Joint Programming Conference- 1 March 2013 in Dublin, Ireland

As a member of the Advisory Board on the JPI/JHEP, EN was invited to contribute to the Joint Programming Conference organised by the Irish presidency of the EU last February 28 and March 1. The Conference brought together more than 400 delegates from over 40 countries, under the theme “Agenda for the Future & Achievements to Date” of the many European Union JPIs. On 1 March 2013, EN Council member Astrid Weij reflected on the JPI from a civil society perspective. In a parallel session with the title “The role of JPIs in meeting the needs of citizens and society in Europe”, Astrid Weij presented the work of Europa Nostra and discussed the importance of and the need for the research which will be supported by the JPI “Cultural Heritage and Global Change: a new challenge for Europe” in insuring the protection of Europe’s vulnerable cultural heritage and in raising awareness of the value of Europe’s valuable cultural heritage assets among the public at large.

After presentations there was a vivid discussion with other civil society organisations on the involvement of civil society to JPI programs. In the final conclusions of the conference Astrid’s plea to focus on intrinsic values of cultural heritage instead of monetary ones was mentioned