Europa Nostra contributed to EC Public Consultation on the Europe 2020 Strategy

Europa Nostra contributed to – and strongly encouraged all its members to take part in – the public consultation on the Europe 2020 strategy hold by the European Commission from May to October 2014. In response to it, the organisation advocates that the reviewed Europe 2020 strategy should recognise cultural heritage as an important driver for Europe’s economic, social and environmental development.

Photo: Courtesy of European Commission

Photo: Courtesy of European Commission

Europe 2020 was launched in March 2010 as the EU’s strategy for promoting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It aims to achieve a knowledge-based, competitive European economy while preserving the EU’s social market economy model and improving resource efficiency.

The Conclusions on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe adopted by the Council of the European Union on 21 May 2014 and the Communication “Towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe” published by the European Commission on 22 July 2014, acknowledge the important economic impact of cultural heritage in Europe. The Conclusions stress that cultural heritage plays a specific role in achieving the Europe 2020 strategy goals because it has a social and economic impact and contributes to environmental sustainability. They urge the Commission to take into account the contribution of cultural heritage towards achieving the strategy’s goals. The reviewed EU 2020 strategy should therefore recognise cultural heritage as a main asset for Europe.

The EC Communication gives some interesting figures showing the significant economic contribution of cultural heritage and spill-over effects in various economic sectors. However a further challenge moving forward will be the systematic and structured collection and evaluation of data over time at the European level to provide evidence of benefits of investing in heritage. Towards this end, Europa Nostra coordinates the EU funded project ‘Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe’. This project brings together existing research in this field for the first time at the European level and will produce its final report in June 2015. This work will provide further evidence of cultural heritage contribution to delivering the 2020 Strategy as well as provide an important benchmark for the future development of EU cultural heritage policy.

Europa Nostra would like to contribute further to the Europe 2020 strategy by encouraging firm partnerships through regular coordinated dialogues between Europa Nostra, the EU institutions and national, regional and local authorities. The organisation would welcome durable support for the formation of solid partnerships with all EU institutions so as to help communicate the objectives of Europe 2020 more efficiently to its pan-European network which shares mutual views and concerns.

 

You can read the complete response to this public consultation submitted by Europa Nostra here.

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