With less than a year left until the launch of European Capital of Culture celebrations in Plovdiv, the city is ramping up its efforts to raise awareness about relevant cultural issues.

As part of its preparations to take on this prestigious title, Plovdiv will host the Cultural Heritage: For a More Sustainable Europe conference, which will celebrate and highlight the significance of cultural heritage for Europe.  

Organised by the Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, the conference will take place on 26th and 27th of March, 2018. With the goal to promote cultural heritage as a vital resource for achieving peace, unity, and economic prosperity in Europe, the event will cover a number of heritage-related topics. It will discuss the best practices for improving relevant heritage policies and raising awareness about its values among the general public.

The suggested steps for the promotion and achievement of the conference’s key objectives include:  

  • Establishing an integrated approach to the cultural heritage in Europe;
  • Incorporating the issues of conservation and promotion of heritage in other EU policies, with broader competencies and powers;
  • Expanding the interaction between culture and heritage sector and other public sectors in order to stimulate innovation, sustainability and social inclusion;
  • Enhancing participatory governance of cultural heritage.


The conference will include three thematic workshops that will be dedicated to discussing the EU competencies in the field of heritage, mainstreaming of heritage, and participatory governance in the field. These topics will help bring into focus cultural heritage as a valuable social and economic resource for Europe and highlight its role in fostering a sense of belonging and community among the citizens.

Over 200 key actors in heritage governance, preservation, and enhancement will join the event to give their contribution to the discussions. By suggesting the practical steps for integrating and improving heritage policies on the European level, they will offer solutions for enhancing the outlook for heritage all across the continent.

For more details about the conference visit the website of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.