A love of film has been a common bond between the peoples of Europe and Japan and key figures from both cultures have influenced the development of the 20th Century’s most powerful medium. The continuing success of the Osaka European Film Festival reflects this. The Osaka European Film Festival provides a valuable opportunity to foster mutual understanding through culture. Japan and Europe’s rich cultures are the most valuable tools we have at our disposal to exchange ideas and to influence the perception of others. Film, as one aspect of our awareness of each other, and now it can bring awareness of Europe to a global audience. This festival, the premier event of its kind in the Kansai, a region that has always been one of the leading centres of Japanese culture, allows Japanese audiences to see films that may otherwise not have been aired outside Europe. The European Commission is committed to bringing European films to a wider audience both inside and outside the European Union. By exchanging experiences with third countries they can ensure that talented Europeans will continue to influence the next century of film. I am pleased to see that the Japanese film industry continues to thrive and the popularity of Japanese cinema in Europe grows unabated. Once again this year, Japanese films won nominations and prizes at the film festivals of Cannes and Berlin and this will no doubt encourage Europeans to develop an interest in Japan. I hope that the next centuryof cinema woll be one of mutual emrichment in which festivals like this may continue to develop amd that films, and a love of films, will continue to serve as a bridge between our two cultures. May I congratulate the organizers of the European Film Festival and wish them and this, the sicth such festival,every success.