Information message to the Commission's expert group on cultural heritage - 12 May 2022
Secretary SEE Heritage
Dear Members of the European Heritage Alliance,
on behalf of FRH-Future for Religious Heritage, I am pleased to send you the information on the Call for entries for the "Religious Heritage Innovator of the Year 2022" competition
I am also pleased to forward you below the latest information message from the EAC Cultural Heritage team to the Commission's expert group on cultural heritage with various updates and information which may interest you.
With best regards on behalf of the Alliance Coordination team at Europa Nostra Brussels' Office,
Louise
Dear members of the Commission’s expert group on cultural heritage,
We would like to share with you the following information points:
1. Call for evidence: action plan tackling trafficking in cultural goods [European Commission]
On Friday 6 May the Commission launched a call for evidence for its upcoming action plan tackling trafficking in cultural goods. The need for stronger EU action on trafficking in cultural goods was identified in the EU Security Union Strategy of July 2020. The adoption of an action plan on tackling the illicit trade in cultural goods was subsequently announced by the EU Strategy to tackle Organised Crime covering the period 2021-2025. The call for evidence’s objective is to allow stakeholders to provide their general views and input on the EU’s envisaged action plan against trafficking in cultural goods. The call for evidence will be complemented end of May 2022 by a public consultation with more specific questions. The Commission is inviting all interested stakeholders - including but not limited to art market participants, researchers, museums, civil society, public authorities, international organisations - to contribute to this call for evidence. It is available at Trafficking in cultural goods – EU action plan (europa.eu) and is open until 3 June 2022.
2. Launch of Pact for Skills, a shared engagement model for skills development in Europe [European Commission]
The European Commission has launched the Pact for Skills, the first of the flagship actions under the European Skills Agenda. To support a fair and resilient recovery and deliver on the ambitions of the green and digital transitions and of the EU Industrial and SME (Small and medium enterprises) Strategies, the Commission invites public and private organisations to join forces and take concrete action to upskill and reskill people in Europe. Find more information on how to join the Pact here.
3. New European Bauhaus [European Commission]
i. Survey: Regulatory Analysis for the built environment and construction sector. Architects, engineers, urban planners, designers, public servants, companies and citizens are invited to share their experience with regulations related to the built environment and construction sector. The survey aims to map the challenges and opportunities practitioners face with local, regional, national and EU legislation in the built environment. The insights generated with your input will inform future regulatory actions in order to foster the creation of beautiful, sustainable and inclusive transformation in the built environment in line with the objectives of the New European Bauhaus and the European Green Deal. You can find the survey here.
ii. Five lighthouse projects to be financed across Europe. On 4 May, the Commission announced the five selected projects for the €25 million call for the development of ‘lighthouse demonstrators' of the New European Bauhaus. The projects will create more sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful spaces in locations across the EU and will involve citizens in the green transition at the local level. The five shortlisted projects will receive funding of approximately €5 million each to implement their plans in 11 Member States, as well as in Norway and Turkey. They will deal with topics such as building renovation, circularity, arts, cultural heritage, education, smart cities, urban and rural regeneration and more. Find more info here.
iii. New European Bauhaus Prizes 2022: vote for your favourite projects and ideas! As of 2 May, following a thorough assessment by independent experts, there are 52 finalists published on the prizes platform for you to check-out. Voting is open to everyone until 16 May 2022 at 18:00 CET. Vote now!
4. OPEN CALL: Creative FLIP seeks Cultural & Creative Sector (CCS) Organisations for Learning Labs Program [European Commission]
During the European Year of Youth 2022, Creative FLIP is launching an open call for Cultural and Creative Sector (CCS) organizations and structures interested in establishing cooperation projects with schools, introducing students to creative professions and building ties with their local community. As part of the initiative, students will explore creative and transversal skills through a co-creation project, while also discussing and learning about related topics such as the importance of protecting and respecting intellectual property and creations. The call will support 15 Learning Labs between September 2022 and May 2023, with a support of 7.500 EUR per Learning Lab. The deadline for application is 6 June. More information can be found here.
5. The thematic fiche on culture and creative industries has now been published on the RRF (Recovery and Resilience Facility) Scoreboard [European Commission].
The Recovery and Resilience Facility offers a unique opportunity to support restructuring and modernisation of the cultural and creative industries and to enhance their resilience for the future. Member States have included in their recovery and resilience plans a wide range of reforms and investments to support the green and digital transitions of cultural and creative industries, to foster innovation and internationalisation in these sectors and to improve the working conditions of artists and cultural workers. The European Commission provides a series of thematic analyses of measures included in the national recovery and resilience plans to illustrate the progress with the implementation of the RRF. The thematic analyses of the Culture and Creative Industries was published recently. You can find it here.
6. Commission announces 12 new European Heritage Label sites [European Commission]
The European Commission awarded the European Heritage Label for 2021 to 12 sites that have played a significant role in the history and culture of Europe and the building of the European Union, including the Palace of the European Commission of the Danube (Galați, Romania). “Cultural heritage is Europe’s soul. These beautiful sites embody our rich history, they are geographical manifestations of who we are. The European Heritage label sites are amongst the greatest gifts Europe has to offer and it is our duty to preserve them at all costs,” Commissioner Gabriel said.
Discover the winners by following this link.
7. Report on Transition pathway for Tourism published [European Commission]
On 10 March 2020, the Commission adopted a new industrial strategy. The aim was to help EU industry lead the green and digital transformations and to boost the EU's global competitiveness and open strategic autonomy. As the tourism ecosystem was the hardest hit by the pandemic and faces major challenges to achieve the twin transition, it was the first industrial ecosystem in which a co-creation process was launched to develop a transition pathway. The aim of this report is to describe the measures and outputs needed to accelerate the green and digital transitions and improve the resilience of the tourism ecosystem. The objective is to encourage and invite all groups and stakeholders in the tourism ecosystem to engage and play their part in the initiative. The report highlights the importance to build resilience of the destinations by capitalizing on their unique cultural and natural strengths, and encourages to make innovative use of digitized cultural heritage for tourism. You can read the report it here.
8. The Urban Innovative Lab has issued a new report on the “Skills for Innovative Future” [European Regional Development Fund, European Commission]
Addressing the potential labour market impacts of the climate neutral transition is central to the European Green Deal. Urban Innovative Actions cities are testing solutions to mitigate the impact of job losses and to support industry adaptation and the growth of new climate neutral industry sectors. Read more about it here.
9. European Democracy Sites, Call for Nominations 2022 [European Parliament]
The European Democracy Sites distinction was launched in 2022, at an initiative of the European Parliament. The goal of the distinction is to award and honour sites across the member states of the European Union, which were of relevance for the consolidation of European democracy in the European integration process. This award scheme is run by the House of European History. The distinction consists of a plaque to be displayed at the respective site. Eventually, a network of sites with historical importance for democracy will be created. Being awarded the European Democracy Sites award will support the visibility of a historical site and its efforts to connect with other historical sites and educational institutions. The deadline for applications is 15 May. More information can be found here.
10. Call for Nominations for the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award 2022 [Europa Nostra, Centro Nacional de Cultura, Clube Português de Imprensa]
The Helena Vaz da Silva European Award is presented annually to a European citizen whose career has been distinguished by activities that disseminate, defend and promote Europe’s cultural heritage, in particular through literary or musical works, news items, articles, chronicles, photographs, cartoons, documentary features, films, and radio and/or television programmes. The Award is named after the late Portuguese journalist, cultural activist and politician Helena Vaz da Silva. Deadline for the application: 18 May 2022. Learn more about the call here.
11. UNESCO-ICCROM Emergency Evacuation of Heritage Collections manual translated to Ukrainian [UNESCO, ICCROM, Maidan Museum ]
The UNESCO-ICCROM manual on the emergency evacuation of heritage collections is now available in Ukrainian. This publication offers a field-tested, simple workflow for the emergency evacuation of heritage collections. 2,000 copies will be printed and distributed to areas with no or poor internet connection. The English version can be found here.
With kind regards,
The EAC Cultural Heritage team
