Piracy, telecommunications reform, the European Heritage Label project and the illegal trafficking of objects of cultural significance were among the main topics discussed at an informal meeting of European Union-country cultural ministers in Versailles, France, on July 21 and 22.

Bulgaria was represented by its minister of culture, the actor Stefan Danailov; the gathering was presided over by French culture minister Christine Albanel.

The Versailles discussions co-incided with the kick-off of Bulgaria's participation in the cultural calendar of France's six-month rotating EU Presidency.

Ministers at the meeting and European Commission representatives agreed on the "need to inform" society of the consequences of internet piracy, AFP wrote on July 23, with EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding calling for the protection of author's rights during the news conference held on July 22.

Discussion of the prevalence of illegal file sharing over the internet took up much time at Versailles. French-language news website PC Inpact reported Albanel as saying that, as part of its contribution to the EU Telecommunications Package, France would call on European internet service providers (ISP) to making warning messages appear on the screens of internet users who were "a little too file sharing-happy".

Reding proposed that ISPs be obliged to inform clients of laws on authors' rights and the "consequences of piracy" upon the client's signing a contract with the ISP, AFP wrote.

In their discussions for financing audiovisual projects, the ministers acknowledged the rise of internet television broadcasting, seemingly agreeing, AFP wrote, on the need to find an equilibrium between where developments were heading and what public interest was.

Albanel recalled that it was up to each EU country to "develop its audiovisual sphere as it saw best", AFP reported.

Encouraging the valuing of European heritage and making it more accessible was another topic of importance. According to a July 22 report on the meetings on the Luxembourg governmental website government.lu, the European Heritage Label should "serve to help Europeans come to recognise that they are a part of a [cultural] whole". To accomplish such, it would be necessary for Europe to adopt a mentality of co-operation.

"The more the projects have a transfrontier, be it transnational, connotation," government.lu wrote, the more alive the European spirit will be."

The European Heritage Label, which is already present in 16 countries, is different from a Unesco label.

And, in a topic familiar to Bulgaria as elsewhere, the ministers recognised the need to create a unified legislation on the illegal trafficking of objects of cultural significance, as such does not yet exist. The creation of a database of objects was also mentioned.

Government.lu wrote that many hold the opinion that such buying and selling of pieces of art and artefacts has almost reached the level of illegal arms or drugs dealing.