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Reply to Recommendation | Doc. 12691 | 18 July 2011
A balanced approach to the rescuing of archaeological finds from development projects
1. The Committee of Ministers has examined
Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation
1942 (2010) on “A balanced approach to the rescuing of archaeological
finds from development projects” and has brought it to the attention
of member states’ governments. It has also sent it to the Steering
Committee for Cultural Heritage and Landscape (CDPATEP) whose comments
have been taken into account in the present reply.
2. The Committee of Ministers observes that cultural heritage
has an important role to play as a means of fostering awareness
and mutual understanding between peoples. It therefore welcomes
the interest shown by the Assembly in issues relating to the preservation
and to the fair and sustainable use of cultural and historic heritage
and its efforts to promote the Council of Europe’s legal instruments
in this field.
3. The Council of Europe’s priorities for 2011 include an assessment
of the relevance of the Council of Europe conventions and reform
of the Organisation’s intergovernmental structures. In this context,
the Committee of Ministers is exploring appropriate arrangements
that will allow the Council of Europe to effectively pursue the
monitoring of its own conventions, in accordance with its obligations
in this area and to give, if necessary, greater prominence to some
of these conventions and to promote their signature and ratification.
4. The entry into force in June 2011 of the Council of Europe
Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society
(Faro, 2005), which approaches heritage resources from the standpoint
of human development and the sustainable management of the territory,
confirms and updates the approaches set out in the three conventions
relating to the architectural and archaeological heritage and the
landscape. 
The Committee of Ministers notes
that, in a number of countries, the Faro Convention has already
provoked a future-oriented analysis of the concept and role of cultural
heritage in changing societies. It further wishes to underline
the work done by the CDPATEP in monitoring the implementation of
these conventions. Through its efforts, the CDPATEP contributes
to the framing, application and adjustment of cross-sectoral and
intersectoral policies relating to heritage and the environment,
in which the public authorities, the private sector and voluntary
associations are all involved. The Committee of Ministers further
notes that the integrated approach to heritage to which the Assembly
refers, with particular emphasis on the interaction between cultural
and natural heritage, was given concrete shape by the work of the
CDPATEP, which deals with all activities relating to cultural heritage
and landscape. From this angle, the Committee of Ministers also
wishes to underline the relevance of the European Landscape Convention.
The Committee of Ministers notes
that, in a number of countries, the Faro Convention has already
provoked a future-oriented analysis of the concept and role of cultural
heritage in changing societies. It further wishes to underline
the work done by the CDPATEP in monitoring the implementation of
these conventions. Through its efforts, the CDPATEP contributes
to the framing, application and adjustment of cross-sectoral and
intersectoral policies relating to heritage and the environment,
in which the public authorities, the private sector and voluntary
associations are all involved. The Committee of Ministers further
notes that the integrated approach to heritage to which the Assembly
refers, with particular emphasis on the interaction between cultural
and natural heritage, was given concrete shape by the work of the
CDPATEP, which deals with all activities relating to cultural heritage
and landscape. From this angle, the Committee of Ministers also
wishes to underline the relevance of the European Landscape Convention.5. The Committee of Ministers notes that there has been a whole
series of other activities along the lines advocated by the Assembly.
For example, the Valletta Convention and the archaeology sector
served as a reference and a case study for the construction of the
reinforced convention monitoring mechanism, and a new version of
the HEREIN information system will be put online in 2011. This mechanism,
which will make it possible to monitor several conventions simultaneously,
will provide both a database which countries can easily update and
tools for processing information and managing case studies, thus
facilitating the sharing of the good practices to which the Assembly
refers. It will also facilitate the incorporation into member states’ legislation
and practices of the provisions set out in the Valletta Convention
and the results of the collaborative process set in motion by the
Council of Europe. At this stage the theme of illegal archaeology
has been identified as a first possible focus for research using
the new tools, and the theme of rescue and preventive archaeology,
highlighted by the Assembly, could also give rise to the systematic
pooling of experiences within the context of the monitoring of the
Valletta Convention.
6. The Committee of Ministers recalls that there is extensive
co-operation with the European Union through the regional co-operation
programmes in priority regions with regard to the rehabilitation
of the built environment and in the joint European Heritage Days
programme. Activities specific to the management and enhancement
of archaeological heritage, as suggested by the Assembly, could
be included in the framing of future joint Council of Europe/European
Union programmes, in accordance with the main aims identified in
this area.