the EICR as a body active on a European level in the field of Culture, in recognition for its essential role in creating a coherent programme of sustainable cultural tourism initiatives promoting the "Destination Europe" and encouraging Europeans to discover their common roots and history through travel and the exploration of material and immaterial heritage. The Institute is a member of NECSTOUR, an association of European regions working to develop competitive and sustainable tourism, and has signed an agreement with the Cité de la Culture et du Tourisme durable to provide distance-learning and to study the sustainability of introducing tourism to the cultural routes. The Institute is currently working with the Council of Europe and the Tourism Unit of the European Commission on a study into the impact of the cultural routes on small and medium businesses. In 2011 the Institute welcome a Partial Agreement aimed at combining the voluntary contributions of those member countries of the Council of Europe who wish to increase the funds available to the cultural routes. Since the opening up of Europe to the East, the Cultural Routes have enabled, and continue to enable (particularly by expanding to include the Southern Caucasus), the creation of a real dialogue between Eastern and Western Europeans. The opening of a resource centre for the Cultural Routes in Sibiu, in the Casa Luxembourg, in liaison with the European Institute of Cultural Routes in Luxembourg and the Mioritics Association is testament to this. Stefano Dominioni is the current Director of the Institute and Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. Michel Thomas-Penette and Penelope Denu directed the Institute from 1998 to 2011 and from 2011 to 2015 respectively. Christian Biever is President of the Institute since 2018. He replaced Robert Philippart, Colette Flesch, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges and Guy Dockendorf. See also European Cultural Route Cultural policies of the European Union References External links European Institute of Cultural Routes Official Website Council of Europe Tourism agencies Cultural heritage of Europe Cultural policies of the European Union Tourism in Europe Non-profit organizations based in Europe