Commissioner Vassiliou speech at the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/ Europa Nostra Awards
Commissioner Vassiliou presents the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards - Istanbul - 10 June 2010
Androulla Vassiliou
Member of the European Commission responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth
European Cultural Heritage
EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/ Europa Nostra Awards
Istanbul, 10 June 2010
Ministers, Mme Pack, Presidents of Europa Nostra, Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me welcome you most warmly to the European Union Award for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards.
First, may I congratulate the winners and all those involved in the 2010 award selection for the magnificent work they are doing to ensure that our cultural heritage can be handed on to future generations. The Commission is very much aware of the time and energy you have invested in achieving the excellent results we are celebrating here this evening.
I would also like to thank Europa Nostra for organising this event. And I thank Minister Günay, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and the Agency Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture for hosting this ceremony in this wonderful Aya Irini Museum. This building, which resonates with history and culture, is the perfect setting for tonight's prizes to celebrate our cultural heritage.
This modern city of Istanbul is home to a rich mix of cultural heritage and history. In the run-up to becoming a European Capital of Culture for 2010, you have found original and ingenious ways of showcasing valuable heritage. You have opened up culture to people, and in a way that protects its long-term future.
The Istanbul 2010 project is built on solid foundations: on commitment, on artistic vision, on including people and on cultural and creative partnerships. The restoration of the Sultan's Pavilion in the Yeni Mosque here in Istanbul - one of our prize-winners this evening - shows how a single project can successfully combine all these elements. It shows the positive role of public-private partnerships in heritage conservation, in regenerating urban areas, and in involving people in the long-term care of their heritage.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Caring for cultural heritage and its conservation and restoration is primarily a national responsibility. But I am pleased to say that the Union can lend a helping hand. We fund restoration as part of regional development, as well as research and cultural cooperation projects with a heritage theme.
I am personally very pleased to be responsible for the EU's Culture Programme, which helps to build a European dimension into our cultural lives. As well as injecting funding into hundreds of cross-European cultural projects, we promote our shared cultural heritage in multiple ways: through the European Heritage Days we organise jointly with the Council of Europe; through our proposal for a European Heritage Label; through our European Capitals of Culture; and of course through tonight's awards.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Heritage is about more than our past: it is about how we move towards our future.
Coming as I do from a country with a rich cultural heritage, I believe that all of us, Europeans, who value cultural heritage, have a responsibility to ensure that all our cultural heritage is respected and preserved for the sake of our future generations.
Tonight's winning projects lead the way, through their good example. By following in their footsteps, we will contribute to Europe's growth. We will be helping employment; involving people in caring for and sharing the joy of heritage; and taking the path to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
But above all else, ladies and gentlemen, by preserving our heritage we are nurturing the spirit of Europe. The care that we bestow on Europe's cultural heritage today ensures that this legacy will inspire our people for generations to come.
Thank you.