Culture Minister Vrečko promoting Ljubljana Manifesto at EU ministerial

The manifesto, which Vrečko hopes will be signed at the ministerial on behalf of their governments by as many of her EU colleagues as possible, was drawn up by reading researchers and was one of Slovenia's main contributions during its stint as the guest of honour at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair.

Vrečko stressed as she arrived at the ministerial that her German counterpart Claudia Roth had already backed it in Frankfurt and that other ministers had stepped forward as well.

"I expect many of my fellow ministers to sign today, because this is really an appeal that in-depth reading is essential. But we have to take the time to read in this way, and given the rapid rhythm of life, this is only feasible if society provides the means. Hence, this appeal extends to the entire political sphere and to the public," she told the STA.

Echoing some of the key points of the manifesto, the minister said that in order to understand the complexity of the world and to address complex social issues, we need to be able to grasp complex texts. Reading also contributes to a more egalitarian society, to greater empathy between people and to understanding each other better, Vrečko added.

The manifesto, authored by the curator of the Slovenian programme in Frankfurt Miha Kovač, Anne Mangen from the University of Stavanger in Norway, Andre Schüller-Zwierlein from the University of Regensburg in Germany and Adriaan van der Weel from Leiden University in the Netherlands, can be signed at http:readingmanifesto.org. The first to sign it was Canadian author Margaret Atwood.