A cultural festival focusing on relations with Europe opened in Fribourg on Thursday. The two-week event is called "Fribourg in Europe - Europe in Fribourg".

Theatre groups from Belgium, France and Croatia as well as Switzerland will be performing on stage, while elsewhere cinema audiences have the opportunity to watch seven films from seven European countries, all of which were featured at international film festivals over the past seven years.

The festival, organised by Fribourg University and cultural institutions, marks the 25th anniversary of the university's annual Europe Day celebration.

"If it's a success, the idea is that the festival will also become an annual event," says Gérald Berger, head of Canton Fribourg's department of cultural affairs.

Exhibitions and concerts in and around the city are included in the festival programme, as well as conferences on European issues.

The organisers say the university is an appropriate focal point for such a festival because of its cosmopolitan nature. Some 13 per cent of the students are foreigners, mostly from other European countries, and several nationalities are represented among faculty members.

swissinfo with agencies

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative