Europa Nostra strengthens ties with Lisbon as Mayor announces the city will host the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2028

On 23 February 2026, Europa Nostra’s Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović participated in a high-level meeting with the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, at the Lisbon Town Hall. This meeting reaffirmed the importance of Europa Nostra’s longstanding and dynamic relationship with Lisbon — a key partner city in advancing Europe’s cultural heritage agenda and home to the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Lisbon coordinated by Centro Nacional de Cultura.

 

Later that day, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation hosted the inaugural In Varietate Concordia Talk, entitled “Europe, variations on a theme”. This event marked a significant milestone within the EU-funded European Heritage Hub initiative, coordinated by Europa Nostra in partnership with the Centro Nacional de Cultura, and supported by the Gulbenkian Foundation.

In his keynote address, Mayor Moedas announced that Lisbon will proudly host the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2028, further consolidating the city’s central role in shaping Europe’s cultural future and underlining the strategic importance of Europa Nostra’s continued engagement with Lisbon.

 

Mayor Moedas also highlighted the renewed relevance of the European Union’s founding motto, In Varietate Concordia (United in Diversity), at a time when Europe faces an urgent need to reclaim a shared sense of purpose, identity, and history. He emphasised that European civilisation has always been defined by its diversity, noting that today’s challenge lies in restoring meaning to this diversity, enriching it with a renewed common substance, and reaffirming its unifying dimension.

As he stated: “‘In Varietate Concordia’ is a phrase that tells us exactly what we have always been, what European civilization has always been: diversity… If there is one thing that sets European civilization apart, it is the way we have always embraced diversity.”

The meeting between Europa Nostra and Mayor Moedas, and his participation in the inaugural In Varietate Concordia Talk, underscore Lisbon’s growing role as a hub for European dialogue and cooperation, and reinforce the vital, ongoing partnership between Europa Nostra and the Portuguese capital.