European and national representatives relay compelling messages at European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2025
The European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2025 on 13 October at the Flagey building in Brussels, celebrating the 30 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2025, inspired important messages from distinguished speakers, such as Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport (photo below), who was co-host of the Awards Ceremony alongside Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra. Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, was master of ceremonies.
Key messages
In his speech during the Awards Ceremony, European Commissioner Glenn Micallef stated: “Our culture and our heritage are celebrations of what defines Europe; of what defines us as Europeans; of our shared values of freedom, democracy, equality and inclusivity. These values live and breathe through art, our music and the heritage we pass from one generation to the next.”
In his address, Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger emphasised: “In times of conflict and confrontation, culture and heritage are more important than ever. Culture and heritage are what links Europeans together; they are the essence of our common values and our shared identity. (…) Heritage matters. Let us protect it. Let us cherish it. Let us place it together at the heart of our Union and our future.”
In her address, Sabine Verheyen, First Vice-President of the European Parliament, on behalf of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, affirmed: “The inspiring laureates of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2025’s projects and personal dedication are living proof of the power of culture to shape a better Europe.”
Ans Persoons, Secretary of State of the Brussels-Capital Region for Urban Planning, Heritage, European and International Relations, highlighted: “Heritage for all is not a slogan — it’s a responsibility. These Awards are the living proof that across Europe, countless women and men dedicate their creativity, their expertise, and their heart to one shared conviction: heritage matters; and heritage only matters if it belongs to everyone.”
HRH Princess Dana Firas, ICOMOS Vice-President (Arab States Regional Group), President of Petra National Trust, Chair of INTO and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, underlined: “Big congratulations to all the winners, who are an incredible example of how creativity and hard work can inspire people not only in Europe but throughout the world, including in Jordan. Jordan and Europe share deep historical cultural ties, whether through our Greco-Roman past, whether through music, the arts, food and faith. We have links across the Mediterranean that really bring us together in a shared space of unity in diversity.”
Congratulatory messages
Three important congratulatory messages were conveyed during the European Heritage Awards Ceremony.
In a video message, Cecilia Bartoli, President of Europa Nostra, paid tribute to all the winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2025: “Heritage is our cities and our countryside. It is our monuments and our landscapes. It is music, literature, traditions and skills; but it is also the women and men, all of you, who protect, pass on and reinvent it every day. You are the ones who show the way to new generations – a path full of promise for the promotion of peace, democracy and solidarity in Europe.”
In a written message, Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova, paid tribute to the accomplishments of Varvara Buzilă, who has dedicated over 45 years of her life to safeguarding Moldova’s intangible heritage, and was presented with a Europa Nostra Award 2025. “The Europa Nostra Awards remind us that Europe’s strength does not come only from its institutions or economies, but from the richness of its cultures — from the people who keep our shared memory alive,” Maia Sandu underlined.
In a video message, Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the EU’s European Council and Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Theophano Foundation, congratulated Europa Nostra on winning the prestigious Empress Theophano Prize 2025, which will be awarded to the organisation on 6 November in Thessaloniki, Greece. “Europa Nostra will receive the prestigious Empress Theophano Prize 2025 for its invaluable contribution to saving, preserving and promoting Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. We will present the Award in the historic Rotunda of Thessaloniki, which has been a centre for diverse spiritual movements in Europe for 2300 years. (…) Theophano is the symbol of reconciliation and cooperation between East and West in Europe”, he stated.
