Europa Nostra’s voice in Romania

The European Cultural Heritage Summit, which took place in Bucharest between October 6 and 8, 2024, is the annual gathering of Europe’s cultural heritage stakeholders. It is organised by Europa Nostra, a pan-European federation of heritage NGO’s, which counts some 250 member organisations together with more than 100 associate organizations, representing 5 million citizens. Every year, in addition to the flagship European Heritage Awards Ceremony, the summit includes a meeting on European public policies in the field of cultural heritage. Every year, Europa Nostra undertakes to debate and then draw public policy guidelines for the European institutions. This year, the theme of the meeting was quality principles in heritage conservation, emphasising the need for clear frameworks of action to ensure quality results in cultural heritage practice at European level.

The Romanian organizations active in relation with Europa Nostra, at the initiative of Pro Patrimonio Foundation and the Romanian Order of Architects, have mobilized for the first time in a very large number – over 60 organizations – to produce a manifesto related to cultural heritage in Romania. An important argument are the new mandates starting this year at all administrative levels in Romania. It is also an important moment for a synchronized action with Europa Nostra to communicate the expectations of Romanian civil society concerned and active in the protection of cultural heritage to the Romanian decision makers.

The conclusion emerged from the discussions that took place on Saturday, October 5, 2024, when non-governmental organizations and professionals involved in cultural heritage preservation gathered for the first time in Bucharest, in a round table, on the margins of the European Cultural Heritage Summit on October 6-8, to discuss the experiences they had in their projects and to agree on common priorities for action for the protection of cultural heritage in Romania.

The demands and priority principles for action were included in a Manifesto for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Romania, which was presented in its final form at the Public Policy Agora, which took place during the European Cultural Heritage Summit on Tuesday, October 8.

Acknowledging that:

1. Heritage is a natural part of citizens’ daily life;
2. Heritage defines the cultural identity and collective memory of communities;
3. Heritage is a valuable economic resource, contributing to the creation of a large number of direct and indirect lucrative jobs;
4. Heritage is a factor for sustainable urban development in the context of resilience to the climate crisis;
5. Heritage is a fundamental factor for culture and education;

Civil society in Romania calls on the central and local public administration authorities to urgently implement a plan consisting of five actions, which will contribute to the improvement of the framework for the protection and capitalization of Romanian heritage:

1. Adopt and apply European quality standards in cultural heritage practice, in all public and private initiatives and programs.
2. Include environmental and cultural heritage impact assessments in the evaluation of the opportunity to demolish existing buildings.
3. Drive an interdisciplinary and international working group to revise and update design standards for seismic protection and energy efficiency improvement for heritage buildings.
4. Make a pilot project on sustainable urban development through heritage (industrial, spa, etc.) conservation and capitalization as an example of best practices with national impact.
5. Implement a pilot project centered on a heritage trade school in international cooperation.

The list of signatory organizations and individuals concerned with cultural heritage can be consulted here.

Pro Patrimonio, Europa Nostra’s voice in Romania

On the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2024, organized by Europa Nostra in Bucharest, the Pro Patrimonio Foundation was invited to become the representative in Romania of the most important European cultural heritage federation, assuming the role of a platform through which Europa Nostra can lobby locally and regionally. This quality represents a recognition of the dedication and diversity of the projects that the foundation has carried out during its almost 25 years of existence. On October 8, 2024, during the General Assembly of Europa Nostra members, the President of the Pro Patrimonio Foundation, Mr. Șerban Sturdza, and the Executive President of Europa Nostra, Mr. Hermann Parzinger, signed a memorandum of cooperation.