CULTURAL HERITAGE COUNTS FOR EUROPE

VI. AN ENHANCED COOPERATION AND COORDINATION OF ACTION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

 “The Community and the MemberStates shall foster cooperation with third countries and the competent international organisations in the sphere of culture,
in particular the Council of Europe.”
Article 151.3 of the Treaty establishing the European Community
Article III – 280.3 of the Constitutional Treaty

Any EU action in favour of culture and cultural heritage must take into account that European culture is not limited to the EU’s territory, and that the EU’s approach to culture should be inspired by the principle “Europe without dividing lines”. In compliance with the existing article 151.3 (and the new article III - 280.3 of the Constitutional Treaty), the EU needs in particular to take full advantage of the extensive “acquis” of the Council of Europe with its wider membership and its long-standing experience and large expertise in the field of European cultural cooperation. The considerable added value of this “acquis” lies, inter alia, in the fact that all new Member States have already been members of the Council of Europe for the past decade during which they have been actively participating in various European projects promoting high quality conservation of cultural heritage and in awareness raising campaigns about the “unity in diversity” of our common heritage. An additional advantage lies in the fact that the Council of Europe’s “acquis” applies to the whole of Europe.

EUROPA NOSTRA recommendations:  

• the European Commission should explore the political and legal implications of a possible formal endorsement of European Conventions related to cultural heritage which have been adopted in the last two decades under the auspices of the Council of Europe, as well as of the more general European Cultural Convention whose 50 th anniversary is currently celebrated. (12)
  
• The European Commission should also find the appropriate form of involvement in the present process of the elaboration of the new Framework Convention of the Council of Europe on the value of cultural heritage for society. (13)

While welcoming the Decision recently adopted by the Council authorising the European Commission to participate in negotiations within UNESCO on the preliminary draft Convention on the protection of the diversity of cultural contents and artistic expressions (13840/04), Europa Nostra urges the European Commission to take duly into account the cultural heritage dimension as an important component of cultural diversity. (14)

(12) European Landscape Convention (Florence, 2000); Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1980); European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (revised) (Valetta, 1992); Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Grenada, 1985); European Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property (1985); European Cultural Convention (Paris, 1954).
(13) Draft Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage in Society.
(14) For the text of the preliminary draft of a UNESCO Convention on the protection of the diversity of cultural contents and artistic expressions, click here