EUROPA NOSTRA APPEALS TO EU HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT FOR REDUCED VAT RATE FOR RENOVATION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS

In a letter addressed to the EU Member States’ Heads of State and Government, Europa Nostra’s Executive President, Otto von der Gablentz said “Europa Nostra wishes to express its full endorsement of the compromise proposal by the UK Presidency on a European Commission proposal for a Council Directive (1) aimed at modifying EU rules on reduced rates of VAT applied by the Member States, (2) insofar as it concerns the inclusion of a category for the ‘renovation of private dwellings, monuments and listed places of worship’ in the list of goods and services for which Member States are allowed to apply a reduced VAT rate.” (3)

The above element of the UK Presidency proposal is fully in line with the position advocated by Europa Nostra and the entire European heritage movement over the last decade, both at national and at European level, with a view to stimulating private investment in heritage conservation all over Europe.

Last week, Europa Nostra held a major European Cultural Heritage Forum “Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe”, organised in close cooperation with the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Economic and Social Committee. On this occasion, more than 200 delegates from 40 European countries highlighted once again the considerable economic and social benefits of cultural heritage.

“We believe that those benefits fully justify allowing EU Member States to choose whether they wish to apply a reduced VAT rate for labour-intensive services related to the renovation of private dwellings (including historic buildings), monuments and listed places of worship, as part of their comprehensive policies supporting heritage conservation,” stressed Mr von der Gablentz.  “We therefore appeal to all Heads of State and/or Government of the EU Member States not to block an agreement at European level during the forthcoming meeting of the European Council, thus enabling Member States who so wish to apply a reduced rate for the above-mentioned services”, he continued.

A number of Member States already apply a reduced VAT rate for those services (e.g. Belgium and Luxembourg) and others have introduced a reduced VAT rate for the renovation of private dwellings on the basis of temporary reduced rates rules applicable until 31 December 2005 for certain labour-intensive services (e.g. France and The Netherlands). Europa Nostra believes that the time has come to make those rules permanent and applicable to all 25 Member States of the EU and to extend their application to the renovation of monuments and listed places of worship.  
 

1  (COM (2003) 397 final)
2  Directive 77/388/EEC
3  Annex H of the Sixth VAT Directive

For further information please contact:

Charlotte O’Connor, Communications Officer, co@europanostra.org, +31 70 302 40 55

Mark Snethlage, Policy and Campaigns Officer, imo@europanostra.org, +31 70 302 40 51

Europa Nostra - the pan-European Federation for Heritage - is the representative platform of over 200 heritage NGOs active throughout Europe. It is the voice of organised civil society active in the field of heritage towards EU Institutions, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. Its objectives are, among others, to promote high standards of quality in the fields of heritage conservation, architecture, urban and rural planning and to advocate a balanced and sustainable development of urban and rural, built and natural environment. Europa Nostra also seeks to highlight the importance of the cultural and educational dimension of the ongoing European integration process. Moreover, it supports national and international campaigns for European heritage at risk. Last but not least, Europa Nostra is responsible