Culture is an important factor in an expanding, united Europe. A positive culture of ‘ageing’ touches all spheres of life. It offers the possibility of developing new cultural opportunities for older people, thereby making an impact in both inter-cultural and cross-border terms.

What we are referring to here is the concept of ‘culture’ in its broadest sense. Culture should be regarded as a

“totality of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional qualities that characterize a society or a social group, encompassing art and literature, but also life forms, methods of living together, value systems, traditions and convictions”

(General Declaration on Cultural Diversity, approved at UNESCO’s 31st General Conference in Paris on 2001-11-02).