European Investment Bank Institute renews support to Europa Nostra and the 7 Most Endangered Programme
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute has renewed its support to Europa Nostra through a grant agreement supporting the 7 Most Endangered Programme for the next three years. This innovative programme, which helps communities save endangered heritage in Europe, has been run by Europa Nostra in partnership with the EIB Institute since its launch in 2013. Shiva Dustdar, Dean and Director of the EIB Institute, and Piet Jaspaert, Vice-President of Europa Nostra, signed the new agreement on 8 February 2024 at the EIB premises in Luxembourg in the presence of representatives from the EIB Institute, Europa Nostra and the Advisory Panel of the programme.
“This is a win-win partnership between a vibrant civil society organisation and EIB experts, both active and retired. It also helps shedding light on what the EIB Group can do for cultural heritage in its funding, blending and advising capabilities and contributes to the Group’s financing pipeline,” said Shiva Dustdar. “I look forward to building upon this successful cooperation to bring it to new heights in the years to come, notably through new thought leadership and capacity building initiative. I also hope that going forward we bring in a gender lens to our cultural heritage support, to help us understand the evolving role of women throughout history from that vantage point”, added the Dean and Director of the EIB Institute.
Shiva Dustdar affirmed EIBI’s continued support for cultural heritage alongside Europa Nostra and highlighted the contribution of the EIB Projects Directorate, where many experts of the 7 Most Endangered Programme gained their experience. The Dean of the EIB Institute also emphasised the programme’s potential as a feeder mechanism for EIB projects financing and its role in thought leadership, particularly in areas such as climate change and digitalisation.
Shiva Dustdar and Piet Jaspaert praised the great dedication of Guy Clausse, Executive Vice-President of Europa Nostra and former Dean of the EIB Institute, who co-founded the 7 Most Endangered Programme ten years ago.
Piet Jaspaert highlighted the successful collaboration between Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank, notably through the 7 Most Endangered programme. The Vice-President of Europa Nostra thanked the EIB and its Institute as well as all the experts, professionals and volunteers involved for their great contribution to saving Europe’s endangered heritage through this flagship programme. He thanked in particular Guy Clausse, and Bruno Rossignol, Head of Climate and Heritage at EIB Institute, for their commitment.
Piet Jaspaert underlined the importance of the EIB publication ‘Saving the Past – Shaping the Future’ released in 2023, which highlights the success stories of the programme and the importance of partnerships and community engagement. The brochure, produced in close collaboration with Europa Nostra, can be read and downloaded in six languages or ordered from Europa Nostra.
Since 2013, the 7 Most Endangered Programme has been mixing the cultural expertise and advocacy work of Europa Nostra with the technical appraisal and rescue planning skills of the EIB. One decade of work has led to the selection of 56 endangered monuments and sites – from castles to bridges, factories and churches – across 31 European countries.
EIB experts carry out on-site missions and produce technical reports on the viability and phasing of the rehabilitation projects as well as on the funding options. In specific cases the rehabilitation projects may also call for loans from the EIB and/or grants from European Structural and Investment Funds.
