Europa Nostra with key heritage stakeholders release Paris Manifesto: Relançons l’Europe par la culture et le patrimoine culturel!’
Europa Nostra, the Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe, has just released the PARIS MANIFESTO ‘Relançons l’Europe par la culture et le patrimoine culturel !’ with the endorsement and support of hundreds of key culture and cultural heritage stakeholders who attended the European Cultural Heritage Summit that took place on 27-30 October in Paris. The Paris Manifesto conveys a strong message on the strategic role of cultural heritage for tackling some of the most urgent challenges which Europe and its citizens are facing, as well as on its significant contribution for the future of Europe.
The draft text of the Paris Manifesto was presented at the European Policy Debate ‘Cultural heritage at the heart of the revival of the European project’ held on 30 October 2019 at the Collége des Bernardins as the concluding event of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2019. The European Cultural Heritage Summit was organised by Europa Nostra under the high patronage of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, in cooperation and with the support of the European Commission and the French Government, as well as in partnership with the Fondation du Patrimoine. The Paris Summit brought together key representatives of the EU Institutions and Member States, international organisations and hundreds of representatives of the world of culture and cultural heritage, coming from all parts of Europe, including the distinguished laureates of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards run by Europa Nostra in partnership by the European Commission.
The Paris Manifesto encapsulates the key policy conclusions of the Paris Summit. By means of the Paris Manifesto, participants to the Paris Summit assert how much culture and cultural heritage represent Europe’s DNA and therefore call upon European leaders to explicitly place culture and cultural heritage at the heart of the revival of the European project.
Among the concrete proposals and calls to action, the Paris Manifesto insists that “culture” should be explicitly mentioned in the title of the portfolio of Commissioner-designate Mariya Gabriel, who will have a direct responsibility, for, among others, culture and cultural heritage.
Through the Paris Manifesto, its supporters also commit themselves to prepare a series of concrete proposals for action to be submitted to the EU Institutions and Member States during the forthcoming European Cultural Heritage Summit to be organised by Europa Nostra in Brussels in June 2020.
Europa Nostra has communicated the Paris Manifesto individually to EU leaders, starting with Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission, David Maria Sassoli, President of the European Parliament (who sent a video-message to the European Cultural Heritage Summit in Paris), Charles Michel, President-elect of the European Council, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the European Committee of the Regions and Luca Jahier, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (who took part in the Policy debate and closing event of the Paris Summit). The Paris Manifesto has also been widely disseminated in the media and among the large networks of Europa Nostra and its partners.
