The themes include new electronic publications and the role of museums as agents of local and regional development.

The Secretary of State for Culture, José María Lassalle, opened the Third Meeting of Museums in Spain and Portugal, which runs until Friday, March 8 at the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid.

Fifty museum professionals from both countries have gathered in this meeting which aims to address the social role of museums as agents of local and regional development and widening the scope of cooperation already established between museological sectors of both countries.

The meeting is organized by the Ministries of Culture of Spain and Portugal, along with the Program Ibermuseos (Iberoamerican cooperation program). Various presentations will analyze  the results of the bilateral projects developed the past two years between the National Museum of Sculpture Valladolid and the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga in Lisbon, which involved the exchange of two wonderful exhibitions: Primitives: the golden era of Portuguese painting (1450-1550) which was exhibited from June 2011 to October 2012 in the Museum of Valladolid , and Corps of pain. A sacred image of Spanish sculpture (1500-1750) in the museum Lisbon from November 2011 to April 2012.
The Meeting of Spanish and Portuguese Museums started in Merida in January 2009, in order to strengthen relations between museums in both countries, addressing common issues and facilitate the implementation of joint projects. In 2011, Braga hosted the second edition, in which it was agreed to work on the project of cultural encounters that take place in this edition.

Thus, the objective is to develop new lines of action and implement initiatives in research, documentation and dissemination of cultural goods as well as analyzing the role that museums have in the contemporary society.

Online Publications
Two online catalogs have been published to facilitate the general public knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese cultural goods that are in museums: Spanish collections in Portuguese museums and Portuguese collections in Spanish museums. (http://www.mecd.gob.es/encuentros-culturales/). The first of the catalogs shows a total of 92 Spanish art works in 12 Portuguese museums and the second 62 pieces of Portuguese art works. 

Alongside these catalogs the cooperation has resulted in the electronic publication Hispanoluso Dialogues, a compendium of 12 articles written by museum professionals from both countries in order to increase awareness of the artistic and cultural heritage both in Spanish and Portuguese.

http://www.mecd.gob.es/prensa-mecd/actualidad/2013/03/20130306-museos-portugal.html