A ‘green paper’ aims to put Europe’s shared heritage at the heart of the European Green Deal and is linked to the New European Bauhaus initiative.
The European Cultural Heritage Green Paper (published 22 March 2021) was developed by Europa Nostra, ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites) and the Climate Heritage Network, with input from members of the European Heritage Alliance 3.3, of which Interpret Europe is a member. The concepts explored share common values with the New European Bauhaus initiative recently launched by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, which recognises cultural heritage as an intrinsic and indispensable component in growing sustainable communities.
The green paper shows that cultural heritage is closely linked to the European Green Deal and highlights the importance of the EU’s commitment to place the Green Deal at the heart of Europe’s socioeconomic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic.
Herman Parzinger, Executive President of Europa Nostra, says: “This paper makes a convincing plea that our cultural and natural heritage are key to achieving the ambitions of the European Green Deal and ensuring its lasting positive impact on Europe’s society and environment. … Moreover, cultural heritage can be a catalyst for positive change, as it has the power to connect people to places, encourage a sense of belonging and foster social inclusion.”
We couldn’t agree more!
The executive summary of the report can be downloaded from this link: https://issuu.com/europanostra/docs/20210322_european_cultural_heritage_green-paper_ex?fbclid=IwAR2ZiZYHb4LzBNPn6oyiCrlWJOHDBko7-70Dd1FnknA_wr_4PiQzAi3IXa4
The New European Bauhaus movement invites you to join the conversation – because “our conversations will shape our tomorrow”. You can find more here: https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_en
Marie Banks is IE’s News Coordinator. When not volunteering for IE, she runs her own interpretation and proofreading business, www.zebraproof.uk. She can be contacted at: marie.banks@interpret-europe.net.
To cite this article: Banks, Marie (2021) ‘Cultural heritage as a catalyst for positive change’. In Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2021, 33.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Newsletter-Spring-2021.pdf
