European framework for action on cultural heritage.
Date: 2019-05-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Subjects: EU programme, arts, cultural heritage, cultural policy, cultural promotion, culture

European Framework  
for Action on  
Cultural Heritage 
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table of contents 

4   

1. INTRODUCTION

7  

3. SCOPE AND AMBITION OF  
THE EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK  
FOR ACTION ON  
CULTURAL HERITAGE 

14  

6. Conclusion

5  

2. WHY A FRAMEWORK  
FOR ACTION ON  

CULTURAL HERITAGE? 

8 

4. PRINCIPLES OF  
THE EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK  
FOR ACTION ON  

CULTURAL HERITAGE

10 

5. FIVE PILLARS 

15  

ANNEX • FIVE PILLARS,  

14 CLUSTERS OF ACTIONS 

1. INTRODUCTION

Cultural heritage is a common good passed from previous generations as a legacy for those to come. 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 1 aimed at celebrating cultural heritage as a shared resource, 
raising awareness of common history and values, and reinforcing a sense of belonging to a common European 
cultural and political space. It created the momentum for cultural heritage to be placed higher on the EU’s 
agenda, through an integrated approach. 

At the Gothenburg Leaders’ Summit in November 2017, Heads of States and Government confirmed their 
commitment to a Union which preserves its cultural heritage and promotes cultural diversity. The European 
Council in December 2017 highlighted the European Year of Cultural Heritage as a pivotal opportunity 
to increase awareness of the social and economic importance of culture and heritage. 

The European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, announced in the new European Agenda for Culture 2, 
responds to the invitation of European Leaders and cultural stakeholders. It builds on the results of the 
European Year of Cultural Heritage and ensures its legacy by developing further concrete actions. 

The Framework for Action promotes and puts into practice an integrated and participatory approach 
to cultural heritage, and contributes to the mainstreaming of cultural heritage across EU policies. 
The European Parliament 3, the Council of the European Union 4, the Committee of the Regions 5 and 
the Economic and Social Committee 6 support this approach. 

1  Decision (EU) 2017/864 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 may 2017 on a European Year of Cultural 

Heritage (2018). 

2  Commission’s communication on a new European agenda for culture COM(2018)267. 

3  European Parliament resolution of 8 September 2015 towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe 

(2014/2149(INI)) OJ C 316, 22.9.2017, p. 88–98. 

4  Council conclusions of 21 May 2014 on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe  

(OJ C 183, 14.6.2014, p. 36); Council conclusions on participatory governance of cultural heritage  
(OJ C 463, 23.12.2014, p. 1); Council conclusions on the need to bring cultural heritage to the fore 
across policies in the EU (2018/C 196/05) (OJ C 196, 8.6.2018, p. 20–22). 

5  Opinion of the Committee of the Regions — Towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe  

(OJ C 195, 12.6.2015, p. 22). 

6  Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the contribution of Europe’s rural areas 

to the 2018 Year of Cultural Heritage ensuring sustainability and urban/rural cohesion. 

4 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE2. WHY A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION 
ON CULTURAL HERITAGE?

LOOKING BEYOND THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF CULTURAL HERITAGE 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage was a wide-ranging and inclusive initiative involving all EU institutions 7, 
all EU Member States 8, nine partner countries 9 as well as a broad array of cultural stakeholders, including the 
European Heritage Alliance 3.3 10. There was a dedicated pan-European communication campaign. More than 
11,700 11 events were held across Europe, and over 10,000 initiatives received the official label of the European 
Year of Cultural Heritage 12. It involved large and diverse audiences: dedicated activities had reached over 
6 million people by the end of the third quarter of 2018. In addition, the 2018 European Heritage Days engaged 
up to 30 million people in over 70,000 events across Europe, raising their awareness of the European dimension 
of cultural heritage. 

The European Commission made substantial funding available for cultural heritage projects across different 
EU funding programmes, encouraging people-centred, inclusive, and sustainable approaches. Promoting 
synergies with other sectorial policies was also a key feature, and 19 European Commission services took part 
in the Year’s actions. 

The objective of this Framework for Action is to capture the momentum created during the European Year 
of Cultural Heritage, through a continued series of short to medium-term actions. It provides an overview 
of the commitments taken by the European Commission in this respect. 

7  The European Parliament, The Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee mobilised 

their respective resources to contribute to the European Year of Cultural Heritage. 

8  The European Year of Cultural Heritage was a decentralized initiative. In EU Member States it was implemented 
by National Coordinators designated by the relevant Ministries. Associated countries also appointed National 
Coordinators for this purpose. 

9  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Georgia, Iceland, Norway 

and Switzerland. 

10  http://europeanheritagealliance.eu/

11  Figures from 2018 Q1, Q2 and Q3. 

12  The European Year of Cultural Heritage label (comprising a logo, a slogan and a hashtag) was available for activities, 
events and projects contributing to achieving one or more of the objectives of the 2018 European Year of Cultural 
Heritage, as stated in Article 2 of Decision (EU) 2017/864. 

5 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEMOBILISATION OF STAKEHOLDERS 

The announcement of the European Framework for Action in May 2018 led to a wide mobilisation of stakeholders. 

The ‘Berlin Call to Action’ 13 of June 2018, prepared by Europa Nostra 14, the German Cultural Heritage Committee 15, 
and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation 16, calls for an ‘ambitious European Action Plan for Cultural Heritage 
as a lasting legacy of the European Year […] holistic and interconnected with other key EU policy agendas and priorities’. 
In their views, an action plan should be coherent with the Council of Europe Convention on the Value of Cultural 
Heritage for Society (the ‘Faro Convention’ 17), and the European Heritage Strategy for the 21st century. 

The Berlin Call also stresses the need for a strong external dimension in the Framework for Action, in line with the 
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It was signed by Ministers of Culture, Members of the 
European Parliament, as well as numerous stakeholder organisations and individuals. 

Culture Action Europe 18 in its ‘Fast Forward Heritage manifesto’ 19 welcomes the contemporary understanding 
of cultural heritage in the context of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, and calls for the implementation 
of ‘an inclusive and forward looking definition of cultural heritage across policies, programmes and actions, and 
the subsequent adaptation of definitions, objectives and tools’. 

13  http://www.europanostra.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Berlin-Call-Action-Eng.pdf 

14  Europa Nostra is a pan-European federation of non-governmental organisations working in the field of cultural heritage. 

15  European Year of Cultural Heritage National Coordinator in Germany. 

16  The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz- SPK) is a cultural institution in Germany 

http://www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/ 

17  https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/199 

18  Culture Action Europe is a large network of cultural organisations, artists, activists, academics and policy-makers. 

19  https://cultureactioneurope.org/advocacy/fast-forward-heritage/ 

6 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE3. SCOPE AND AMBITION OF 
THE EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION 
ON CULTURAL HERITAGE 

The Framework for Action aims to set a common direction for heritage-related activities at European level, 
primarily in EU policies and programmes. It can also serve as an inspiration for regions and cities in Europe, 
as well as for cultural heritage organisations and networks when developing their own actions on cultural 
heritage. 

It was prepared through regular exchanges with EU Member States, EU Council Presidencies, the European 
Parliament, civil society organisations, cultural operators and international organisations such as the Council 
of Europe and UNESCO. It also builds on lessons learned from ten long-term projects entitled  ‘European 
Initiatives’ 20 carried out by the European Commission as part of the policy input to the European Year 
of Cultural Heritage.  A wide range of Commission services, international organisations and cultural heritage 
organisations contributed to the implementation of these European initiatives. 

The Framework for Action will complement the Council’s new Work Plan for Culture. The new Work Plan 
organises voluntary cooperation between EU Member States in the field of culture from 2019 to 2022. 
Sustainability in cultural heritage is one of its five main strands and it comprises several actions. As these 
actions will be implemented with the support of the European Commission, they are included in this 
Framework. 

At national level, the European Commission invites Member States to draw up similar frameworks for heritage 
on a voluntary basis, to complement the Framework for Action. 

The European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage is aligned with the Council of Europe’s European 
Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century adopted in 2017, with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development, and with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 21. 

20  https://ec.europa.eu/culture/content/overview_en 

21  https://www.unisdr.org/we/coordinate/sendai-framework 

7 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE4. PRINCIPLES OF THE EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK 
FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE 

HOLISTIC APPROACH 

The European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage looks at the tangible, intangible and digital 
dimensions of cultural heritage as inseparable and interconnected 22. Its actions encourage a wider 
understanding of the ideals, principles and values embedded in Europe’s cultural heritage, particularly 
those underpinning European integration, promoting heritage education and interpretation. 

It also looks at cultural heritage as a resource for the future, to be safeguarded, enhanced, and promoted, also 
by encouraging synergies with contemporary creation. It puts people at its heart, stimulating access and 
engagement and promoting audience development, with a focus on local communities, children and young 
people, as well as people with disabilities, thereby fostering social inclusion and integration. 

Finally, sustainability and innovation are central principles underpinning the Framework for Action and its 
approach to cultural heritage. 

MAINSTREAMING AND INTEGRATED APPROACH 

This Framework for Action re-affirms and puts into practice the principle of mainstreaming of cultural heritage 
in different EU policies. Building on the 2014 Commission Communication 23, as well as 2017 Council 
conclusions 24, it is the first document to set out an integrated approach to cultural heritage at European level. 
It cuts across diverse EU policy areas: regional, urban and rural development, education and social cohesion, 

22  ‘cultural heritage consists of the resources inherited from the past in all forms and aspects – tangible, intangible and 

digital (born digital and digitized), including monuments, sites, landscapes, skills, practices, knowledge and expressions 
of human creativity, as well as collections conserved and managed by public and private bodies such as museums, 
libraries and archives’ Council conclusions of 21 May 2014 on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable 
Europe (2014/C 183/08).

23  Commission Communication ‘Towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe’ COM(2014) 477. 

24  EUCO 19/1/17 REV 1. 

8 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEdigital transformation, environment (including nature conservation), tourism, accessibility 25, the sustainability 
agenda and climate change adaptation, research and innovation and external relations. 

EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING 

Evidence-based decision-making is as necessary in the cultural heritage field as it is in other policies. In that 
respect, the Framework entails several actions aimed at measuring the impact of actions on cultural heritage. 
Through its statistical office, Eurostat, the European Commission will also keep improving the methodology 
and tools to collect data for cultural statistics, in cooperation with the statistical offices of EU Member States. 
It will also contribute to similar efforts at international level by cooperating with organisations such as the 
UNESCO Institute for Statistics 26 and networks like the European Group on Museum Statistics 27. 

MULTI-STAKEHOLDER COOPERATION 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage had a specific governance framework. It included a group of National 
Coordinators from 28 EU Member States, the 9 associated countries 28 and a Stakeholders’ Committee 29 
representing 38 European cultural heritage networks and international organisations, set up to assist the 
European Commission. The novelty of the approach was an extensive and efficient coordination among 
EU Member States, EU institutions 30, civil society and different European Commission services. 

To maintain the spirit of cooperation and continue the policy dialogue, the European Commission 
is establishing an informal Commission expert group – the Cultural Heritage Forum. This Forum will 
be a platform for consultation and exchanging ideas and best practices, involving all actors mentioned 
above. It will follow the implementation of the Framework for Action. The purpose of the Forum will 
be to promote public policies that ensure the long-term value and sustainability of Europe’s cultural 
heritage based on an integrated approach. 

25  The EU and all its Member States are parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which 
is thus part of the EU legal order. The Convention contains accessibility as a general principle and is an obligation 
stated in Art 9. While the Convention does not contain any explicit exception for cultural heritage sites and museums, 
the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, indicated that ‘The provision of access to cultural and historical 
monuments that are part of national heritage may indeed be a challenge in some circumstances. However, States parties are 
obliged to strive to provide access to these sites. Many monuments and sites of national cultural importance have been made 
accessible in a way that preserves their cultural and historical identity and uniqueness.’ 

26  UNESCO UIS http://uis.unesco.org/ 

27  European Group on Museum Statistics- EGMUS https://www.egmus.eu/ 

28  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Iceland, 

Norway and Switzerland. 

29  http://www.voicesofculture.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Stakeholder-committee_VoC.pdf 

30  The European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee 

were observers. 

9 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE5. FIVE PILLARS

This Framework for Action is based on five pillars, which are as follows: 
1.  Cultural heritage for an inclusive Europe: participation and access for all; 
2.  Cultural heritage for a sustainable Europe: smart solutions for a cohesive and sustainable future; 
3.  Cultural heritage for a resilient Europe: safeguarding endangered heritage; 
4.  Cultural heritage for an innovative Europe: mobilising knowledge and research; 
5.  Cultural heritage for stronger global partnerships: reinforcing international cooperation. 

To each pillar corresponds a limited number of clusters of actions 31. A detailed description of the 14 clusters, 
and the activities that they comprise, can be found in the Annex. 

The European Commission is implementing the activities described in the Framework for Action in cooperation 
with relevant institutions, organisations and partners. These actions will also be supplemented 
by complementary initiatives carried out by culture and cultural heritage stakeholder organisations and 
communities, without which cultural heritage cannot be kept alive. 

PILLAR 1: CULTURAL HERITAGE FOR AN INCLUSIVE EUROPE 

Cultural heritage has the potential to contribute positively to people’s lives and to European societies 
as a whole. It can do so by improving psychological and social wellbeing or strengthening social inclusion 32. 
Engagement with cultural heritage also fosters a sense of belonging to a European community, based 
on common cultural legacies, historical experiences and shared values. 

To make the most of this potential the widest possible access to cultural heritage, in all its forms, must 
be ensured for all people. This includes those who are economically disadvantaged, socially deprived 
or persons with reduced mobility or disabilities. 

31  The actions described in the document, including the ones in the Annex, are subject to the existing financial 
programming of the respective spending programmes and to the availabilities under the relevant annual 
budgetary procedures. Moreover, the announced actions will have to comply with the relevant and respective 
annual work programmes. 

32  Council conclusions on cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe (2014), Council conclusions 

on participatory governance of cultural heritage (2014) and Commission’s Communication on Strengthening European 
Identity through Education and Culture (2017). 

10 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEThe Commission supports digitisation and online accessibility of Europe’s cultural heritage material, facilitating 
citizens’ access and engagement with cultural heritage, as well as promoting the wide use and re-use of the 
digitised material in different sectors 33. 

However, stimulating participation in cultural heritage activities remains a challenge. According to a recent 
Eurobarometer Survey 34, almost half of Europeans (48 %) said they are not involved with cultural heritage 
in any way. Yet, the same survey shows that 68 % of respondents would like to know more about Europe’s 
cultural heritage. In addition, 80 % believe that cultural heritage is important for the European Union 
as a whole and not only at the national level. 88 % of respondents agreed that schools should teach Europe’s 
cultural heritage. 

To meet this challenge, the Framework for Action focuses on three clusters of actions: a) engaging the 
wider public, including via digital means; b) engaging school children and empowering young people; 
and c) breaking barriers to access. Ultimately, the goal is to utilise the cohesive power of cultural heritage 
to build a more inclusive Europe. 

In order to engage the wider public, the European Commission is reinforcing the visibility and increasing the 
impact of existing EU initiatives such as the European Heritage Label, the European Heritage Days and the 
European Heritage Award. Moreover, Creative Europe and the Europe for Citizens programmes are also funding 
bottom-up heritage pjects. Finally, Europeana 35, Europe’s digital cultural heritage platform, will continue 
leveraging the potential of digital engagement of wider audiences with cultural heritage. 

Another cluster of actions aims at engaging and empowering the younger generations for the benefit 
of Europe’s cultural heritage. This will be achieved through actions in schools, Erasmus+, Discover EU and the 
European Solidarity Corps. Combined, these will seize the potential of heritage as a tool for education, youth 
development and active citizenship. 

A third cluster of actions aims at breaking barriers to access and fostering an increased engagement of hard-to-
reach groups with cultural heritage. Projects such as the #WeareEuropeForCulture is targeting groups who live 
in isolation, poverty, and are excluded from education, learning or employment, while the EU Access City Award 
will continue to promote ways to make it easier for people with disabilities to enjoy cultural heritage. 

PILLAR 2: CULTURAL HERITAGE FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE 

Cultural heritage is an irreplaceable resource that can enhance social capital, boost economic growth and 
secure environmental sustainability. As highlighted in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development, culture, including cultural heritage and the creative industries, has an important role 
in achieving inclusive and sustainable development. 

To leverage this potential, the Framework for Action entails three clusters of actions aiming at a) regenerating 
cities and regions through cultural heritage; b) promoting adaptive re-use of heritage buildings; and 
c) balancing access to cultural heritage with sustainable cultural tourism and natural heritage. 

With the aim of regenerating cities and regions through cultural heritage, a first cluster of actions will 
be dedicated to developing pragmatic, sustainable and integrated solutions to urban and regional challenges. 

A second cluster of actions will encourage the smart restoration and adaptive re-use of heritage buildings, 
as well as supporting the sharing of good practices and promoting excellence in this field. 

33  Commission Recommendation on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation 

(2011) (2011/711/EU).

34  Eurobarometer on cultural heritage, 2017. 

35  Europeana.eu 

11 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEFinally, a third cluster of actions will concentrate on improving policies and practices on sustainable cultural 
tourism, and promoting practices and approaches that are sustainable, smart and innovative. These actions will 
also promote Europe’s natural heritage as a factor of competitiveness and of sustainable and inclusive growth. 

PILLAR 3: CULTURAL HERITAGE FOR A RESILIENT EUROPE 

Cultural heritage is fragile and vulnerable to destruction and decay due to numerous factors. First, natural 
disasters and threats caused by human actions (deliberate and unintentional). This includes climate change. 

Secondly, conflict is also a threat to cultural heritage. Looting and illicit trafficking, often brought about 
by conflict, take place today at an unprecedented scale and can sometimes finance terrorism. 

Finally, low quality or ill-conceived cultural heritage interventions are another risk factor. 

Safeguarding cultural heritage is not only a national competence; it is also an EU responsibility, as set out 
in the founding Treaties 36. In the public mind too, the EU bears responsibility: according to a recent 
Eurobarometer Survey conducted by the European Commission, 40 % of Europeans think the EU should 
do the most to protect Europe’s cultural heritage 37. 

Against this backdrop, the Framework entails three clusters of actions aiming at a) fighting against illicit 
trafficking of cultural goods; b) raising the quality of physical interventions on cultural heritage and; 
c) protecting cultural heritage against natural disasters and climate change. 

Actions to fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods and protect endangered cultural heritage include 
building the capacity of enforcement authorities and heritage professionals to tackle these issues and support 
the exchange of good practices in the field. 

The second cluster of actions aims at raising the quality of physical interventions on cultural heritage 
implemented by national, regional and local authorities. This will particularly be the case when those 
interventions are EU-funded 38 and are supporting capacity-building and the transfer of knowledge in this field. 

Finally, to protect cultural heritage against natural disasters and climate change, a set of actions are being 
developed to research, develop and disseminate evidence-based and cost-effective strategies and tools. 
These will be used to manage risks and improve the resilience of Europe’s cultural heritage in the event 
of natural disasters and against the intensifying effects of climate change. 

PILLAR 4: CULTURAL HERITAGE FOR AN INNOVATIVE EUROPE 

Digital technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for us to improve public access to cultural heritage 
assets and allow for their curation and re-use 39. Innovative technologies, such as virtual or augmented reality, 
can also enhance people’s experiences with cultural heritage, while digital tools such as 3D scanning play 
a major role in the preservation and restoration of physical heritage assets 40. 

Innovation is not only technological; it also takes place in the social sphere. The role of communities living 
with cultural heritage assets is changing. A more participative approach in the safeguarding and management 

36  Article (3)3 of the TEU states that the Union shall ensure that Europe’s cultural heritage is safeguarded and enhanced. 
Article 167 of the TFEU defines the EU role as one of encouraging cooperation between Member states to support the 
safeguarding of cultural heritage of European significance. 

37  Special Eurobarometer on Europeans and cultural heritage (2017). 

38  By ‘intervention on cultural heritage’ it is intended any action which impact, or have potential to impact, upon structures, 

places or sites of heritage interest, causing any physical change or alteration. 

39  Commission in the Recommendation on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital 

preservation (2011) (2011/711/EU). 

40  Digital solutions in the field of cultural heritage (2018). A Policy Brief from the Policy Learning Platform on Environment 

and resource efficiency. Interreg Europe. 

12 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEof cultural heritage 41 is called for. There is a need for new models that engage local communities, 
as for example in the social economy, and a wide range of stakeholders through open, participatory 
and inclusive processes 42. 

Finally, to ensure the long-term sustainability of Europe’s cultural heritage, it is essential that the knowledge 
and skills which underpin European expertise in heritage preservation and conservation are transferred 
to future generations. 

To address the challenges above, the Framework entails three clusters of actions aiming at a) capitalising 
on technological tools for innovation on cultural heritage; b) fostering social innovation; and c) strengthening 
skills in the field of cultural heritage. 

Under the first cluster of actions, technological tools for innovation on cultural heritage are being developed 
for the preservation and curation of cultural heritage, scaling-up existing research and facilitating cooperation 
in the field. 

The second cluster of actions is looking at social innovation by reinforcing the role of civil society in cultural 
heritage governance. These will also promote further experimentation and scientific studies on how 
participating in cultural heritage activities impacts on people’s wellbeing and health. 

The third cluster of actions is looking at cultural heritage competences and how they can be boosted 
by supporting innovation in heritage professions. 

PILLAR 5: CULTURAL HERITAGE FOR A STRONGER GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS 

The 2014 Commission Communication ‘Towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe’ 43 
outlined the role of cultural heritage in international relations and development policies. It highlighted the 
EU’s commitment to foster cooperation on cultural heritage and contribute to its protection, in cooperation 
with organisations such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage the EU Strategy for international cultural relations has been 
effectively put into practice. This strategy builds on the interest and needs in partner countries and on Europe’s 
expertise in cultural heritage preservation. 

The Framework entails two clusters of actions to reinforce cultural heritage cooperation. The first cluster 
targets geographical zones. The second cluster of actions entails horizontal/global actions aiming 
at strengthening international cooperation on heritage worldwide, in the framework of EU external 
relations activities. 

41  Study ‘Participatory governance of cultural heritage’ (2018) Report of the OMC working group of Member States’ experts. 

42  Council conclusions on participatory governance of cultural heritage OJ C 463, 23.12.2014 and Commission 

Communication ‘Towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe’ COM(2014) 477. 

43  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52014DC0477 

13 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE6. CONCLUSION 

The 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage marked a turning point for Europe’s evergrowing movement 
for cultural heritage, and it also confirmed the possibility to use cultural heritage to advance a more peaceful, 
prosperous, inclusive and sustainable Europe. 

The actions presented in the Framework will be launched in 2019 and 2020. However, the principles identified 
can be seen as sketching the outlines of a longer term vision for the management and safeguarding of Europe’s 
cultural heritage. Inspired by a wide range of policy documents adopted by the European Commission and the 
Council since 2014, their validity was further tested throughout the European Year of Cultural Heritage. 

Following the spirit and approach adopted for the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the implementation 
of the Framework will be a collective endeavour taken by all actors concerned. While the Commission has the 
lead for the implementation of the activities presented in this Framework, its success will also be measured 
by the level of engagement of other EU institutions, the EU Member States, local and regional authorities, 
culture and cultural heritage organisations and civil society. 

14 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEANNEX 

FIVE PILLARS, 14 CLUSTERS OF ACTIONS 

PILLAR 1: PARTICIPATION AND ACCESS FOR ALL 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage initiated a range of efforts to engage younger and older generations, 
professionals, and local communities with cultural heritage and its European dimension. 

The actions taken included: 

 ‣ Engaging the wider public through highly visible and participatory initiatives. For example, 30 million 
people took part in the 60 000 events of the special edition of the European Heritage Days, which was 
dedicated to the European Year of Cultural Heritage; 

 ‣ Promoting digital means to broaden access to cultural heritage. This was achieved in cooperation with 
Europeana, the EU’s digital platform for cultural heritage. Europeana implemented numerous outreach 
activities to support the digital accessibility of heritage resources, engage citizens with digitised heritage 
and promote the use and re-use of digital content for educational purposes; 

 ‣ The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre also developed the online platform ‘Story maps’ 1. 

These maps provide users with interactive and easily accessible information about EU-led cultural heritage 
initiatives in Europe. In addition, on 7 December 2018, the Joint Research Centre launched a free and 
open-source app entitled ‘Cultural gems’. This app enables residents and tourists to share and discover 
hidden cultural treasures in a selected number of European cities; 

 ‣ Raising awareness of Europe’s cultural heritage and the need to safeguard it through heritage education. 
This was achieved through widely-known European schemes like Erasmus+ and the eTwinning platform, 
which half a million educational professionals engage with; 

 ‣ Developing the eTwinning book ‘Europe’s cultural heritage through eTwinning’ 2. This book unpacks the various 
aspects of cultural heritage and offers examples of eTwinning projects, as well as ideas for related activities; 

1  http://eucommission.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=e3e538d4e4b743c8a6bc7a363fbc2310 

2  https://www.etwinning.net/eun-files/Online%20–%20eTwinning%20publication%2024.09.2018.pdf 

16 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE ‣

Launching a Toolkit and an online game in all EU languages to support teachers of any subject or discipline 
in bringing cultural heritage into the classrooms 3; 

 ‣

Inviting 15,000 young Europeans to discover Europe’s cultural heritage through the pilot initiative DiscoverEU; 

 ‣ Efforts were made to mobilise young people as volunteers for heritage protection through the European 

Solidarity Corps; 

 ‣ Promoting actions undertaken by civil society to engage with the wider public, such as initiatives 

by Civilscape 4, EFAITH 5 acting with volunteers and local thematic heritage associations, or Interpret 
Europe 6, who published a toolkit on how to engage citizens with Europe’s cultural heritage 7; 

 ‣ Training of museums professionals on how to encourage cultural participation and invest in children 

and young people, with the network of European Museums Organisations (NEMO 8); 

 ‣

Fostering synergies between cultural heritage and contemporary creation, through a dedicated call for 
projects under Creative Europe, and initiatives of cultural operators such as that developed by Pearle*, 
the European Theater Convention and Opera Europe, entitled ‘On Stage 2018’ 9; 

 ‣ Promoting links between cultural and natural heritage on numerous occasions like the EU Open Doors day, 

the Natura 2000 day 10, and through social media; 

 ‣

Supporting the development of key competences for lifelong learning relevant to cultural heritage. These 
include multilingualism, understanding of shared values, the notion of identity and the capacity to express 
oneself via a range of cultural media. This is due to continue as a follow up to the 2018 Recommendation 
on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning 11. 

New actions within the pillar 

The Framework foresees to continue and scale up these initiatives, as well as develop three new clusters 
of actions: a) engaging the wider public, including via digital means; b) engaging school children and 
empowering young people; c) breaking barriers to access. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 1:  
Engaging the wider public, including via digital means 

The visibility and impact of three emblematic EU initiatives in the field of heritage will be boosted: 
the European Heritage Label, the European Heritage Days and the European Heritage Awards. 

The EU gives the European Heritage Label to sites that play a symbolic role in Europe’s history, culture or the 
development of European integration. The 38 existing sites are all concrete examples of European values and 
identity, explained directly to citizens and thus made tangible. As of 2019, through a Creative Europe Programme 
dedicated action, the European Commission will make funding available to increase the visibility and impact 
of the Label. The grant will also support joint projects and networking among the Heritage Label sites. 

3  https://europa.eu/teachers-corner/sites/teacherscorner/files/files/eych-2018-toolkit-teachers_en.pdf 

4  https://civilscape.eu/en/about/ 

5  http://e-faith.org/ 

6  http://www.interpret-europe.net/feet/home/ 

7  http://www.interpret-europe.net/fileadmin/Documents/publications/ie_engaging_citizens_with_europes_cultural_heritage_co.pdf 

8  https://www.ne-mo.org/about-us.html 

9  https://www.pearle.eu/activity/on-stage-2018 

10  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/EUnatura2000day/index_en.htm 

11  Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning, OJ C 189, 4.6.2018. 

17 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEThe European Heritage Days is a joint initiative of the EU and the Council of Europe providing access to thousands 
of rarely opened sites and special events. During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the EU doubled the 
scheme’s budget and launched two pilot initiatives: the European Heritage Makers Week and the Call for European 
Heritage Stories. Both of these sought to engage with local communities. As of 2019, the European Commission 
will continue funding these initiatives to make sure they evolve into yearly activities and foster wider 
participation. In addition, the European Commission plans to revise the scheme in 2020 to further highlight its 
European dimension. 

As of 2019, the European Commission will encourage cooperation between European level cultural heritage 
initiatives which celebrate best practices and outstanding achievements related to heritage conservation, 
management, research, education and communication. These include the European Heritage Days, the European 
Heritage Label and the European Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards. Synergies with the macro-
regional Fora where relevant, as well as using cooperation platforms and networks will be further exploited. 

The potential of digital access to cultural heritage will also be fostered. It is estimated that 10 % of our cultural 
heritage is currently digitised and even less is available online. To tackle this challenge the European Commission 
will work towards strengthening Europeana 12 even further, in line with the new strategy for the Europeana 
Initiative 13, so as to support and steer cultural heritage institutions in making high-quality cultural heritage 
material accessible in the digital age. Europeana will also continue running thematic campaigns on common 
European themes 14, to inspire citizens’ participation and engagement with Europe’s shared heritage. 

In addition, as of 2019, the European Commission will continue making film heritage accessible through the 
MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe programme. In addition, a special project involving the restoration and 
digitisation of a number of classic European films and the organisation of screening events in cinemas and 
venues of a special architectural and heritage value will be supported through the cross-sectorial strand of the 
MEDIA programme as of the last trimester of 2018 and throughout 2019. 

Finally, the European Commission will foster cultural heritage as a key enabler of citizen participation and 
a vehicle of shared values such as dialogue and diversity. As of 2019, the European Commission will continue 
financing bottom-up cultural heritage projects through two programmes: Creative Europe and Europe for 
Citizens. Creative Europe financially bolsters the cultural and creative sectors in Europe; while Europe for 
Citizens supports initiatives that bring Europeans together to address issues of common concern, increase their 
awareness of fundamental values and ultimately their involvement with the EU. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 2:  
Engaging school children and empowering young people 

Raising awareness of the importance and value of Europe’s cultural heritage amongst young people 
is a precondition if we are to ensure the future sustainability of our cultural heritage. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission promoted learning about cultural 
heritage in schools through the e-twinning scheme. In 2019, a joint EU-UNESCO project funded by Creative 
Europe will map heritage education tools in schools, with a focus on intangible heritage. This will occur 
throughout the EU Member States and it shall provide guidance and tools for integrating intangible cultural 
heritage safeguarding in school curricula and extra-curricular activities. A group of up to eight school teams 
will also be trained in the implementation of pilot activities related to intangible cultural heritage. 

Further work with schools will also be undertaken by Europeana. As of 2019, with funding from the Connecting 
Europe Facility, Europeana will develop partnerships with Ministries of Education in Member States and with 
pan-European education networks (EU Schoolnet, Euroclio, eTwinning) to bring digital cultural content to schools. 

12  Europeana currently provides online access to over 58 million cultural items from more than 3,700 European 

heritage institutions. 

13  Commission report on the evaluation of Europeana and the way forward, COM(2018) 612. 

14  Such as the Europeana Migration campaign.

18 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEIn addition, young people will be mobilised around cultural heritage activities under flagship EU initiatives 
such as the European Solidarity Corps and DiscoverEU. The European Solidarity Corps offers opportunities for 
young people to volunteer or work in projects that benefit communities and people around Europe. During 
the European Year of Cultural Heritage, young people supported professionals in conservation works and 
they benefitted from training in heritage institutions. As of 2019, the European Commission will continue 
to promote the European Solidarity Corps as a platform whereby young volunteers can be mobilised for 
the benefit of Europe’s cultural heritage. 

In 2018, the new pilot action DiscoverEU offered 18-year-olds the opportunity to discover Europe’s cultural 
heritage. Around 15,000 young Europeans were awarded and received a pass to visit at least one other 
EU Member State, predominantly via train, to explore the diversity of Europe’s heritage and attend some 
of the events related to the European Year of Cultural Heritage. The European Commission will ensure 
the continuation and development of this initiative. 

Finally, the promotion of cultural heritage in education, and traditional sports and games as a form 
of intangible heritage in Erasmus+ will continue. 

Erasmus+ provides young people with the opportunity to engage with different cultures and languages through 
study and training periods abroad and through strategic partnership projects. In the 2018 Erasmus+ annual work 
programme, in recognition of the importance of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, cultural heritage was 
included as a priority for all strategic partnerships. Cultural heritage was a key focus of actions such as eTwinning 
– the community of teachers in schools across Europe – and the School Education Gateway platform. Through 
Erasmus+, the European Commission will continue to fund intercultural exchanges among students and support 
their participation in cultural heritage-related volunteering and educational projects. Promoting traditional sports 
and games will continue to be a priority of small and collaborative partnerships of the Erasmus+ sport chapter. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 3:  
Breaking barriers 

This action area will target hard-to-reach audiences who do not participate in cultural heritage-related 
activities. People tend not to engage with cultural heritage because of factors such as isolation, poverty and 
exclusion from education. 

In early 2019, the European Commission will launch a project called #WeareEuropeForCulture. This project 
aims to reach younger and older people who do not interact with cultural heritage. The project will fund 
pop-up exhibitions in public spaces, highlighting personal stories, items in connection with cultural heritage. 
These pop-up exhibitions will take place in 7 to 10 Member States, and results will be disseminated through 
workshops and communication activities. 

In addition, through the EU Access City Award, the European Commission and European cities will continue 
promoting ways to make it easier for people with disabilities to enjoy cultural heritage, on an equal basis with 
others. This prize rewards European cities that have made outstanding efforts to become more accessible and 
inclusive to those with disabilities. During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission 
added a special prize for the ‘accessibility of cultural heritage’. From the 2020 edition of the prize, the European 
Commission will award it annually as a special mention 15. 

15   Subject to the quality of applications received. 

19 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEPILLAR 2: SMART SOLUTIONS FOR 
A COHESIVE AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission and partner organisations 
implemented a range of actions to integrate cultural heritage into environmental, architectural and planning 
policies. One example was promoting the transformation of Europe’s industrial, religious and military heritage 
for new uses. 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage fostered significant exchanges of knowledge and experience among 
stakeholders (architects and local/regional authorities, among others) and networks in the field of religious, 
industrial, and military heritage. During these exchanges it became clear that this approach to sustainability 
can also work effectively for other abandoned or underused heritage buildings: former schools, hospitals, 
railway stations, abandoned cinemas, theatres, hotels, offices, former public housing and ‘ghost villages’. 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage highlighted the contribution of sustainable cultural tourism to urban and 
regional development. It was also an opportunity to explore how to balance the sustainability of cultural heritage 
with the benefits of tourism, not just in economic terms, but also for the well-being of local communities. 

The actions taken included: 

 ‣ Exchanging good practices and peer learning on adaptive re-use of religious, military and industrial heritage; 

 ‣

 ‣

Supporting cultural heritage through EU-funded projects for urban and rural regeneration and sustainable 
development (European Structural and Cohesion Funds, URBACT, Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020); 

Identifying and disseminating good practices in the use of investments from the European Regional 
Development Fund, including the Interreg programmes, to better protect, re-use, enhance and promote 
cultural heritage 16; 

 ‣ Exploring and promoting links between cultural and natural heritage, in particular with nature conservation 

areas under the European network Natura 2000 17; 

16  E-book ‘Connecting Cultures, Connected Citizens’  

http://www.interact-eu.net/library#1843-e-bookconnecting-cultures-connected-citizens

17  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/pdf/case_study_natura2000_cultural_heritage.pdf

20 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE ‣ Promoting highly visible participative actions undertaken by civil society actors such as the ‘Torch initiative’ 18, 

‘Work it out’ dance event 19, ‘Europe’s Private Heritage Week’ 20 and ‘European Fortress Day(s)’ 21; 

 ‣ Promoting the Council of Europe’s cultural routes and other sustainable tourism initiatives developed by the 
EU, such as the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) Awards and European Capital of Smart Tourism; 

 ‣ Developing policy recommendations 22 for sustainable cultural tourism along with a new definition 

of sustainable cultural tourism; 

 ‣

Launching the ‘Barcelona Declaration’ 23 to improve sustainability and competitiveness of the social and 
cultural impacts of tourism in Europe; 

New actions within the pillar 

The Framework sets out ways to continue and scale up these initiatives and implement three clusters 
of actions to a) regenerate cities and regions through cultural heritage; b) promote adaptive re-use of heritage 
buildings; c) balance cultural heritage with sustainable cultural tourism and with natural heritage. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 4:  
Regenerating cities and regions through cultural heritage 

The New European Agenda for Culture, adopted by the European Commission in May 2018, recognises that 
cities and regions across the EU are at the forefront of culture-led development, as demonstrated by the 
success of the European Capitals of Culture. Consequently, these urban centres are natural partners for 
experimentation, anticipating trends and exploring models of social and economic innovation. 

In 2019, the European Commission will launch a joint project with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation 
and Development. This project will aim to equip local authorities and stakeholders with the tools needed 
to maximise the impact of culture, creativity and cultural heritage for local development. 

In addition, in 2019, within the framework of European Spatial Planning Network (ESPON) 2020 Cooperation 
Programme co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, empirical evidence on the impact 
of material cultural heritage on the most important economic sectors in 10 selected countries and regions will 
be provided 24. The study will be continued in 2019 to propose a pan-European methodology and territorial 
analysis on the impact of cultural heritage on society, including quality of life 25. The objective is to build 
evidence and knowledge on how the presence of cultural assets and associated investments contribute 
to regional, rural and urban development and improved territorial cohesion. 

Moreover, in 2019, the European Commission will also release the second edition of the Cultural and Creative 
Cities Monitor 26, a new benchmarking and monitoring tool aimed at facilitating peer-learning processes 

18  Launched by Future for Religious Heritage to collect personal memories relating to religious heritage.  

See https://www.frh-europe.org/projects/frh-torch/

19  Initiated by European Route of Industrial Heritage to celebrate industrial culture on the 1st of May, the event will be 

repeated in 2019. See https://www.erih.net/eych-2018/erih-dance-event-work-it-out/

20  http://www.europeanhistorichouses.eu/eych-2018/european-private-heritage-week/ 

21  https://forten.nl/european-fortress-day/

22  Sustainable Cultural Tourism Open Method of Coordination Working Group.

23  Initiated by NECSTouR in cooperation with the European Travel Commission, Europa Nostra, European Cultural Tourism 

Network with the support of European Heritage Alliance 3.3. 

24  ESPON Targeted Analysis ‘The Material Cultural Heritage as a Strategic Territorial Development Resource: Mapping 

Impacts through a Set of Common European Socio-economic Indicators’. 

25  ESPON Study ‘Cultural Heritage as a Source of Societal Well-being in European Regions’. See prior information notice 

here: https://ted.europa.eu/TED/notice/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:4651782018:TEXT:EN:HTML

26  2017 Edition of the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor available at: https://compositeindicators.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

cultural-creative-cities-monitor/

21 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEbetween peer cities based on similar population, income and employment. The Monitor allows cities 
to compare and learn from each other on aspects such as citizens’ satisfaction with local cultural facilities, the 
presence of cultural heritage sites and venues as well as their capacity to attract audiences (e.g. museum 
visitors, tourist overnight stays) and generate jobs. 

Focusing on cultural heritage within the Urban Agenda for the EU will naturally be part of this cluster 
of actions. The Urban Agenda is a multi-level working method, which promotes cooperation between different 
stakeholders to identify and tackle urban challenges. In 2019, a new Partnership on Culture and Cultural 
Heritage will start. It will bring together Member States, urban authorities, regions, city consortia, the European 
Commission and other stakeholders. Its objective is to develop a voluntary action plan on key issues related 
to culture and heritage in European cities and to make proposals for improvements on regulation, funding and 
knowledge sharing. 

Interreg and macro-regional strategies will continue to support cultural heritage, including through macro-
regional cooperation platforms and networks. 

URBACT, the EU programme supporting cities to develop pragmatic, sustainable and integrated solutions 
to urban challenges, is equally part of this cluster of actions. During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, 
several URBACT projects allowed networks of cities to exchange and disseminate good practices in different 
fields. One such example included the re-use of military and abandoned heritage spaces for sustainable urban 
regeneration. In January 2019, the European Commission will launch a call for new Networks which want 
to engage with cultural heritage topics. 

Finally, the European Commission, through the Horizon 2020 programme, will launch a call to finance 
innovation actions on strategies and solutions for cities. With a total budget of EUR 25 million, the ambition 
is to re-activate and re-generate historic urban areas and cultural landscapes. The call will be launched by the 
end of 2018 so that the selected projects can contribute to foster innovation for adaptive re-use and leveraging 
of heritage assets in 2019 and the following years. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 5:  
supporting the adaptive re-use of heritage buildings 

Smart restoration and adaptive re-use of unused heritage buildings can bring economic and social dynamism 
to cities and regions, while reducing unsustainable urban sprawl. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, EU-funded networks, the European Commission and other 
relevant stakeholders cooperated to share experiences, discuss challenges and identify quality principles 
on the re-use of cultural heritage. At the end of 2018, a Declaration on ‘Adaptive re-use of the built heritage: 
Preserving and enhancing the values of our built heritage for future generations’ 27 was adopted 
by stakeholders on 23/11 in Leeuwarden as a legacy of the European Year of Cultural Heritage initiative 
‘Heritage in Transition’. The document highlights the possible benefits of adaptive reuse and lists a number 
of quality principles to reconcile heritage values with contemporary architecture. In 2019, the European 
Commission will disseminate the Leeuwarden Declaration and support its implementation among relevant 
authorities and stakeholders. 

Based on these findings, in 2019-2020 through its Creative Europe programme, the European Commission will 
support peer learning for local, regional and national policy makers on the re-use of heritage buildings. Study 
visits and exchanges will allow for an evaluation of existing good practices of the re-use of heritage buildings 
in Europe and will ensure transfer of knowledge among policy-makers. 

27   https://www.ace-cae.eu/fileadmin/New_Upload/5._Policies/2018/LEEUWARDEN_DECLARATION_FINAL_EN.pdf 

22 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEIn addition, as of 2019, a Task Force launched with the support of the Horizon 2020 programme will provide 
expertise and advice on financing and managing the re-use of built heritage in cities in line with circular 
economy models. Members of the Task Force include several EU-funded research and innovation projects, 
UN agencies, international funding agencies and relevant stakeholders in the field of cultural heritage, 
sustainable urban regeneration and circular economy. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 6:  
Balancing cultural heritage with sustainable cultural tourism  
and boosting synergies between natural and cultural heritage 

If not managed or organised in a balanced way, visitor numbers can pose a risk to cultural heritage sites, the 
local communities and the surrounding environment. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the lack of a pan-European overview on the existing knowledge 
base regarding over-tourism was identified. In 2019, with the support of the Creative Europe programme, the 
European Commission will conduct research and studies on carrying capacity at sensitive sites, including 
intangible cultural heritage practices. 

In 2019, the European Commission will also launch, via the Horizon 2020 programme, a call for proposals 
to fund projects assessing how the presence, development, decline or absence of cultural tourism has affected 
the development of European regions and urban areas. When relevant, there will be a focus on the use 
of European funds. The action aims at identifying good policies and practices on cultural tourism, as well 
as providing strategic guidance on the efficient use of European Structural Investment Funds for this purpose. 

In addition, with the support of the COSME programme, the European Commission will encourage sustainable 
tourism in the European Destinations of Excellence 28. The European Destinations of Excellence is an EU initiative 
rewarding destinations for their efforts in developing tourism models that ensure social, cultural, economic and 
environmental sustainability. During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission labelled 
19 little known destinations, which are showing excellence in developing a tourism offer based on cultural 
heritage. In 2018-2019, ad-hoc grants are foreseen under COSME, Europe’s programme for small and medium 
sized enterprises, to promote all 158 European destinations of excellence selected since 2007. 

The European Capital of Smart Tourism is a new EU initiative rewarding innovative and smart tourism 
in European cities 29. Smart tourism responds to new challenges and demands in a fast-changing sector, 
including, among others, accessibility, sustainability and the valorisation of cultural assets, including cultural 
heritage. The European Commission launched the first edition in 2018 and two cities will hold the title of the 
2019 European Capital of Smart Tourism, while four other cities receive awards in the four categories of the 
competition (digitisation, accessibility, sustainability, creativity and cultural heritage). A second round 
of selection is foreseen for the 2020 European Capitals of Smart Tourism. The initiative seeks to provide 
a platform for the cooperation and exchange of good practices on smart tourism between European cities. 

The ‘World Heritage Journeys in the EU’ is an EU initiative, implemented by the European Commission 
in cooperation with UNESCO within the framework of a Preparatory Action proposed by the European 
Parliament. It aims at developing and promoting four thematic trans-European cultural routes linking 34 iconic 
and lesserknown UNESCO World Heritage sites in 19 European countries 30. The project will also improve the 
governance of the four trans-European journeys by enabling heritage and destination management authorities, 
working with local communities to develop shared objectives and responsibilities to implement the marketing 
and promotions strategies. 

28  https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/eden/about/themes_en#y2017

29  https://smarttourismcapital.eu/  

The initiative is based on a proposal from the European Parliament, which secured its funding for 2018 – 2019 through 
a Preparatory Action and is implemented by the European Commission. 

30  A consumer friendly digital platform (http://visitEUWorldHeritage.com) developed with National Geographic and 

available in English, French and Chinese will be promoted throughout 2019, particularly in long haul source markets 
(e.g. China and North America). 

23 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEFurthermore, with the support of the COSME programme, the European Commission will promote synergies 
between Tourism and Cultural and Creative industries (CCIs). Two calls for proposals on the synergies between 
tourism and CCIs were launched in 2017 and 2018. 6 projects 31 awarded under the first call for proposals will 
develop and promote transnational tourism products, such as routes, itineraries, tourism offers, specifically 
related to Europe’s cultural heritage, with a particular focus on using CCIsrelated technologies in promoting 
these tourism products and enhancing visitor’s experience. In addition, 7 projects under the second call for 
proposals 32 will create tourism offers capitalising on the creative potential of CCIs and will develop innovative 
services and products to enhance existing or develop new tourism experiences. The implementation of selected 
projects will run until 2021. 

In 2019 the European Commission, through the European Maritime Fisheries Funds, will continue supporting 
the discovery of Underwater Cultural Heritage sites for their survey, conservation, protection and valorisation. 
It will also continue promoting Community-led Local Development strategies established from a bottom 
up approach with local communities identifying and promoting projects that support the sustainability 
of cultural heritage 33. Finally, the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) will keep 
assembles, harmonises and makes available data and digital map layers on underwater cultural heritage. 

Finally, in order to boost synergies between natural and cultural heritage, in 2019, the European Commission will 
publish a report on synergies and integrated management of natural and cultural heritage in Natura 2000 34, with 
a focus on sustainable tourism. The Commission will also explore the possibility to develop the European Heritage 
Awards for Natural Heritage in close cooperation with the Natura 2000 Award 35 or as part of other existent prizes. 
The Natura 2000 Award recognises excellence in the management of Natura 2000 sites – an EU-wide ecological 
network of nature conservation areas. During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the Award supported the 
promotion of Europe’s natural heritage and the recognition of close linkages between natural and cultural assets. 

Last but not least, rural areas embody outstanding examples of cultural and natural heritage that not only need 
to be preserved, but also be promoted as a factor of competitiveness and of sustainable and inclusive growth. 
The Horizon 2020 research project RURITAGE 36 will, over the next four years, develop a new heritage-led rural 
regeneration paradigm to transform rural areas in sustainable development demonstration labs, through the 
enhancement of their unique cultural and natural heritage potential. 

31  https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/29223 

32  https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/support-transnational-thematic-tourism-linked-cultural-andcreative-industries_en 

33  Some project examples can be found on the FARNET (fisheries area network).  

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/cms/farnet2/about/at-a-glance/farnet_en 

34  Developed under Action 14 of the Action Plan for nature, people and the economy  

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/fitness_check/action_plan/index_en.htm 

35  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/awards/index_en.htm 

36  https://en.unesco.org/ruritage 

24 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEPILLAR 3: SAFEGUARDING ENDANGERED CULTURAL HERITAGE 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage initiated a large-scale mobilisation to improve the way cultural 
heritage is protected at European level. From developing quality principles for interventions in cultural 
heritage, to enhancing cooperation in risk management 37, and countering illicit trafficking, the ultimate 
goal is to enhance the protection and the resilience of Europe’s cultural heritage. 

The actions taken included: 

 ‣

 ‣

Identifying and sharing good practices on disaster risk management, providing for the first mapping 
of strategies and tools at EU level entitled ‘Study on Safeguarding Cultural heritage from Natural and 
Man-Made Disasters’ contributing to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk 
Reduction and paving the way for improved cooperation among Member States 38; 

Supporting research and capacity building projects to improve understanding of disaster risks to cultural 
heritage, through the collection of disaster loss data 39 and better evidence-base, among others, and to further 
investigate the impact of natural disaster on cultural heritage and strengthen preventive measures; 

 ‣ Researching the illicit trade of cultural goods and the use of available technologies to combat it; 

contributing to a deeper understanding of this criminal activity and how to curb it; 

 ‣

Strengthening the capacity of local authorities to investigate heritage-related crimes and in cooperation 
with UNESCO raise awareness of the European art market on the implications of illegal trading; 

 ‣ Mobilising the cultural heritage and historic preservation sectors for climate action in support of the Paris 

Agreement on the occasion of the Climate Heritage Mobilisation. This was organised for the Global Climate 
Action Summit 2018, in cooperation with ICOMOS 40; 

37  Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil 

Protection Mechanism. 

38  https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/8fe9ea60-4cea-11e8-be1d-aa75ed71a1/

language-en/format-PDF/source-71040971  

39  In line with Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk reduction, target C (Estimate Direct Economic Loss), https://www.unisdr.

org/files/43291_sendaiframeworkfordrren.pdf

40  http://climateheritage.org/ 

25 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE ‣

Identifying the most threatened monuments, sites and landscapes in Europe and mobilising public and 
private partners at all levels to find a viable future for these heritage gems through the 7 Most Endangered 
programme 41, in cooperation with Europa Nostra. 

The future: new actions within the pillar 

The Framework outlines how to continue and scale up these initiatives by outlining three clusters of actions 
aiming at: a) fighting the illicit trafficking of cultural goods; b) raising the quality of physical interventions 
on cultural heritage; and c) protecting cultural heritage against natural disasters and climate change. 

 CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 7:  
 Fighting against illicit trafficking  
 of cultural goods 

The legislative proposal of the European Parliament and the Council for a Regulation on the import of cultural 
goods 42, aimed at countering the illicit import and trafficking of cultural goods, is under discussion. The Regulation 
will provide harmonised rules and standards of control at the EU borders upon the moment cultural goods enter 
the EU. However, legislation alone cannot eradicate the problem, and additional measures are needed. 

In March 2019, the European Commission will release a study which will provide policymakers and 
enforcement authorities with a better understanding of the routes and volumes used by traffickers to enter the 
EU. It will also have an overview of existing new technology tools that can be used to combat this crime. 

The EU will also strengthen its cooperation with UNESCO and the Council of Europe on the other. During the 
European Year of Cultural Heritage, two joint EU-UNESCO activities were launched: the Capacity-building 
Conference ‘Engaging the European art market in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property’ 
and the ‘Training the European judiciary and law enforcement officials on the fight against the illicit trafficking 
in cultural property’. In 2019, this project will target additional judiciary and law enforcement professionals 
in the EU, and in selected third countries. 

While initiatives to protect endangered cultural heritage and to stop their illicit trade are numerous, they are 
mostly uncoordinated. This is why, under Horizon 2020, the European Commission will create a platform 
on endangered cultural heritage and illicit trafficking of cultural goods. As of 2019, the platform will bring 
together researchers, stakeholders and policy makers. They will exchange good practices, promote mutual 
learning and coordination, and identify knowledge and intervention gaps. The platform shall become a major 
European reference for transnational and interdisciplinary networking in this area. 

 CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 8:  
 Raising the quality of interventions  
in the European historical environment  
and cultural heritage sites 

Low-quality interventions on cultural heritage can damage irreplaceable historical elements, their environment 
and related intangible heritage practices. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, an expert group coordinated by the International Council 
on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), in cooperation with the European Commission, worked to identify quality 
principles (with a focus on EUfunded interventions) interventions in the European historical environment and 
cultural heritage sites. In November 2018, the expert group presented a document on quality principles and 

41  http://7mostendangered.eu/ 

42  https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/sites/taxation/files/cultural_goods_proposal_en.pdf 

26 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEguidelines for interventions on cultural heritage. In 2019, the European Commission will submit these principles 
to a public consultation so that they can later guide future discussion on the use of EU funds for this purpose 43. 

In addition, with the assistance of the Creative Europe programme, the European Commission will organise 
in 2019 and 2020 peer learning and study visits for regional and city-level policy makers. This will be to 
promote knowledge-transfer on quality principles for interventions on tangible cultural heritage. 

A platform set up via Horizon 2020 will also bring together researchers, professionals, stakeholders and policy 
makers to map problems, practices and policy gaps relating to the impact assessment and the quality 
of interventions in the European historical environment and cultural heritage sites. It is envisaged that the 
selected project will commence in December 2019. As of 2020, the platform will become a reference point for 
transnational and interdisciplinary cooperation in this area. 

Finally, within the framework of a pilot project proposed by the European Parliament, the European Commission 
will support a broad survey of at least 1,500 Jewish cemeteries in five selected European countries (Lithuania, 
Slovakia, Greece, Ukraine and Moldova). The project will also aim to identify good practices of preserving Jewish 
burial sites and propose a model for their successful safeguarding, including through community involvement. 

 CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 9:  
 Protecting cultural heritage against natural  
 disasters and climate change 

Upgrading historical buildings in Europe with regard to their capacity to resist earthquakes is increasingly 
important after a number of dramatic recent earthquakes, notably in Italy and Greece. At the same time, we also 
want to make cultural heritage buildings more energy efficient. As of 2019, the Joint Research Centre will work 
on a research project called iRESIST+. This will develop a novel approach for the simultaneous seismic and 
energy retrofitting of the existing historical buildings. 

If not addressed, climate-change and natural hazards can increasingly damage cultural heritage. During the 
European Year of Cultural Heritage, with the support of Horizon 2020, the European Commission funded with 
a total budget of EUR 18 million research and innovation projects aimed at developing and testing new 
solutions to improve the resilience of historic settlements and foster their sustainable reconstruction in case 
of disasters. Starting in June 2019, these projects will contribute to the development and dissemination 
of evidence-based and cost-effective adaptation and mitigations strategies as well as to methodologies, plans 
and other remedial tools to safeguard Europe’s cultural heritage. 

In addition, between 2019-2020, with the support of the European Commission, a group of experts from 
EU Member States working under the Open Method of Coordination 44 will analyse and share innovative policy 
measures towards heritage sites in relation to climate change. There will be a specific focus on energy efficiency, 
transformation of cultural landscapes and the safety of heritage under extreme climate circumstances. 

In 2019, following a review of ongoing and past Horizon 2020 research and innovation projects which seek 
to improve the resilience of cultural heritage and protect it from multiple risks, the European Commission will 
publish a report with the results and experts’ recommendations for policies. This will contribute to the 
dissemination and application of research results. 

Finally, in the framework of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism 45, the European Commission finances prevention 
and preparedness projects including in the field of cultural heritage. This contributes inter alia to enhance the 
collection of data and foster prevention, preparedness and response capacities in the event of a natural disaster. 

43  Including coordination with environmental impact assessments required under EU legislation, esp. the appropriate 

asssessments under the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC. 

44  The Open Method of Coordination is a voluntary form of cooperation between EU Member States. 

45  Commission Implementation Decision C(2017) 8567 final of 19.12.2017 adopting the Annual Work Programme 2018 
in the framework of Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Union Civil 
Protection Mechanism. 

27 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEPILLAR 4: MOBILISING KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage initiated a large-scale effort to foster the emergence of innovative and 
cutting-edge solutions to the challenges of the cultural heritage sector. This included technological innovation 
and research to preserve and enhance cultural heritage, as well as social innovation to develop new and more 
inclusive governance models. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission took action to: 

 ‣ Provide funding for heritage-related research and innovation projects through seven calls for proposals 
by the Horizon 2020 programme, with a total investment of more than EUR 66 million and additional 
budget for covering bottom-up proposals; 

 ‣ Promote excellence and showcase good practice of EU-funded scientific research, including through 

dissemination activities and high-level events and conferences; 

 ‣ Generate and disseminate knowledge, including the publication ‘Policy Review: Innovation in Cultural 

Heritage Research’ 46 the Cordis Results Pack entitled ‘Heritage at Risk: EU research and innovation for a more 
resilient cultural heritage’ 47 and the publication entitled ‘Innovative solutions for Cultural Heritage’ 48; 

 ‣ Develop a manual of good practices for cultural and education institutions. The manual provides 

recommendations on skills, training and knowledge transfer in traditional and emerging heritage professions 
(by a group of national experts and the European Commission under the Work Plan for Culture 2015-2018 49); 

 ‣

Support the development of innovative tools designed for the benefit of cultural heritage in close 
collaboration with the Joint Research Centre; 

46  https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1dd62bd1-2216-11e8-ac7301aa75ed71a1 

47  https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1dcbe60b-79ba-11e8-ac6a01aa75ed71a1/ 

48  https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/2a7477b0-e988-11e8-b69001aa75ed71a1/language-en 

49  http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-16094-2014-INIT/en/pdf 

28 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE ‣

Support the European Week of Conservation-Restoration, organised by the European Confederation 
of Conservator-Restorers’ Organisations to raise awareness of the importance of conservation-restoration 
in safeguarding cultural heritage; 

 ‣ Co-fund a joint EU-Council of Europe pilot project entitled ‘STEPS’. The project engaged communities 

in Lisbon and Rijeka in the mapping of cultural heritage in their neighbourhoods. It aimed at examining 
viable models for participatory governance and measuring the impact of these approaches to cultural 
heritage as a resource for community development and cohesion; 

 ‣ Explore spatial overlaps between cultural and natural sites 50; 

 ‣ Publish the report of the EU expert group on participatory governance of cultural heritage 51. 

The future: new actions within the pillar 

This Framework outlines how to continue and scale up these initiatives and implements three clusters 
of actions to: a) capitalise on technological tools for innovation on cultural heritage and; b) foster social 
innovation; and c) boost skills in the field of cultural heritage. 

 CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 10:  
 Technological tools for innovation  
 on cultural heritage 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the Horizon 2020 programme made a significant contribution 
to the preservation of cultural heritage by means of cutting-edge research, the development of advanced 
materials for conservation and the use of advanced digital technologies, including 3D technologies. 

Digitisation still focuses mainly on capturing the visual appearance of objects, collections or sites. With 
heritage being both tangible and intangible, the challenge is to develop more dynamic and personalised digital 
resources. Through the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 6 programme, the European Commission will fund 
research and innovation projects on advanced digitisation and curation of digital assets, with a view to develop 
new technologies and methods that will help present cultural heritage in a comprehensive and attractive way. 
This call for proposals, with a tentative budget of EUR 20 million, will be published in the end of 2019. 

In addition, the Community of Innovators in cultural heritage 52 launched by the European Commission at the 
end of 2018 in order to bridge the gap between research, market and society, will provide a virtual 
international environment where innovators will share results, exchange ideas, find new partners, create new 
synergies and develop new strategies. It will also support the dissemination of research and innovation results 
in heritage-related topics. 

Finally, in 2019, Copernicus services will be extended to cultural heritage. The EU’s Earth Observation 
Programme, Copernicus, observes our planet and delivers free and open data which represent a valuable 
resource for cultural heritage monitoring and preservation at European and global level. During the European 
Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission led the study ‘Copernicus services in support to Cultural 
Heritage’, which was presented in October 2018. As of 2019, the European Commission will keep utilising 
Copernicus services for the benefit of heritage preservation and management. 

50  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/pdf/Nature-and-Culture-leafletweb.pdf 

51  https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/b8837a15-437c-11e8-a9f401aa75ed71a1/

language-en 

52  http://innovatorsinculturalheritage.eu/ 

29 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGECLUSTER OF ACTIONS 11:  
Foster social innovation and  
cultural heritage competences 

The Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (the so-called ‘Faro 
Convention’) promotes a wider understanding of heritage and its relationship to communities and society. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the European Commission and the Council of Europe launched 
a joint project to promote the ‘Faro Convention’ principles, encourage the role of civil society in heritage 
governance and increase the number of EU Member States signatories. In 2019, this will lead to a series 
of workshops and the publication of a study on lessons learned and recommendations. 

In addition, the European Commission intends to promote further experimentation and scientific studies on the 
impact of cultural production and participation on people’s wellbeing and health. The objective is to provide 
a more solid scientific basis for a new cycle of public health policies that take into account the benefits 
of culture in promoting a better quality of life, disease prevention strategies and complementary medicine. 
As of 2019, via the Creative Europe programme, the European Commission will support communication actions 
to disseminate the results of ongoing experimentation and research in the field. 

It is vital for the EU to reinforce and capitalise on its leadership in the global arena on innovative aspects 
of heritage policies. In 2019, in order to jointly develop concrete solutions, the European Commission will launch 
a series of three yearly meetings on the future of heritage, meant as global problem solving platforms. These 
platforms will involve national governments and their agencies, key global institutions, experts and young global 
leaders. Through the Creative Europe programme, the platform meetings will be held between 2019 and 2020, 
starting in Dublin (heritage and social innovation), continuing in Prague (heritage, digital platforms and cultural 
and creative sectors) and concluding in Lisbon (heritage and urban regeneration). 

The platforms will help disseminate the results of ongoing experimentation and research among cultural 
heritage institutions and stakeholders and in the field of social policies. For example, these could include the 
integration of cultural expertise in social psychology, cognitive and social neuroscience, anthropology, 
sociology and economics. 

Finally, the preparatory action of the European Parliament to promote innovative business models for private 
heritage houses in Europe has been launched. It will identify innovative business models for the management 
of family-owned heritage houses and provide policy recommendations and tools to secure their future 
in a sustainable way. Launched in summer 2018, the project will carry out a survey, organise workshops and 
deliver results at a final conference in September 2019. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 12:  
boosting skills in cultural  
heritage professions 

As of 2019, building on the recommendations that EU Member States’ experts presented in December 2018 53, 
the European Commission will support the initial and continuing development of qualified professionals and 
improvement in knowledge management and knowledge transfer in the cultural heritage sector through 
projects, including under the Erasmus+ programme. 

Through Erasmus+ calls, the objective will be to map skills at risk, gather statistical evidence, define 
occupational profiles and develop frameworks for raising awareness and attracting the young generations 
to heritage professions. 

53  Open Method of Coordination expert group set up by the Council Work Programme for Culture 2014-2018. 

30 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEPILLAR 5: REINFORCING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage has supported the implementation of the EU Strategy for international 
cultural relations, building on the interest and needs in partner countries and on Europe’s expertise 
on cultural heritage. 

Partner countries have been involved in the activities of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, through 
organising events, being part of cooperation programmes and running communication campaigns. 

Nine non-EU countries have been associated to the European Year of Cultural Heritage, including countries 
in the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership and the European Economic Area 54. 

The European Year of Cultural Heritage went global also thanks to EUNIC, the EU National Institutes of Culture, 
who held a number of dedicated events, and to the support of the EU Delegations. Many of them developed 
a range of initiatives, which activated local partnerships and brought Europe’s cultural heritage closer to local 
communities around the world. For example: 

 ‣ EU Delegations in Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, China, Canada, the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic 

of Seychelles hosted photo exhibitions dedicated to the European Year of Cultural Heritage; 

 ‣ The EU Delegation in India organised a conference on EU-India Partnership on Cultural Heritage 

Conservation; 

 ‣ The EU Delegation in the US organised a public event on digital preservation of cultural heritage 

in collaboration with Europeana; 

 ‣ The EU Delegation in the Dominican Republic curated a rich cultural programme for the ‘Europe Week’, 
including national competitions, cultural events, workshops and a European Gastronomic Festival; 

 ‣ The EU Delegations in China and South Korea dedicated their annual EU Film Festival to the topic of film 

heritage; 

54  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Georgia, Norway, 

Iceland and Switzerland. 

31 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE ‣ The EU Delegation to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia launched a call for proposals to finance 

projects related to the European Year of Cultural Heritage; 

 ‣ The EU Delegation in Russia organised and supported a cultural programme, including a photo exhibition 
on sculptural heritage, film and theatre festivals and the ‘Discover Your Europe at the Hermitage’ Festival 
with exhibitions, workshops, lectures, film screenings, music and outdoor games. 

The future: nwhin the pillar 

This Framework sets out ways to capitalise on activities initiated during the European Year of Cultural Heritage. 
It also identifies three clusters of actions aiming at strengthening international cooperation on cultural 
heritage. 

CLUSTER OF ACTIONS 13:  
Actions targeting geographical zones 

In 2019, the European Commission will launch a new programme for Culture and Creativity in the Eastern 
Partnership, which will include a focus on cultural heritage. This programme will build on the successful results 
of its predecessor, which provided technical assistance for cultural and creative sectors and enhanced cultural 
heritage protection at local level. The new programme will keep investing in cultural heritage. The countries 
benefitting will be the six Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and 
Ukraine. 

In 2019, new funding will be devoted to projects in the Southern Neighbourhood that seek to engage young 
people and regional institutions with cultural heritage and to promote cultural diversity as a vital element 
to prevent violent extremism. The launch of a call for proposals for cultural heritage projects in the Southern 
Neighbourhood is planned in the first quarter of 2019. The eligible countries will be Algeria, Egypt, Israel, 
Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia. 

In addition, in 2019, the European Commission will launch a new EUR 45 million European programme 
in Tunisia. This will support the diversification of tourism, the development of crafts, design value chains and 
the enhancement of cultural heritage. The programme will aim to: i) renovate around fifteen remarkable 
buildings and develop routes in the old centre of Medinas; ii) support projects integrated into renovated 
buildings; (iii) redevelop and valorise the Carthage Museum and the UNESCO Square; iv) establish 
an interpretation centre promoting the wealth of the Carthage site. 

Building on the successful examples of recent years, in 2019 the European Commission will support partner 
countries by providing technical assistance, information exchange and peer-to-peer learning on cultural 
heritage. This will be done using the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument Partnership 
Instrument, including in the Western Balkans, East Neighbourhood and South Neighbourhood. 

During the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the EU invested EUR 3.4 million to highlight the value of the 
Heritage Corridors on the Silk Road. This initiative is supported by the European Union’s Global Public Goods 
and Challenges programme and will continue until 2021. It involves mainly Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian 
countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). Its main aims are to foster job 
creation through the conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage, support local development strategies, 
sustainable tourism, skills development, social cohesion, identity building and knowledge exchange. 

Finally, as from 2019, the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace will finance a joint EU-UNESCO project 
to protect cultural heritage and diversity in complex emergencies in countries such as Iraq, Libya, Syria and 
Yemen. This project aims to support the safeguarding of cultural heritage at risk, whilst reinforcing the positive 
role of culture in promoting resilient, culturally diverse societies and help develop more sustainable 
approaches to peace and stability in transitional contexts. 

32 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGECLUSTER OF ACTIONS 14:  
Horizontal/Global actions 

The Common Security and Defence Policy can play a role in the protection of cultural heritage. As appropriate 
and within means and capabilities, CSDP missions can promote, in cooperation with EU Delegations and other 
relevant EU partners, activities in the field of the protection of cultural heritage (identification, monitoring, 
mentoring, exchange of good practices and – within the framework of external financing instruments – 
building capacity of local partners for the protection of cultural heritage). 

Finally, in 2019, the Horizon 2020 programme will allow for the establishment of an international network for 
cultural heritage innovation and diplomacy. This will capitalise on EU expertise in the field of cultural heritage 
to provide assistance in third countries, particularly where cultural heritage is at risk. This network will provide 
trainings, mobilise knowledge and foster innovative, tailored solutions in the different areas where it will 
operate (EU Neighbourhood countries, Latin America, Africa, Asia).

33 

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON CULTURAL HERITAGEGETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE EU

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