the diffusion of the recommendations of the Declaration and the information produced by the European Union regarding the Declaration;
2-To advise on the orientations of the implementation strategies for the initiatives derived from the Declaration;
3-To support the European Union and the ACP Group Secretariat to carry-out the recommendations, as well as to advocate for the strategies adopted;
4- To bring the point of view of artists, culture professionals and entrepreneurs to the European Union and the ACP Group at the main international events devoted to culture and development;
5-To contribute to efforts to recruit complementary human and financial resources.

The extract below summarizes the key elements and recommendations of the Follow Up Committee:
During our meeting, we were informed of the actions undertaken by the European Commission since 2009. The adoption of the Cultural Protocol as a consequence of the mid-term review of the 10th EDF or the engagement to carry out a similar process in several countries both show that we are moving in the right direction. Thus, we confirm our determination to collaborate with our countries and with the European Union so as to increase the number of protocols.

Concerning the Intra-ACP program, we applaud the agreement concluded with the ACP Group Secretariat and we wish to receive further and more thorough information that will enable us to give an informed opinion. We also recommend that the professional groups be included in the discussions, and that this is done before the definition of the sector programs and their main orientations. Finally, we highlight the fact that the simplification of procedures and application processes is an essential condition for the multiplication and diversification of initiatives.

In order to ensure the success of our joint action, we wish to bring the attention of the European Union to the following proposals:

1. To engage the necessary political will both at the level of the European Union and in the field to ensure the diffusion of a text clearly stating the commitment of the European Union and the priority of culture as a vector for development, as well as its determination to implement the recommendations derived from the Brussels Declaration.

2. To facilitate the setting up - especially in ACP countries and, above all, in countries where culture is not among the development priorities - of national platforms for following up the Brussels Declaration in order to develop relevant partners in the field.

3. These national platforms would have the role to raise awareness around the Declaration and the importance of culture as a vector for development at cultural events taking place in the country. The platforms would similarly nurture debate around the recommendations of the Declaration in the framework of different professional groups and associations and within society as a whole. Moreover, they could also federate the most dynamic professional groups, to identify issues and priority measures to recommend to public authorities, and to act as a framework for consultation with national authorities regarding strategies to adopt and measures to be taken. In that sense, we wish to constitute a small group in each country, in particular with the national participants of the Colloquium of April 2009. They would be charged with the task of setting up these platforms in collaboration with the international Follow-up Committee. Likewise, we propose the organization of national or regional forums wherever possible.

4. The need for synergies: The current economic context encourages ACP states to seek new sources of employment and income generation. Bearing this fact in mind, several governments have shown an interest for development policies linked to culture and for the articulation of culture with other development policy sectors. Nonetheless, these countries sometimes lack the necessary know-how. Therefore, we propose to articulate the strategy of the European Union with the actions foreseen by UNESCO in order to support ACP countries in the development and the implementation of cultural policies.

5. Close association of professional groups: The success of these anticipated initiatives depends on the close involvement of the different professional groups, associations and cultural entrepreneurs. They are the chief agents of the sector, and therefore, they are the most concerned actors when it comes to the development of culture. They can contribute to the implementation of the recommendations by engaging and dialoguing with the authorities in order to develop the necessary strategies and to define the priority actions to carry out.

6. To constitute the necessary partnerships between the North and the South, and within the ACP framework so as to strengthen their competences and improve the conditions for the development of structures in the South as well as developing South-South and North-South exchanges.

7. The effective accomplishment of our mission depends on the following elements:
7.1 a text transparently confirming how and why we have been give this mandate
7.2 a designated interlocutor in the European Commission and the ACP Group
7.3 timely reception of information necessary to analyze, confer and prepare responses
7.4 the capacity to request supplementary information
7.5 the creation of an evaluation framework to monitor the implementations of the recommendations and
7.6 the setting up of high level reflection groups.

Finally, as we did in Brussels, we strongly reaffirm that the success of the process leading to a better integration of culture in the Millennium Development Goals and for the strengthening of the cultural diversity of our common humanity requires our common effort, regardless of the status of the actors concerned. For our part, we are ready to cooperate to bring about a new society where each and every member may affirm their creativity and their dignity and to do their share to contribute to the construction of a better and fairer world.