European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018

The proposal for this thematic year came from the European Commission and it was adopted by Decision (EU) 2017/864 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017. EYCH was a wide-ranging and inclusive initiative involving all EU institutions, all EU Member States, 9 partner countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Georgia, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), as well as a broad array of cultural stakeholders. In EU Member States and in associated countries it was implemented by National Coordinators designated by the relevant Ministries.
The aim of the European Year was to encourage more people to discover and engage with Europe's cultural heritage, and to reinforce a sense of belonging to a common European space. The general objectives were: to encourage and support the efforts of the Union, the Member States and regional and local authorities, in cooperation with the cultural heritage sector and broader civil society, to protect, safeguard, reuse, enhance, valorise and promote Europe's cultural heritage. It created the momentum for cultural heritage to be placed higher on the EU’s agenda, through an integrated approach.
In order to prepare the European Year, a special edition of the Eurobarometer survey was carried out in late 2017, according to which 71% Europeans agreed that cultural heritage can improve quality of life. The types of actions during EYCH consisted in: initiatives and events to promote debate and raise awareness of the importance and value of cultural heritage and to facilitate engagement with citizens and stakeholders; information, exhibitions, education and awareness-raising campaigns to convey values such as diversity and intercultural dialogue; the sharing of experience and good practices of national, regional and local administrations and other organisations, and the dissemination of information about cultural heritage, including via Europeana; studies and research and innovation activities and the dissemination of their results on a European or national scale; and the promotion of projects and networks connected to the European Year.
EYCH highlighted the contribution of sustainable cultural tourism to urban and regional development and was an opportunity to explore how to balance the sustainability of cultural heritage with the benefits of tourism, not just in economic terms, but also for the well-being of local communities.