The aim of the conference is to encourage the work of such NGOs in the wider European context.
Conservation is an international issue.
Pollution spreads across national frontiers, and there is nothing that Schengen or any other border agreement can do to stop it. Perhaps it is a little less obvious that cultural heritage is similarly a responsibility held in common, with obligations that transcend national frontiers. In fact, culture and cultural heritage have often been used to justify the foundation of nation states and, consequently, the erection of new frontier barriers against others. Our understanding of cultural heritage has become more comprehensive. We know that buildings and sites can be worthy of protection even if they are devoid of strictly national significance.