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This initiative by Europa Nostra will become annual from now on
Today, 8 April, during the first online format of the event, the largest heritage organization on the continent Europa Nostra announced the 7 Most Endangered Heritage Sites. A special guest of the ceremony was EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.
The programme, which exists since 2013, has the goal of raising awareness about the fragile conditions of heritage sites, with the hope that this will act as a catalyst for sustainable action around preserving them so they can exist for future generations, too.
Apart from the sites in question (which you can see in the Gallery above), two other announcements were made. Starting this year, the event will take place annually, increasing its frequency. Also, finalist sites will be eligible to receive a heritage grant of up to 10,000 euros as initial funding to efforts of preservation.
This is a list that is meant to bring attention to the public so that the sites would be saved, hopefully as soon as possible. In a way, this is an anti-award list - it is, in essence, an urgency call.
Its preliminary selection was made with the support of experts from the EIB Institute. It provides experts for the evaluation and the new seed funding.
The 7 Endangered Sites are:
As is visible from this selection heritage is threatened by a variety of factors, such as climate change effects, natural hazards, neglect, difficult economic circumstances, political choices and armed conflicts.
In that light, EU Commission Mariya Gabriel noted that the 7 endangered sites were representative of this spectrum of hazards.
“As generations come and go everyone is inspired by what is left behind. Heritage strengthens social cohesion and foster mutual understanding, but is also a source of economic jobs,” she added.
The Commissioner listed the number of tools that the European Union has at its disposal to provide support to heritage conservation. The Creative Europe Programme is one of these, and the Committee of Regions Joint Action Plan is another one that has paid some attention to this area.
In Mariya Gabriel’s opinion, there is also a need to build synergies with the European Institute of Innovation, and to foster an educational climate that provides skills and knowledge among the younger generations in order to make them appreciate what they have and the significance of heritage to their lives.
Europa Nostra’s initiative has already shown results. For example, in 2014, the Mafra National Palace in Portugal was on the list. Since then, its two belltowers are fully functional again, which was made possible after a complex restoration process. This shows that results, even if they take time can be achieved, but naturally, effort, interest and dedication are also needed.
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