Iceland: Europa Nostra takes part in European Heritage Heads Forum in Reykjavik
Europa Nostra participated in this year’s annual meeting of the European Heritage Heads Forum from 7-9 June 2017 in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, upon invitation from the Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland. This year’s theme “Our Common Heritage – Sharing the Responsibility” was aptly chosen in view of the upcoming European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 (EYCH 2018).
Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović presented Europa Nostra’s activities planned for the “European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 and beyond” in a session on 8 June 2017 dedicated to an exchange and discussion with international organisations, such as the Council of Europe, the European Commission, ICCROM and the European Archaeological Council.
The highlight of the European Year will be the European Cultural Heritage Summit in June 2018 in Berlin, which Europa Nostra is co-organising together with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz – SPK) and the German Cultural Heritage Committee (Deutsches Nationalkomitee für Denkmalschutz – DNK). Having held preparatory meetings with the Summit hosts and key partners in Berlin on 6 June, Europa Nostra’s Secretary General stressed the importance of such collaboration between civil society organisations and public institutions for the success of the European Year as a whole.
Furthermore, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović outlined the other flagship initiatives of Europa Nostra, including the special edition of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in 2018, for which the four Awards Juries “will give special attention to any European dimension in a project” (see call for applications, open until 1 October 2017). On this occasion, Europa Nostra’s Secretary General also highlighted the fact that Iceland celebrated its first Award winner in 2016 with the French Hospital in Faskrudsfjodur – an outstanding conservation project with an inspiring European dimension.
With regard to the coordination of the European Year at EU level, she outlined the involvement of Europa Nostra: as one of the partners of the European Commission for the Year and as a member of the Stakeholder Committee together with other networks of the European Heritage Alliance 3.3.
The European Year for Cultural Heritage was also discussed in a special session moderated by Uwe Koch from the German Cultural Heritage Committee and national coordinator for the Year in Germany in the afternoon of 8 June.
