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As the European Voice of Civil Society committed to Cultural Heritage, Europa Nostra acts as a relay between citizens and the EU institutions, carrying out the crucial tasks of raising awareness on the value of cultural heritage for Europe, advocating to mainstream heritage into EU policies and secure adequate funding, and actively contributing to the EU policy debate and policy-making process.

Europa Nostra’s commitment to strengthening the cultural heritage driven movement in Europe has been further reinforced by its appointment as Project Leader to implement the European Heritage Hub along with a consortium of 21 partners. Running from May 2023 to April 2025, this EU-funded pilot project will establish and develop an autonomous advocacy and knowledge platform bringing together a large array of cultural heritage stakeholders, contributing to a more sustainable, innovative and inclusive future for the wider field of cultural heritage. This project follows in the footsteps of another EU-funded project run by Europa Nostra, the European Cultural Heritage Agora “Empowering Europe’s Civil Society Movement for Heritage” (2022-2024).

At times when democracy is under threat, finding unity in our shared values and heritage is more important than ever. The war of Russia against Ukraine has presented new and profound challenges for Europe. Europa Nostra strongly condemns this unlawful invasion and has been offering support to heritage professionals in Ukraine, for instance via the Heritage Solidarity Fellowship for Ukraine, launched in May 2022 by Europa Nostra and Global Heritage Fund, in partnership with ALIPH and with the collaboration of the Heritage Emergency Response Initiative (HERI). A second call was launched in April 2023.

The green transition remains a priority area for Europa Nostra, and we are currently campaigning to ensure culture is included in the agenda of the UN Climate Change Conferences (also known as COP), with a delegation attending the 2023 COP28 in Dubai. Europa Nostra has closely followed the outcomes of other COP events, and in 2022, as co-chair of the Climate Heritage Network, we welcomed the significant progress in mainstreaming culture and heritage in the climate agenda at COP27 held in Egypt, but advocated for more holistic recognition of the cultural dimensions of the climate crisis. In 2021, Europa Nostra, in close cooperation with ICOMOS and the Climate Heritage Network, and the input of other members of the European Heritage Alliance, had published the European Cultural Heritage Green Paper, which demonstrates the relevance of cultural heritage for achieving the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal.

Dialogue and partnerships are at the core of Europa Nostra’s work. The organisation coordinates the European Heritage Alliance since 2011, an informal platform of 51 European and international networks active in the wider field of heritage. Europa Nostra is also a Member of the European Commission’s Expert group on cultural heritage, through which it raises awareness on the important contribution of cultural heritage to all key priorities of the European Union – from sustainable development and climate action to the digital transformation, social cohesion, skills and employment.

Europa Nostra’s collaboration and cooperation with institutional partners is a core element of its work. Through a long standing relationship with the EU institutions and the Council of Europe, Europa Nostra advocates for an integrated approach to cultural heritage and continues to expand its partnership with other entities. Most recently, it addressed the first Conference of the Ministers of Culture of the Mediterranean at the EU-Southern Partnership, which recognised the need to better protect and enhance the shared and distinctive culture, heritage and landscape of the region.

Europa Nostra also facilitates cooperation and coordination of cultural heritage expertise on a global scale to protect endangered heritage, in particular through regular dialogue and cooperation with international organisations, both intergovernmental, such as UNESCO, and non-governmental, such as ICOMOS, ICOM, the World Monuments Fund and the Global Heritage Fund.

As one of the most established and representative heritage networks in Europe, covering over 40 countries, Europa Nostra is committed to staying at the forefront of existing and emerging challenges, policies and practices across the continent, and to leading the mobilisation of the wider heritage world to address them.

Policy

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Ted Oakes
European Policy Coordinator
to@europanostra.org
+32 2 894 74 99

EIB Institute The A.G. Leventis Foundation Bertelsmann ANBI