2. THE ART AND KNOWLEDGE INVOLVED IN PREPARING AND EATING GOOD FOOD!

3.  Fragmentation around gastronomy  Lack of visibility  Lack of appreciation of the value of food  Provides regions with a marketing tool to reach consumers as well as galvanise support by instilling pride in local products and food traditions.

4.  To contribute to a better quality of life in European regions  To support inter-collaboration of regions  Educating for better health and sustainability  Stimulating gastronomic innovation

7. The European Region of Gastronomy Platform

9. The European Region of Gastronomy programme will  Showcase regional gastronomy at European level  Build regional identify by giving visibility to traditional food ways  Support local economies by stimulating public and private sector funding potential  Create strong links between sustainable tourism and cultural sectors  Provide a focus on innovation and learning to support smart growth  Develop awareness on wider food issues for healthy living and sustainability

10. European Region of Gastronomy areas of focus include

11.  Each region hoping to bid for the title has to produce a bid book. The bid book should be approximately 20 pages in length and outline the stakeholder group, regional challenges to be addressed during the year, an events and projects programme, evaluation plan and budget.  Each year a call will be launched for subsequent years. Galway, West of Ireland will be formally announced as a Candidate for 2018 as part of Expo-Milan in Italy next week.  10 th January 2016 is the deadline for regions hoping to become European Region of Gastronomy in 2018 to submit their bid book.  February / March 2016 each region to present their bid book to an international jury of experts.  September 2016 award ceremony for European Region of Gastronomy 2018.  Thereafter each region to work with all stakeholders on their programme of activities for their year and establish structures (sub-groups) to manage the programme.

12.  Title and brief description of the programme  Relationship to the key focus areas of the European Region of Gastronomy  Sustainability and legacy  Citizen Inclusion  Education  Supporting SMEs

16. European Region of Gastronomy areas of focus include: