Message by Executive President and Secretary General

As an introduction to the Europa Nostra Newsletter issued on 14 December 2023

Dear members, partners and supporters of Europa Nostra
Dear colleagues and friends

What a year 2023 has been! 60 years ago, Europa Nostra was founded at the Council of Europe premises in Paris with just 11 founding member organisations. Today we have evolved into Europe’s largest civil society network dedicated to cultural and natural heritage, amplifying the voices of over 300 organisations across Europe and beyond.

We were thrilled to celebrate our 60th anniversary with many of you last September in Venice during the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2023. How we wished that all of you could also be with us for a special event in Paris at the stunning Hôtel de la Marine in the presence of over 250 participants on 29 November, marking the exact day that Europa Nostra was founded in 1963. We are happy to share a selection of photos from this memorable event and a heartfelt collection of anniversary messages received from our dear members, partners, and friends. Among these many messages, we wish to proudly acknowledge a special message which we have received from Emmanuel Macron, President of France, on 29 November, and also a fantastic illustration by the world-renowned French cartoonist, Jean Plantu, winner of the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award 2016 (see below).

 

This year also saw the launch of the European Heritage Hub project with a consortium of 20 esteemed partners. Just over six months in, this joint EU-funded project is yielding impressive results. Our Global Call to include culture in climate policy and action led to the establishment of the ‘Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action’ at COP 28 in Dubai. Over 30 Ministers and a large delegation of committed cultural advocates from across the Globe attended the historic inaugural meeting, co-chaired by the Culture Ministers from UAE and Brazil, recognising the key role of culture for transformative climate action. We’re delighted to reinforce our partnership with ALIPH, committing 100.000 USD to support this Global Call, and an additional 111.000 USD to aid the launch and operation in the new year of the European Heritage Hub’s Small Grants Scheme in support of heritage related projects led by civil society organisations in a series of neighbouring countries of the EU (Ukraine, Moldova, countries of the Western Balkans and the three Caucasus countries).

🆕 Historic moment as yesterday the Group of Friends of Culture-Based #ClimateAction was established at #COP28 Europa Nostra is proud to be part of this global movement harnessing the power of culture for the good of our planet – this is only the start! 👉https://t.co/N7xSjnML7f https://t.co/4uPoWUSa4f

— Europa Nostra (@europanostra) December 9, 2023

We are very proud of our ever-stronger partnership with EU Institutions. We are delighted to have developed a widely acclaimed European Heritage Awards programme for over 20 years together with the European Commission. Additionally, running the 7 Most Endangered programme with the European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute for the last decade marks a significant milestone. On this occasion, the EIB with Europa Nostra published the brochure ‘Saving the Past – Shaping the Future’ (in six languages), which highlights the success stories of the 7 Most Endangered programme and the importance of community engagement. We are pleased to renew our partnership with the EIB Institute for another 3 years, and take this opportunity to warmly congratulate Nadia Calviño on her appointment as the new President of the EIB, as of 1 January 2024.

A special thanks to the immense dedication of all our members and donors for the preservation of Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. We can be extremely proud of what our organisation has achieved during the first 60 years of its life. This was only possible thanks to your generous and competent support to the mission and action of Europa Nostra. Many of you have contributed to this work for decades. You all are the main asset of our organisation.

A single message isn’t enough to acknowledge the countless partners and friends whose contributions have shaped Europa Nostra. As a tribute to their invaluable support, we present a 60-minute podcast covering Europa Nostra’s Past, Present and Future. Recorded during our Summit in Venice, this podcast was produced in collaboration with the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Krakow and thanks to the support of the Fondation Hippocrène. We released the first two episodes focusing on the Past and Present of Europa Nostra. Stay tuned for the Future – which we will continue to build together!

Wishing you a peaceful and joyful holiday season and a new year marked by more humanity, solidarity, serenity and prosperity in Europe and beyond,

Cordially yours,
Hermann Parzinger, Executive President
Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General