EUROPA
NOSTRA
STRATEGIC
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2025
Europa Nostra Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025 March 2022
Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
Preamble On the basis of the key messages outlined in Europa Nostra’s latest policy statements, which encapsulate our vision and mission, notably: Berlin Call to Action “Cultural Heritage for the Future of Europe” 2018, Paris Manifesto ‘Relançons l’Europe par la culture et le patrimoine culturel ! 2019, European Heritage Alliance Manifesto Cultural Heritage: a powerful Catalyst for the Future of Europe 2020
and Venice Call to Action: “For a New European Renaissance” 2021,
which outline Europa Nostra’s vision for the post-COVID19 period; And ahead of Europa Nostra’s upcoming “Diamond Jubilee” in 2023, it is now the right moment to formulate our forthcoming strategic goals and priorities, with a clear roadmap for Europa Nostra’s effective and influential action as the European Voice of Civil Society Committed to Cultural Heritage. The present document puts forward our medium-term goals and ambitions in the form of a four-year Strategic Plan for our organisation (2022-2025).
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
Our purpose, vision and path for the future is articulated around 7 thematic goals and priorities, closely interconnected among them, namely:
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Enhancing the role of Cultural Heritage as a Catalyst for a Peaceful & Sustainable Future of Europe
Promoting Cultural Heritage as a Vital Resource for Transformative Climate Action
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Campaigning to Save Endangered Heritage
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Championing Heritage Quality and Excellence
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Building Bridges and Partnership across and beyond Europe
Encouraging Complementary Sources of Funding for Heritage
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Investing in the Next Generation of Heritage Custodians
For each one of these 7 strategic goals, this document outlines the current state of play and puts forward an articulated vision of where we see ourselves in the future. In order to successfully deliver on these ambitions, this Strategic plan identifies – for each of these 7 goals – key actions; key partners and key resources.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
Vision 2022—2025 Europa Nostra imagines a cultural heritage field that is resilient and responsive to change, sustainable both in economic and environmental terms, that stays relevant and proactively contributes to today’s societal challenges: from climate action to the Sustainable Development Goals, and from social cohesion to peace and democracy in Europe. We envisage a heritage field that fully unlocks the transformative power of partnerships – be it by uniting forces among heritage stakeholders in Europe and beyond, with the wider cultural ecosystem or with other sectors such as tourism, health or the economy. We imagine a post-pandemic future that shall lead us to a New European Renaissance – one where cultural heritage is placed where it belongs: at the very heart of the European project. We dream of a “Europe of Culture” that fully unleashes the tremendous soft power of our shared cultural heritage and where cultural heritage is duly recognised as much more than a sector, but rather as a vector to achieve peaceful, sustainable and inclusive development in Europe and in the world.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
Mission 2022—2025 Europa Nostra shall continue being a reference for excellence and quality in cultural heritage and shall continue enhancing the capacities of heritage stakeholders and civil society actors in Europe. We shall stay at the forefront of existing and emerging challenges, policies and practices, and continue mobilising the wider heritage world to tackle the defining tasks of our time. We shall boost our efforts to save endangered heritage in Europe and beyond – whether at risk from man-made or natural hazards, and including through preventive quality conservation. We shall continue federating the many heritage sites and stakeholders in Europe, and building bridges across actors, sectors, generations, countries and policy realms. We shall further strengthen our position as leading advocates for the recognition of cultural heritage as a strategic asset for Europe’s immediate recovery and for its long-term future. We shall continue raising awareness of the important contribution of cultural heritage to all key priorities of the European Union – from climate action to social cohesion and to wider international policy frameworks – with regard, among others, to sustainable development and peace. We shall thus continue acknowledging, disseminating and celebrating the manifold positive impacts of cultural heritage on our society, economy and environment.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
STRATEGIC GOAL
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Promoting Cultural Heritage as a Vital Resource for Transformative Climate Action 🛈 State of Play Europa Nostra is committed to become a leading force of the heritage movement for climate action in Europe. Building on our partnership and work with ICOMOS, the Climate Heritage Network – of which Europa Nostra is a founding member – and the European Investment Bank Institute in the framework of the European Cultural Heritage Green Paper “Putting Europe’s shared heritage at the heart of the European Green Deal” , we shall:
🔿 Vision for the Future — Mobilise the heritage ecosystem to substantially contribute to the green transformation of our society, economy, culture and environment, including through the successful implementation of the European Green Deal, notably by:
⚙ Key Actions — After an active contribution to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26), ensuring the inclusion of heritage-based climate strategies in any follow-up action and achieving tangible results in our area during the COP27, and subsequently in COP28 and COP29. — After becoming the regional co-Chair of the Climate Heritage Network (CHN) for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States in November 2021, we shall proactively mobilise artistic, cultural, heritage and creative actors in the region and help grow the CHN in areas of Europe where it does not yet have a strong presence. — Ensuring that culture and heritage are duly included in the wider climate and sustainability frameworks including the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals – and conversely, that sustainable development considerations are effectively mainstreamed into heritage policy and actions. — In line with our role as a regional co-Chair of the Climate Heritage Network, shape a European multi-stakeholder network on heritage and climate action, in cooperation with other existing platforms/groups, in order to build on and deepen the collective knowledge developed in our European Cultural Heritage Green Paper and to ensure the adequate implementation of the proposed recommendations. 6
Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
— Bringing the objectives of the European Green Deal closer to non-EU heritage actors in Europe and around the world, reinforcing “Cultural green diplomacy” through our active participation, as a regional Co-Chair in the global Climate Heritage Network, the annual meetings of the COP and other global events and initiatives. — Further developing our partnership with the European Investment Bank – the EU Climate Bank – and its Institute with regard to cultural heritage and climate action. — Collecting, analysing and disseminating best practices of heritage for climate action through our European Heritage Awards/ Europa Nostra Awards, which, as of 2022, will include a thematic Grand Prix on Climate Action and Sustainability. — Intensify dialogue and consultation with our members, by raising awareness on the climate urgency and building their capacity including through (hybrid) European Heritage Masterclasses, and by recruiting new valuable and strategic members with expertise in the vital interface between cultural heritage and the green transformation. — Strengthening our advocacy efforts at national, regional and city levels, using the evidence and recommendations of our European Cultural Heritage Green Paper and promoting the best practices of our European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. — Scaling-up the work of our New European Bauhaus Taskforce (NEB), including by organising regular (online) working meetings and publishing joint policy documents, and turning it into the Europa Nostra interface with relevant stakeholders working on the NEB, including other NEB partners, the European Commission and the NEB Collective. This should lead to the intensification of Europa Nostra’s pro-active participation in the New European Bauhaus community, of which Europa Nostra is a proud partner. — Adopt greener practices at organisational level, including a.o. by organising virtual meetings and events, producing more digital publications and promotional material, and fully taking advantage of a series of digital tools.
👥 Key Partners — Civil society: Europa Nostra Members & Country Representations, Climate Heritage Network, ICOMOS, European Heritage Alliance, NEB partners and members of the NEB Collective. — Institutional: local/regional/national/European policy-makers, European Union Institutions and relevant agencies, EIB and EIBI, UNESCO and other relevant UN agencies.
🔋 Key Resources — Potential funding sources could be obtained by engaging in a Horizon Europe-funded project to boost our capacities, leadership and resources in this thematic area and to promote research and innovation in this key policy topic. Additional support could be secured through the EIBI, as a direct follow-up to our European Cultural Heritage Green Paper, and/or from one or more private foundations or regions/cities with which we collaborate. — EU funding via the new Network project financed through the Creative Europe programme. — A climate action policy officer / expert solely dedicated to heritage and climate action is needed to further develop our efforts on this front.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
STRATEGIC GOAL
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Enhancing the role of Cultural Heritage as a Catalyst for a Peaceful & Sustainable Future of Europe 🛈 State of Play Europa Nostra is committed to increase the public and political awareness on the role and contribution of cultural heritage to improve social cohesion, democratic participation and nurture a sense of belonging and “togetherness” in the broader Europe. Building on our contribution to the Conference on the Future of Europe – a call for organising citizens’ debates on the future of Europe in heritage sites issued in May 2021 – and the key messages of our Venice Call to Action: For A New European Renaissance, issued in September 2021, we shall:
🔿 Vision for the Future — Place cultural heritage where it belongs: at the very heart of the European project and of a peaceful Future of Europe, notably by:
⚙ Key Actions — Further stressing the shared history and culture among countries and communities in the broader Europe – well beyond the EU-, as an antidote for extremism and nationalism, and as a vector of peace and dialogue, celebrating and protecting our united and deeply entwined heritage, as reflected in some of our latest statements and actions: “Europa Nostra stands in solidarity with Ukraine” (2022) and “There is no Brexit in Europa Nostra (2021) as well as our Memorandum of Understanding with ICOMOS and ICOMOS Belarus National Committee to support the Belorusian cultural heritage (2021). — Advocating for the adequate inclusion of the multiple values of cultural heritage for Europe’s society, economy, environment and democracy in the debates of the Conference on the Future of Europe, ensuring a proper representation of our views in its Plenary, and due mention of cultural heritage in the final Conclusions and any follow-up of this exercise of participatory democracy.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
— Closely collaborating with the wider cultural and creative worlds to achieve more effective results and avoid fragmentation, among others by promoting a “Cultural Deal for Europe” in partnership with the European Cultural Foundation and Culture Action Europe, and organising a yearly high-level policy conversation in this context. — Developing a European Heritage Hub in Brussels that would strengthen our lobbying capacities towards policy-makers at all levels on the importance of cultural heritage as a catalyst for the future of Europe. — Establishing and developing two Europa Nostra Heritage Hubs in Krakow, Poland, and Athens, Greece, to enhance Europa Nostra's presence, network and outreach in Central and Eastern Europe and Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean region. In the long-run, Europa Nostra should aim at establishing other de-centralised Heritage Hubs in a few selected historic cities in Europe to strengthen and expand Europa Nostra's mission and activities (e.g. Venice, Lisbon). — Boosting the action and outreach of the European Heritage Alliance, – after 10 years of its existence -, including by further developing common stances, coordinated actions and joint advocacy efforts, as well as by expanding its coordination team. — Raising public awareness on cultural heritage as a vector for a more sustainable and inclusive future for Europe, including by pursuing and enhancing the Europa Nostra Agora (launched in March 2020) and through our Network Project “European Cultural Heritage Agora” for the next three years.
👥 Key Partners — Civil society: Europa Nostra Members & Country Representations, Culture Action Europe, European Cultural Foundation, European Heritage Alliance, European Movement International. — Institutional: Presidencies of the Council of the European Union, European Union Institutions and Member States, Council of Europe and other pan-European institutions and organisations.
🔋 Key Resources — Network Project “European Cultural Heritage Agora funded by the Creative Europe Programme. — A reinforced Europa Nostra Brussels Office will be key to continue influencing the agenda-setting and policy-making on such a broad front of European policies, programmes, and initiatives and to boost the capacities of the European Heritage Alliance. — The European Heritage Hub could be further financed through a pilot project voted by the European Parliament, if Europa Nostra is selected by the European Commission to run this Hub.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
STRATEGIC GOAL
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Campaigning to Save Endangered Heritage 🛈 State of Play Saving endangered heritage remains at the core of our mission, in particular through the flagship programme “The 7 Most Endangered”, which was launched in 2013 in partnership with the European Investment Bank Institute and was boosted and upgraded as of 2020. Building on the successful implementation of this programme for almost ten years, we shall:
🔿 Vision for the Future — Make the best use of our expertise, reputation, and our fruitful partnership with the European Investment Bank Institute, and also other partners like ALIPH or World Monuments Fund, to serve as catalyst for positive change with the aim of helping save as many endangered heritage sites in Europe as possible, notably by:
⚙ Key Actions — Maximizing the use and impact of the Heritage Grants allocated to eligible sites selected for the 7 Most Endangered annual programme and build the capacities of local sites’ owners/managers to use these as “seed money” to attract other grants from different sources, including EU funds (e.g. ERDF) Ultimately, the Programme shall support the selected sites in becoming self-sustaining and sustainable in the long-run. — Increase, within the limit of our resources, our follow-up actions in relation to all shortlisted projects, including by facilitating connections with relevant stakeholders such as EU representations, Embassies and local and international experts. — Increasing the geographical coverage of the 7ME scheme and improving its visibility in all countries of the Council of Europe, with the support of our members and partners on site. — Deploying public campaigns to save endangered heritage in Europe and beyond. Depending on each case, Europa Nostra shall seek to bring relevant stakeholders together to find a sustainable future for the sites, provide expertise and/or serve as a bridge with EU institutions and various, intergovernmental actors (e.g. Council of Europe, UNESCO, UN 2030 Agenda, the Office of the UN Special Representative for Cultural Rights, the UN Climate Change Conference) as well as non-governmental actors (e.g. ALIPH, ICOMOS, ICOM, World Monument Fund, Global Heritage Fund, Climate Heritage Network).
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
— Promoting Sustainable Cultural Tourism as a way to reduce overtourism and mitigate mass tourism due to damages it causes to cultural heritage, local communities and the environment. This can be done, among others, by disseminating best practices from our European Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards and the European Cultural Tourism Network – ECTN Awards, and on the basis of the Barcelona Declaration “Better Places to Live, Better Places to Visit”. — Promoting a value-based and rights-based approach to cultural heritage by duly stressing the vital links between the right to cultural heritage and the wide range of cultural, social, economic and environmental rights.
👥 Key Partners — Civil Society: Europa Nostra Members and Country Representations, European Heritage Alliance, ALIPH, ICOMOS, ICOM, World Monument Fund, Global Heritage Fund, Climate Heritage Network, sites’ owners/managers of the selected sites for the 7 Most Endangered programme, Slow Food. — Institutional: European Investment Bank and its Institute; other EU Institutions and Member States/Regions/Cities, Council of Europe, UNESCO, the Office of the UN Special Representative for Cultural Rights, the UN Climate Change Conference.
🔋 Key Resources — Annual funding support from the European Investment Bank Institute. — We need to increase the human resources allocated for the coordination of the 7 Most Endangered to ensure proper follow-up for each of the selected and non-selected endangered sites and thus boost the impact of the scheme over time. The doubling of the budget as of 2020 has allowed for an annual programme instead of a biannual one, which calls for a further reinforcement of the staff working on this scheme. — Necessary additional funding for ensuring a more effective management of this programme could be obtained from private foundations or donors.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
STRATEGIC GOAL
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Championing Heritage Quality and Excellence 🛈 State of Play Europa Nostra has been successfully running the prestigious European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards jointly with the European Union since 2002. On its 20th Anniversary in 2022, Europa Nostra has revamped the scheme to make it up-to-date with the diversity of heritage projects in Europe as well as key policy priorities in the field. Europa Nostra also supports the Best in Heritage , an annual presentation of award-winning heritage projects, and is a partner of the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award for Raising Awareness of Cultural Heritage , led by Centro Nacional de Cultura, and the Heritage in Motion Awards , organised in partnership with the European Museum Academy and Europeana. Europa Nostra also supports the European Cultural Tourism Network – ECTN Awards in partnership with the European Travel Commission and NECSTouR. Likewise, Europa Nostra has been constantly promoting the highest quality standards in the cultural heritage ecosystem, including, a.o. by contributing to the development and endorsing quality principles such as the Davos High-Quality Baukultur Declaration , the New European Bauhaus and the European quality principles for EU-funded interventions with potential impact upon cultural heritage . In September 2021, Europa Nostra has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ICOMOS and ICOMOS Belarus National Committee to support the Belorusian “Heritage in Action Awards scheme”.
🔿 Vision for the Future — Europa Nostra shall be the key European reference for excellence and quality in cultural heritage and shall continue enhancing the capacities of heritage stakeholders and civil society actors in Europe, notably by:
⚙ Key actions — Evaluating, through a thorough study, the impact of the European Heritage Awards/ Europa Nostra Awards to produce and communicate evidence about its benefits, fully capitalising on the results achieved over two decades of implementation. — Encouraging the fastly-growing Network of European Heritage Awards/ Europa Nostra Awards Laureates to initiate transdisciplinary exchanges and foster synergies for new transborder cooperation projects and opportunities. — Encouraging the Network of European Heritage Awards/ Europa Nostra Awards Laureates to create synergies – either thematic or geographic – with the 7 Most Endangered promoters, as the latter could benefit from tutoring, networking and experience-sharing from successful Awardees. 12
Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
— Pursuing our partnership with The Best in Heritage annual event, including by actively participating in the ‘Imagines’ initiative on innovation and by co-organising an annual debate on a timely topic (such as the European Year of Youth in 2022). — Reviewing the first 10 years of partnership with the European Museum Academy and Europeana within the “Heritage in Motion Awards” and deciding on its future format. — Consider launching a new Pilot Awards scheme to recognise cities and regions that have made an outstanding work and quality investment on cultural heritage (possibly in partnership with the European Committee of the Regions) and ultimately building a network of visionary Mayors of European cities who embrace heritage as a catalyst for positive change. We shall capitalise on our involvement in the Cultural Heritage in Action EU-funded peer-learning scheme for cities and regions as a useful platform to improve our outreach towards European Mayors. — Establishing appropriate synergies between our Awards scheme(s) and the Davos Baukultur Quality Principles, the New European Bauhaus and the European quality principles for EU-funded interventions with potential impact upon cultural heritage, and incite policy-makers to duly incorporate them in all European policy and funding programmes having a direct or indirect impact on cultural heritage. — Contributing to concrete and effective follow-up to the process started in 2018 at the Ministerial meeting in Davos and including through the implementation and follow-up of the Ministerial Conference which will be organised by the Swiss Government in January 2023 in conjunction with the World Economic Forum in Davos.
👥 Key Partners — Civil Society: Award winners, Europa Nostra Members and country representations, European Heritage Alliance. — Institutional: European Commission, European Parliament, European Committee of the Regions, National, regional and local governments, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, Eurocities, Council of Europe and other pan-European bodies.
🔋 Key Resources — Main funding for the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards guaranteed through a renewed 3-year framework agreement with the European Commission (2022-2025). — Potential funding sources for an impact study of the European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards are the European Commission (commissioned study) or a cross-border cooperation project funded by Creative Europe. — Additional funding sources might be needed to animate the Network of Awards Laureates. A part-time project officer should activate this community; this could be done by one of the proposed de-centralised Heritage Hubs. This task could also be outsourced to one of our laureates. — Potential funding sources for a new Pilot Award scheme for cities and regions could come from a partnership with Eurocities and/or the European Committee of the Regions.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
STRATEGIC GOAL
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Encouraging Complementary Sources of Funding for Heritage 🛈 State of Play Europa Nostra launched the “Foundations4Heritage” initiative in 2017 together with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. Based on these initial efforts and building on the European Commission’s workshop on complementary funding for cultural heritage organised in January 2021 and the joint statement “A Cultural Deal for Europe” issued by Europa Nostra, the European Cultural Foundation and Culture Action Europe, which calls for philanthropy to be strategically associated to the recovery of Europe and the designing of its future, we shall:
🔿 Vision for the Future — Seek to shape a strategic alliance between the European heritage movement and the private foundations worlds, as well as with the wider world of investment and business, notably by:
⚙ Key Actions — Raising public and political awareness on the role and (potential) impact of private foundations in ensuring a viable sustainable future for our shared cultural heritage, thereby unlocking its full potential for the necessary transformation of our society and economy. — Advocating policy-makers at all levels of governance to provide more favourable conditions and adequate incentives for the development of philanthropy with a European purpose. — Promoting – through advocacy, communication and networking opportunities – the development of public-private partnerships and investments in the wider field of cultural heritage. — Launching a “European Philanthropic Coalition for Cultural Heritage”, with the active participation of Foundations that are already members or partners of Europa Nostra, and in cooperation with existing European networks of Foundations. We shall, among others, advocate for and explore the feasibility of the creation of a future European Foundation for Cultural Heritage that would support cross-border and small-scale heritage projects in Europe.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
— At organisational level, securing a complementary financial base for our organisation through partnerships with private foundations and corporate donations and support, in addition to the annual contributions and donations by our members. — At the same time, we shall continue advocating EU decision-makers for the due allocation of funds for cultural heritage within EU actions and programmes.
👥 Key Partners — Civil society: Gulbenkian Foundation, La Caixa, Fondazione Cini, Fondazione Cariplo, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Leventis Foundation, DAFNE – Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe, European Foundation Centre, ALIPH, Prince Claus Fund, European Cultural Foundation. — Institutional: European Investment Bank and its Institute; European Commission; relevant pan-European bodies.
🔋 Key Resources — Appoint a part-time officer who would coordinate both the internal efforts of Europa Nostra in securing a diversified income and would coordinate and animate the Foundations’ network. The former could be achieved partly through the EU-funded Network project and through a potential grant from a private foundation.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
STRATEGIC GOAL
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Building Bridges & Partnership across and beyond Europe 🛈 State of Play Building on the Conclusions on EU Approach to Cultural Heritage in conflicts and crises adopted by the Council of the European Union in June 2021, which recognises the role of cultural heritage as an important vehicle for peace, democracy and sustainable development, we shall
🔿 Vision for the Future — Provided that specific funds might become available through the EU External Action Service, strengthen and expand Europa Nostra’s network and capacity to act on a global scale, and to mobilise its expertise and large network of members and partners to ensure the meaningful and effective implementation of the above-mentioned Council conclusions, notably by:
⚙ Key Actions — Providing emergency support for the endangered cultural heritage and heritage professionals in Ukraine — Collecting and widely disseminating good practices on cultural heritage initiatives developed in conflict, crisis and post-conflict settings within the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards , as well as the ILUCIDARE Special Prizes on heritage-led international relations. — Contributing to the much-needed capacity building of civil society active in heritage throughout the South East Europe wider area region, and hence to the on-going process of confidence building and regional cross-border cooperation. This could be done through thematic workshops, knowledge exchange and learning opportunities. — Supporting the creation of a regional network of civil society organisations in all countries of the Western Balkans who are dedicated to the safeguard of cultural and natural heritage. Such a regional network should promote the notion of “shared heritage which requires shared responsibility” and also promote the concept of multiple layers of identity for heritage sites, from local to European. — Establishing a stronger presence and intensifying our dialogue with heritage stakeholders in the countries of the South and Eastern Caucasus area, also in our role as regional Co-chairs of the Climate Heritage Network for the region of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
— Establishing initial bridges and a dialogue with civil society partners and key stakeholders in the Mediterranean, resulting in the possible extension of our network to open a dialogue covering also the area of the “Mare Nostrum” cultural space. (with possible extension towards Africa). — Supporting the emergence of a civil society heritage bridges with other continents, capitalising on our network (for example by reaching out to Hispano-America in close cooperation with Hispania Nostra, our Country Representation in Spain, or to Brazil through the cooperation schemes in place by our Portugal Country Representation Centro Nacional de Cultura). — Exploring cooperation with civil society heritage stakeholders in Africa, with a view to contribute to the necessary building of stronger cultural ties between Europe and Africa, for example by advocating the need for the European Union to launch Global Heritage Partnerships as part of the ambitious EU-Africa Agenda.
👥 Key Partners — Civil society: Anna Lindh Foundation, ALIPH Foundation, Europa Nostra members in SEE Europe and Western Balkans, Our World Heritage, World Monuments Fund, Global Heritage Fund, etc. — Institutional: EEAS, Council of Europe, UNESCO, UN, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), G20
🔋 Key Resources — A policy officer working on Europa Nostra’s outreach across and beyond Europe would be needed. — Projects could be funded by the European External Action Service. Thematic workshops could be conducted with the support of existing EU Instruments for international cooperation, such as the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX) or the Dialogue Support Facility of the European Commission.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
STRATEGIC GOAL
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Investing in the Next Generation of Heritage Custodians 🛈 State of Play In recent years, Europa Nostra has been striving to rejuvenate its network and activities, improve the intergenerational exchange and knowledge-transfer among heritage professionals and volunteers, and foster heritage engagement amongst the younger generations. Building on these efforts, and in particular through our partnership with the European Students’ Association for Cultural Heritage (ESACH) launched during the European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018 and our European Heritage Youth Ambassadors Programme launched in February 2021, we shall:
🔿 Vision for the Future — Consolidate an active and committed European Network of Youth for Heritage coordinated by Europa Nostra, notably by:
⚙ Key Actions — Continue offering, enhance and further promote our individual free of charge membership for young people, introduced in 2019. We shall design and deploy a youth recruitment plan closely together with our young members themselves, while increasing the tangible benefits of such membership. — Further consolidating and coordinating a #Youth4Heritage network and organising annual thematic events for networking, peer-learning, capacity building and policy/advocacy, with focus on fostering intergenerational dialogues. — Encouraging members of our #Youth4Heritage network to actively contribute to and be part of Europa Nostra governance bodies (e.g. submit application to join the Europa Nostra Council). — Empowering the younger generation to actively participate in the shaping of a more sustainable future, deploying the multiple values of our shared cultural heritage and through meaningful inter-generational dialogue, in particular during the forthcoming 2022 European Year of Youth and the Conference on the Future of Europe.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
— Meaningfully contribute to the 2022 European Year of Youth, a.o. by mobilising our #Youth4Heritage network, organising ad-hoc (virtual) events and widely communicating about the Year and opportunities to participate. — Launching a Pilot European Heritage Youth Residency scheme that will enable intergenerational exchange and through which young members can support the transfer and/or upgrading of digital skills to host organisations (included in our new network application submitted to the European Commission). — Incorporate the pioneering work of ESACH into Europa Nostra’s action, including by developing a flexible and hybrid governance model, possibly through an elected “Youth Council” and a volunteer team, working in coordination with the Europa Nostra Secretariat. — Encourage the younger generations to meaningfully engage with Europe’s cultural heritage, including via digital means, by continuing and strengthening our partnerships with ‘ Wiki Loves Monuments’ with Google Arts and Culture and Europeana .
👥 Key Partners — Civil Society: Erasmus Students’ Network, ESACH, European Youth Forum, Europa Nostra Members and Country Representations, Wiki Loves Monuments, Europeana. — Institutional: European Commission and its Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and especially the Erasmus, DiscoveryEU and European Solidarity Corps schemes.
🔋 Key Resources — ESACH/ Europa Nostra Heritage Youth Ambassadors and Volunteers — Funding through the new Network Project “European Cultural Heritage Agora” financed by the Creative Europe programme.
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
Transversal component: enhanced tools to achieve our strategic ambition & goals
Membership
Country representations
Governance & President
Communication and media
Funding
Human resources
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Europa Nostra | Strategic Plan: Horizon 2025
Membership Sustaining and further enhancing communication and consultation with our members as well as recruiting new members to diversify our network both thematically and geographically. Special attention will continue to be given to Europa Nostra’s growing network of young heritage professionals. Country representations Enhance and re-energise cooperation with our country representations, including by organising (online) review meetings to extract lessons in good practice that can be more broadly implemented and also to tapping into the resources of country representations to support Europa Nostra’s work by undertaking adequate action in their own countries. Ultimately, this should lead to building and developing capacities and resilience of our Country Representations, and possibly to an update and improvement of the existing Terms of Reference. Governance & President Securing an efficient, diverse and highly responsive governance model to be enriched by dedicated ad-hoc and thematic task forces. Appointing a high-level President to enhance the capacities of our organisation in the fields of public relations, media presence and funding (e.g. President’s circle contributions, private donations, etc). Communication and media In addition to the excellent and ever-growing social media presence, increasing presence in the media through a more systematic and continuous press strategy, including personal connections with key media with the view of publishing a larger number of interviews, articles and editorials. We shall also allow for more experimentation in our communication strategy in terms of tools and audiences. Funding Securing the continuation of existing funding through our Creative Europe Network project, the European Heritage Awards/ Europa Nostra Awards, and the 7 Most Endangered, while accessing new, diversified funding sources, both public and private. Human resources Boosting human resources (staff, interns and volunteers), to adequately and effectively respond to the expansion of our well-established activities (e.g. 7 Most Endangered and European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards scheme) and of our field of advocacy and action (e.g. climate action, funding for heritage).
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The realisation of this Strategic Plan is made possible thanks to contributions by:
As well as the active and mostly volunteer contribution from our Individual Members and Member and Associate organisations, with the vital financial support from our Corporate Supporters and Corporate Friends.
This Strategic Plan is a contribution to: