The European Parliament is making another important step towards raising awareness of the importance of cultural heritage for Europe’s social and economic development. 

Inspired by the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, the Parliament will gather cultural sector stakeholders and policy makers for a high-level conference titled Cultural Heritage in Europe: Linking Past and Future. Taking place on 26 June in Brussels, the conference will be a milestone event in this year’s cultural heritage celebrations.

The full-day programme will highlight the values of cultural heritage for Europe, particularly focusing on the challenges the sector is facing today. Through three focused panels, the participants will raise some of the most significant questions regarding the future of cultural heritage in Europe. The panels will cover:

  • Cultural heritage and Europeanness
  • Preserving and promoting cultural heritage
  • Innovation and the economic potential of cultural heritage

More specifically, the discussions will revolve around the notion of “collective identity” in the European context, relevant EU cultural heritage policies, access to culture in European Union, and several other topics that have recently been a subject of research by European Parliament's Research Service and its Policy Departments. These topics will provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of cultural heritage in Europe and point out to spaces where improvements may be needed.  

The opening remarks will be made by Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, who will present the main themes of the conference and discuss its purpose in the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018.

They will be joined by Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Petra Kammerevert, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament, as well as many other special guests whose knowledge and expertise will help improve the outcomes of the conference. Among them, Snezana Samardzic-Markovic, Council of Europe's Director General for Democracy will participate in the third panel and will discuss the importance of many Council of Europe initiatives, including European Heritage Days.

The programme will also include live music performances and an exhibition on the history of the video game by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe at the Museum of Video Games.

By addressing some of the key issues in the European cultural heritage sector, the conference will provide grounds for future actions to support its development. As such, it is an invaluable contribution not only to the European Year of Cultural Heritage celebrations, but also to the general mission of building a better future for European cultural heritage.

For more details about the conference topics and programme visit this page.

The live broadcast of the conference will be available here starting tomorrow at 14:00.  

Photo Credits:
europarl.europa.eu
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