Greening European heritage: mission possible and necessary

Europa Nostra proposes a Green Paper that details how to achieve that

Europa Nostra released a Green Paper on 22 March, which proposes ways to include cultural heritage as part of the efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe. The document is also supported by ICOMOS (together with Europa Nostra, the two oldest international heritage organizations in the world), the Climate Heritage Network, the European Investment Bank Institute and the Creative Europe Programme of the EU.

The title of the Green Paper is “Putting Europe’s shared heritage at the heart of the European Green Deal” and it represents a bold call to EU institutions, interest groups and citizens to rearrange their ideas about climate action in a way that integrates the continent’s past, material and immaterial legacies. Likewise, it is Europa Nostra’s signature contribution to the New European Bauhaus initiative.

Linking climate and heritage in new and creative ways

Europa Nostra has proposed the idea that climate action and heritage conservation go hand in hand since all societies on the continent have a vested interest in promoting both and creating a resilient connection between past, present and future.

“This ground-breaking document demonstrates the relevance of cultural heritage for achieving the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal, launched by the European Commission to make Europe the first carbon-free continent by 2050. The European Green Deal states that ‘All EU actions and policies will have to contribute to the European Green Deal objectives’. Our European Cultural Heritage Green Paper gives the response: Count Cultural Heritage in!,” affirmed Hermann Parzinger, the Executive President of Europa Nostra.

These encouraging words were spoken at the presentation of the document, at an online event featuring representatives from the other influential organizations supporting it. The paper pays attention to all the areas linked to climate action today and outlines how cultural heritage is involved in them, how the heritage community and stakeholders can contribute and benefit from implementing valiant steps in that direction.

The paper proposes concrete recommendations to policymakers but also does not shy away from pointing out possible clashes (and ways to solve them) between the European Green Deal and heritage preservation. Discover the Executive Summary here.

What is more, a promise has been made by Europa Nostra to launch a multi-stakeholder platform in the near future. It will serve as a hub for all interested parties in that field to share and build upon the collective knowledge and ensure that recommendations are uniformly implemented.

As two organizations passionate about the creative inclusion of heritage into contemporary European life, TheMayor.EU and Europa Nostra (partners to the New European Bauhaus initiative) would like to remind you that there are still open spaces for partnership at the New European Bauhaus. Lend your collective inspiration to the common effort!