On 29 November, a meeting between the European Heritage Label initiative of the DG.EAC, the Directorate-General of the European Commission responsible for EU policy on education, youth, sport and culture, and the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe took place at the European Commission in Brussels to exchange on the respective commitment of the European Union and the Council of Europe to cultural heritage and Europe’s common history.

Mr. Stefano DOMINIONI represented the Council of Europe Secretariat and presented the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme and its contribution to the preservation of a diverse heritage through theme-based transnational networks. The Secretariat took the opportunity to meet Ms. Malgorzata SZLENDAK, Ms. Pia SOPTA, Ms. Gabrielle BERNOVILLE and Ms. Maria CASTILLO, Representatives of the DG.EAC, to discover synergies between both initiatives and encourage future cooperations. Considering the steady growth and the complementarity of both initiatives, this meeting highlighted the various possibilities for cross fertilization and cooperation, both between the two institutions and programmes but also at the local level.

Coordinated under the Creative Europe Programme, the European Heritage Label focuses on strengthening intercultural dialogue and a sense of belonging to the European Union. It is instrumental in increasing local cultural tourism, sustainable economic benefits and community building across Europe. Since 2013, 60 sites have been selected for their symbolic value, the role they have played in European history and the activities they offer.

Several of these EHL sites are also network members of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: The Abbey of Cluny in France of the Cluniac Sites in Europe; the Almadén Mining Park in Spain of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, the Bois du Cazier in Belgium of the European Route of Industrial Heritage; the Municipality of Maastricht of the European Route of Industrial Heritage; the Olomouc Premyslid Castle and Archdiocesan Museum in Czech Republic of the Cyril and Methodius Route; the Mundaneum in Mons in Belgium of the Liberation Route Europe; the Peace Palace in The Hague in the Netherlands of the Liberation Route Europe and Leipzig’s Musical Heritage Sites in Germany of the Via Regia, among others.