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Recommendation 1465 (2000)
“Europe, a common heritage” – a Council of Europe campaign
1. The Assembly welcomes the Council of Europe’s
“Europe, a common heritage” campaign and in particular as a means of bringing
greater Europe together to promote cultural diversity. The Assembly is also
aware of the political and social relevance of respect for such diversity, in
particular with regard to minorities.
2. This campaign has been appropriately timed to mark a quarter of a century
since European Architectural Heritage Year, 1975. It responds to the Assembly’s
call for an event to recognise the common heritage of Europe as a whole
following the Council of Europe's enlargement.
3. It is an occasion on which to highlight the main advances in heritage
conservation policy. In particular the Assembly welcomes the extension of
integrated conservation from urban planning to the environment and of the
notion of heritage from buildings to objects, from archaeological sites to
museums, from the material to the immaterial heritage of religion, customs,
language or music.
4. As the Committee of Ministers has decided to include the natural heritage
in the campaign, the Assembly recalls its recommendations in this area, and in
particular on the need for the adoption and opening for signature of the
European Landscape Convention.
5. The Assembly also asks the Committee of Ministers if this is not an
appropriate moment to open negotiations on the European Charter for the Danube
Basin that had been shelved in 1998.
6. The Assembly regrets the recent targeting of the cultural heritage in areas of political conflict. It recalls the mandate given to its general rapporteur to mediate in such situations (Recommendation 788 (1976)). It would hope that the campaign could promote a more positive image of the cultural heritage as something to be enjoyed and shared.
7. The Assembly has itself several ongoing activities that should be seen as
fitting into the campaign, and notably the preparation of reports on cathedrals
and other major religious buildings, on the maritime and fluvial heritage, on
disused hospitals and military buildings and on cultural tourism.
8. The Assembly has so far been represented at the introductory events of
the campaign. Its respective committees – in particular but not exclusively
those concerned with the cultural and natural heritage – are continuing to
follow the main activities of the campaign.
9. The Assembly encourages national parliaments to hold at least one
specific debate on the cultural and natural heritage issues raised by the
campaign.
10. With regard to the conduct of the “Europe, a common heritage” campaign,
the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
10.1. call on governments to ensure that
activities are launched in each country;
10.2. call on member governments, on a national basis but also
internationally, to increase support to non-governmental institutions and
organisations pursuing the aims of this campaign;
10.3. take the initiative to encourage co-ordination of the activity of
intergovernmental organisations in these fields;
10.4. draw on the experience of this campaign to formulate clear and
practical proposals for subsequent action by the Council of Europe in the
heritage area.