Cultural heritage in EU discourse and in the Horizon 2020 programme

Briefing 22-11-2019

The EU recognises its Member States' collective cultural heritage both as a European legacy that will be passed onto future generations and as a contributor to EU growth and development. Among others, in 2014 the Council of the EU identified cultural heritage as a strategic resource for a sustainable Europe, and the European Commission singled out the Horizon 2020 programme as one of the 'new generation of EU instruments' to support the implementation of the European Agenda for Culture, while also helping safeguard and enhance the EU's cultural heritage. According to Commission data, between 2014 and early 2019, €495 million was invested in Horizon 2020 research actions related to the EU's tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In token of the value attached to cultural heritage as an intrinsic part of the EU's identity and an important element of the EU's international presence, the year 2018 was designated European Year of Cultural Heritage.