Champions of cultural heritage

Prince Henrik, the Prince Consort of Denmark and President of Europa Nostra, is interviewed ahead of his visit to Malta for the European heritage federation's annual congress taking place this week.

Your Royal Highness, you were last in Malta in 1975. What are your recollections of that visit?
I visited Malta in October 1975 in my capacity as Honorary Commissioner of the Danish Red Cross, of which I am now Patron. I was impressed by Malta's remarkable history and culture which are reflected in all fields of art. I was also struck by the sincere hospitality of the Maltese. I am therefore delighted to be back 30 years later, this time in my capacity as the President of Europa Nostra, together with many members of our organisation who are eager to discover Malta's unique contribution to Europe's common cultural heritage.

Can you tell us what Europa Nostra does?
Europa Nostra is the pan-European federation of NGOs active in the field of cultural heritage. It was founded in 1963 and has since become the voice of the vast movement of European civil society active in the field of heritage towards international bodies concerned, especially the European Union, the Council of Europe and Unesco. Based in The Hague, Europa Nostra has over 220 member organisations, 170 associate members and 1500 individual members across Europe.

Europa Nostra aims to encourage the protection and enhancement of the heritage in all its forms; to promote high standards of quality in the fields of architecture, town and country planning and to stress the role of the heritage in developing a sense of civic responsibility and creating employment opportunities. It campaigns for the balanced and sustainable development of our built and natural environment and aims to contribute to European integration and the well-being of European citizens.

How does it attempt to do all of that?
Europa Nostra achieves its objectives through advising members and partners on heritage matters; national and international campaigns for the preservation and rescue of Europe's heritage at risk; conferences, forums and working groups on scientific, educational, economic and policy aspects of heritage; awards to exemplary conservation initiatives; publications and exhibitions, as well as heritage tours for its members to places of special interest.

Europa Nostra's campaigns for heritage at risk include its appeal in 2005 for the protection of the archaeological site of Allianoi, Turkey, which is threatened by a dam project. In 2005, Europa Nostra also campaigned regarding the issue of high-rise buildings and their impact on historic cities, which is topical in a number of European cities. It was successful in its 2005 campaign against proposed high-rise buildings in Copenhagen's historic centre, Christianshavn. It is important to stress that Europa Nostra is neither against progress nor modern architecture, but we seek to highlight the importance of the right balance between development and conservation.

A key focus of Europa Nostra in recent years has been campaigning for the restoration and safeguarding of the multi-cultural and multi-religious cultural heritage in Kosovo, being an integral part of Europe's cultural heritage.

Europa Nostra encourages exemplary initiatives in the field of heritage through the annual European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards. This year, one of the medals goes to Valletta's Waterfront "for the remarkable regeneration of a grandiose Baroque harbour and the establishment of an authentic link between the sea and the historic urban environment". I am told that this project has been a wonderful example of a public/private partnership, fostering the cause of cultural tourism. I will have the pleasure of presenting this medal "in situ" on Friday after our Forum on Cultural Tourism.

Finally, Europa Nostra is delighted to have been recently selected as the new Liaison Office for the co-ordination of the "European Heritage Days", a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. This is excellent news for Europa Nostra, as the philosophy of the European Heritage Days - which is to promote awareness of our shared European identity, through bringing European citizens closer to their cultural heritage - is totally in line with Europa Nostra's mission to promote cultural heritage as a tool for developing a sense of European citizenship, and for promoting mutual understanding and inter-cultural dialogue.

Why is the cultural heritage so important for Europe and is it sufficiently appreciated and recognised by European citizens and the European institutions?
In its recent position paper, Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe, Europa Nostra highlights how Europe's outstanding cultural heritage provides multiple benefits for Europe's society, environment and economy and is an asset for Europe. Cultural heritage - both built and natural - contributes indeed fundamentally to the quality of life of Europe's citizens. Europa Nostra also stresses that an increased awareness of Europe's shared cultural heritage is fundamental to the building of a sense of European citizenship and a sense of belonging, which are indispensable cohesive factors in the process of European integration.

European citizens appreciate Europe's rich cultural heritage but there is still more to be done in order to further deepen the understanding of the European dimension of this heritage which is all the richer for its diversity and to engage more actively citizens in the safeguard of this heritage. As far as the European institutions are concerned, at its successful European Policy Forum which took place last December in Brussels, Europa Nostra stressed that it was vital that a comprehensive strategy with regard to cultural heritage be adopted by the EU institutions and member states and that action benefiting cultural heritage be mainstreamed into all relevant EU policy and action areas. This requires a global vision and an enhanced coordination between the different services and institutions of the European Union as well as between various European organisations concerned, including the Council of Europe.

Europa Nostra is holding its congress in Malta from today to Saturday. This also includes the Cultural Heritage Forum on Cultural Tourism: Its Encouragement and Control, which you are holding on Friday. Could you tell us something about this?
Our annual congress is organised with the invaluable support of our member organisation Din l-Art Helwa which last year celebrated 40 years of indefatigable action by many enlightened volunteers in favour of Maltese cultural heritage. Din l-Art Helwa's team, headed by our most efficient council member, Martin Scicluna, the people and public authorities of Malta have indeed extended a very warm and open-hearted welcome to Europa Nostra and we are most grateful for that.

The congress includes Europa Nostra's council meeting, working group meetings and our general assembly as well as a number of cultural visits and social occasions. The Cultural Tourism Forum will be the highlight of the congress. Its theme is particularly relevant to Maltese treasures which are the testimony of 7,000 years of exceptional history and which attract visitors from all the world.

It is clear that cultural tourism can bring much needed funds to historic cities and countryside. But the knock-on effects of cultural tourism can also adversely affect the life of local communities. The secret, as always, lies in finding the right balance between economic development, sustainable tourism and heritage conservation. The forum will address the issues at stake and ways of resolving the potential conflicts that cultural tourism poses. We will also be adopting a declaration on this important issue. The forum will be attended by more than 200 delegates from 26 European countries, as well as Francis Zammit Dimech, your Minister for Culture and Tourism, who has been very enthusiastic in his support for the forum.