The added european value of cultural heritage. The european heritage label

Abstract

Europe’s cultural heritage plays a strategic role in European Union (EU) politics. Heritage is viewed as a shared resource and common good that eventually can produce a broader acceptance of the EU. This article focuses on the exploration of European heritage in the context of the European Heritage Label (EHL), a recent EU heritage action. It first gives an overview of the EHL action and examines the significance attributed to the European dimension of heritage. Next the article discusses the added value of the EHL network of heritage sites for the promotion of European heritage in the context of the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH) 2018. The two initiatives share similar approaches and create opportunities to complement one another. The designation of the EYCH 2018 was an attempt to communicate to a broader European public the understanding that cultural heritage is more than just conservational memory, but also a source of new perspectives for the future. The EHL offers new approaches to heritage that challenge national discourses and exclusionary narratives of belonging. The article concludes that the promotion of European heritage serves the political objectives of European integration and may indeed strengthen a sense of belonging to Europe as a cultural and political community.