Europa Nostra represented at EYCH information session for Regions and Cities
Upon invitation from the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, and in cooperation with the European Commission, representatives from the EU liaison offices of European cities and regions as well as representatives from the cultural sector participated in an information session about the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH) 2018, in Brussels on 4 October. The objective was to present the main activities planned for the upcoming European Year and to encourage regions and cities to engage actively in these initiatives and to support the communication campaign.
Europa Nostra’s Vice-President Piet Jaspaert congratulated the President of the European Committee of the Regions on the initiative and welcomed the Committee’s explicit intention to support the implementation of the European Year of Cultural Heritage. Piet Jaspaert encouraged the representatives of the European regions and cities present to cooperate with civil society and NGOs in joint projects. The Vice-President of Europa Nostra stressed: “The European Year of Cultural Heritage is a unique opportunity to reveal and interpret the European dimension of our culture and cultural heritage. Europe needs more than ever an increasing awareness of this historic reality, in order to be able to live together in a more harmonious and peaceful way.”
Officials from the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 team of the European Commission outlined to participants how the Year will be governed and managed at European level, highlighting the role of the national coordinators and of the civil society stakeholder group – of which Europa Nostra is a member – funding opportunities and the 10 initiatives the European Commission will focus on during the European Year. One of the key events presented by the European Commission is the European Cultural Heritage Summit that Europa Nostra will organise with co-hosts Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) and German Cultural Heritage Committee (DNK) (also national coordinator for the Year in Germany) from 18-24 June 2018 in Berlin. Other key events mentioned include the European Culture Forum 2017 as official launch of the European Year and the European Heritage Days 2018 that will be dedicated to the Year.
The commission in charge of culture at the European Committee of the Regions also recently organised a conference on the European Year of Cultural Heritage in Timişoara (future European Capital of Culture in 2021). Europa Nostra will continue to liaise with the European Committee of the Regions and its members as to support the involvement of regions and cities from all over Europe in the European Year of Cultural Heritage with the aim of engaging as many citizens as possible.
