EC Cultural Heritage Expert Group launched
Europa Nostra contributes to the first meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Cultural Heritage
Europa Nostra has been selected as a member organisation of the Expert Group established by the European Commission to provide advice and expertise on cultural heritage matters. This is the first-ever Expert Group set up by the European Commission in the field of culture. The Expert Group shall be a platform for consultation and exchange on cultural heritage policies and programmes, and shall support and advice the European Commission in the implementation of the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, published in December 2018 as a policy outcome of the European Year of Cultural Heritage. The Expert Group convened its first meeting on 15-16 October 2019 in Brussels.
Over the course of the two days, the Expert Group exchanged, discussed and held fruitful reflections on the latest policy developments related to cultural heritage, including the implementation of the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, synergies between this Framework and programmes by the Council of Europe, UNESCO, the OECD, Member States and civil society, as well as the contribution of cultural heritage to the Sustainable Developments Goals (SGDs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, among other topics.
The first-ever Commission Expert Group on Cultural Heritage
The first-ever Commission Expert Group on Cultural Heritage is Composed by representatives of 23 Member States, 4 International Organisations (Council of Europe, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property – ICCROM, UNESCO and the OECD), 4 individual experts in their personal capacity, and 26 cultural and heritage organisations, among which Europa Nostra and 14 members of the European Heritage Alliance 3.3.
The Group shall build on the successful governance framework established during the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, which was based on constant exchange and co-ordination among National authorities from EU Member States, civil society stakeholders and different departments of the European Commission. The Expert Group shall carry forward and enhance this spirit of fruitful multi-stakeholder cooperation.
Kicking-off 1st meeting of @EU_Commission Expert Group on #culturalheritage:
✅ Building on cooperation spirit developed in #EYCH2018
✅ implement new ideas through collaboration
✅ develop policy & funding for heritage
✅KEEP HERITAGE 🔝 OF 🇪🇺 AGENDA#EuropeForCulture pic.twitter.com/um3Zuyubz8— Europa Nostra (@europanostra) October 15, 2019
Europa Nostra was represented at the meeting by Secretary General Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic, Vice-President Piet Jaspaert and Outreach Officer Lorena Aldana. Europa Nostra actively contributed to the discussions and Secretary General Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic presented the programme of the forthcoming European Cultural Heritage Summit to be held in Paris at the end of October.
Happy to have passionately contributed to 1st meeting of #CulturalHeritage Expert Group by @EU_Commission, carrying the legacy of #EYCH2018 forward!
Our @SneskaEN presented the #EuropeanHeritageSummit in Paris, the next topmost heritage ‘rendez-vous’.
👇https://t.co/A5pATWjRC0 pic.twitter.com/sxZ4iTY9Fg— Europa Nostra (@europanostra) October 17, 2019
Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic also recalled the key role that the Expert Group shall play in keeping cultural heritage where it belongs: on the top of the European Union’s political priorities.
Background information
The complete list of members of the Expert Group, as well as its mandate are available here: https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/index.cfm?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&groupID=3650
