Participatory governance of cultural heritage : report of THE OMC (Open Method of Coordination) working group of Member States’ experts : executive summary.
Date: 2018-12-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Subjects: EU Member State, civil society, cultural cooperation, cultural heritage, cultural policy, cultural promotion, governance

APRIL 2018

EUROPEAN AGENDA FOR CULTURE 
WORK PLAN FOR CULTURE 2015-2018

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE 
OF CULTURAL HERITAGE 

REPORT OF THE OMC (OPEN METHOD OF COORDINATION)

WORKING GROUP OF MEMBER STATES’ EXPERTS  

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What is participatory governance 

of cultural heritage about? 

Participatory governance is about strengthening the relationship between cultural heritage 
institutions and professionals, and everyone interested or engaged in cultural heritage – civil 
society, the public, owners, caretakers, businesses, etc. Participatory governance affects the 
professional role because it demands both knowledge of cultural heritage, and knowledge 
of the relevance of cultural heritage in society and of the relations between people and 
cultural heritage.

Governance is a word used to express the movement from governing towards involving 
stakeholders in processes commonly reserved for and run by experts, officials and politicians.  
Its key aspects of participation and access have been popular in cultural policies for a long 
time.  However,  this  has  been  the  case  more  in  relation  to  ideas,  ambitions  and  visions; 
participatory  governance  of  cultural  heritage  expresses  the  will  to  move  towards  more 
participation in everyday, common practice. 

Participatory governance of tangible, intangible and digital cultural heritage is an innovative 
approach, introducing a real change in how cultural heritage is managed and valued. It is also 
more sustainable in the long term than the approach used to date. 

It is a creative process that involves experimenting with, exploring and testing old and new 
ideas and options in different contexts. It is about being open-minded and not focusing on the 
end result or ways of measuring the outcome. It means being bold and daring, pushing the 
limits. It means being prepared to go beyond the passive acceptance of ‘popular will’.

EUROPEAN UNION

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This handbookThe Council of the European Union in its ‘Conclusions on the Participatory Governance of  Cultural Heritage’ of November 2014 called for the involvement of the public and private sectors at all levels of decision-making, and invited the Commission to promote a participatory approach to the governance of cultural heritage. It also called for increased cooperation among EU Member States in order to identify and disseminate best practices on bottom-up approaches for joint inclusive management of cultural heritage.Consequently, a working group of national experts from 26 Member States and Norway was set up within the framework of the Work Plan for Culture 2015-2018. Its objective was  to identify innovative models of participatory governance of cultural heritage. This handbook is the result of their work.Who is this handbook for?This handbook consists of practical advice primarily for cultural heritage professionals and institutions. However, it has the general aim of moving the participatory governance of cultural heritage from abstract notions to concrete actions and therefore other interested parties, such as politicians and policy-makers, will also find parts of it useful.How was the content created?The Council had asked the working group to identify good practices by mapping and comparing public policies at national and regional level.First, country representatives filled out a questionnaire. The results showed that focusing on legal prerequisites or financial support would not be fruitful. Consultations with civil society are either required by law or are customary in Member States. Generally, there is public trust in decisions concerning cultural heritage, but there is also potential for improvement. The same is true for consistency between different governing levels. The overarching conclusion is that, in most of the countries represented in the working group, there are no formal hindrances to introducing participatory governance of cultural heritage, and, in many or even most, the prerequisites are already in place.  Next, country representatives filled out a template and 47 examples of best practice of participatory governance of cultural heritage were collected. The working group agreed that, despite some similarities between countries, it is impossible to directly transfer individual examples between countries, or even within them. Finally, the group made an analysis of the examples based on 5 factors: initiator, motivation, obstacles/barriers, consequences and lessons learned. The analysis shows that there is a need for: boosting public interest and building relationships; flexibility and support for projects; improving staff competences and training. Other lessons learned include that: the process is part of the result; bottom-up and top-down approaches are complementary; participation and transparency are vital in all phases; and tangible, intangible and digital heritage should be connected. This handbook is based on the conclusions of this analysis.«
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Recommendations for cultural heritageinstitutions and professionalsThe handbook also includes recommendations for cultural heritage institutions and professionals. This section builds on the analysis and identifies specific areas for action, steps to consider and questions to ask.The first aspect to address is the attitude towards and willingness to adopt participatory  governance of cultural heritage. It is recommended that every cultural institution/professional start the process by going through a simple list of six questions. These are on: the institution’s/professional’s readiness to change; whether civil society/stakeholders have shown an interest; if there is a positive attitude to cooperation, a common initial understanding, a professional openness to knowledge of all types; and if public benefit is the primary aim.This list of questions is a tool for testing whether the process can run in circumstances where the participatory governance of cultural heritage could be considered an advantage. It is also useful during the next steps, to fine-tune the process.The next steps fall into three general areas divided into three to five sub-steps each:Create the pre-conditions by: providing information on legal conditions and opportunities, identifying stakeholders, developing a common vision, allocating resources, and creating an environment or opportunity where knowledge can be shared and participants can learn from each other.Support the process by: fostering communication and transparency, attracting interest and interaction between the history of cultural heritage and the personal stories of stakeholders, highlighting that common good means common responsibility, affirming the professionals’ role in public opinion, and paying attention to agendas and the need for compromise.Ensure sustainability by: monitoring and evaluating the process, strengthening intrinsic motivation to adopt this approach, promoting the benefits for the community. Recommendations for politicians and policy-makersThere are some basic preconditions, such as fostering the recognition of cultural heritage as a common good, a shared resource and a driver of sustainable development together with the continuous advancement of synergies among different stakeholders and with other sectors.The working group recommended taking advantage of existing and upcoming cultural heritage-related initiatives and funding programmes at national and EU levels with a view to further developing their potential for participatory governance.The group also recommended the development of a clear and comprehensive policy frame-work at national and EU levels to guide strategies and practice.«
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The full report is available at:  
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/library/index_en.htm

Chair of the OMC working group: 
Birgitta Johansen

For further information, please contact: 
European Commission
Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Directorate D – Culture & Creativity
Unit D1 – Cultural Policy
Contact: Erminia Sciacchitano
Email: EAC-UNITE-D1@ec.europa.eu

© European Union, 2018

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