Cultural Heritage: a powerful catalyst for the future of Europe

Manifesto  ‘Cultural Heritage: a powerful catalyst for the future of Europe’ presented on Europe Day 9 May 2020.

FRH, as a proud member of the European Heritage Alliance European Heritage Alliance contributed to the launch of the Europe Day Manifesto “Cultural Heritage: a powerful catalyst for the future of Europe.” The manifesto was presented during a webinar on Europe Day 2020, commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration. Over a 1,000 participants from all over Europe joined this unique digital meeting, organised by the Europeana Foundation and co-hosted by Europa Nostra on behalf of the European Heritage Alliance, on Saturday 9 May and interacted with high-level heritage decision-makers from the European Institutions, Member States and civil society. This included Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth; Luca Jahier, President of the European Economic and Social Committee; Nina Obuljen-Koržinek, Croatian Minister of Culture and Acting Chair of the EU Council of Ministers; Sabine Verheyen, Chair of the European Parliament Culture and Education Committee; Anne Karjalainen, Member of the European Committee of the Regions and Chair of the SEDEC commission; Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and Executive President of Europa Nostra; as well as Stéphane Bern, well-known French author and TV journalist. The participation of the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and the others, on this sunny Saturday morning webinar is seen as a demonstration of their dedication and their motivation to this significant task. The interventions about cultural heritage and innovation from our new EU Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel, were especially welcome.

The 70^th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, a landmark in European history, comes at a time when Europe and much of the world is confronted with unparalleled challenges caused by the covid19 pandemic. Many FRH members face challenges but also show their ability to come forward with creative and innovative solutions. FRH Conversations lets members have their say and share their opinions with others. Cultural heritage can be a motivator for the future of Europe, as many in the religious heritage sector are well aware. Rejuvenation of religious heritage in, especially but not exclusively, rural regions can instigate a renaissance of something much bigger. Projects such as  Europetour or SKIVRE where FRH is a partner demonstrate this. Religiana, powered by FRH, is digitally disclosing religious heritage across Europe. The Europe Day Manifesto, presented last Saturday,  puts forward 7 of the most important ways in which cultural heritage can act as a catalyst for the future of Europe, including Regenerating Europe, Digitally Transforming Europe and Experiencing Europe. The Manifesto will be translated into various languages and distributed by all the members of the European Heritage Alliance. It will also be submitted to EU Ministers in charge of culture ahead of their Video-conference of 19 May 2020.