Forum Guimarães, meeting as part of the 'A Soul For Europe' initiative, marked a crucial step in the preparations for Guimarães's assumption of the title European Capital of Culture 2012. It demonstrated the city's determination to reach beyond the local, regional and national context and take the repsonsibility to play a full part in the European debate about cultural citizenship. The Forum brought together a significant group of those who have been involved in directing the European Cultural Capitals and influencial cultural networks in Europe during the last 25 years.