Label "European Heritage"
The "European Heritage" label was created in 2005, by several Member States of the European Union, on the proposal of France. It was formally established in 2011. Since 2013, the European Union has awarded the label to cultural properties, monuments, cultural sites, places of memory..., which revive the European story and the history behind it.
The European Heritage Label focuses on European history and the contribution of sites to the evolution of European history and unity.
It is awarded by the European Union to sites that bear witness to the European heritage and chosen for their symbolic value, the role they have played in European history and the activities they propose.
Activities that should bring Europeans closer to their common history and to the European Union.
Its aim is to help European citizens to better understand the history of Europe and the construction of the Union as well as that of their common cultural heritage, in particular with regard to democratic values and human rights, whichthe process of European integration, raising awareness among European citizens, especially young people, and strengthening intercultural dialogue through arts education, cultural education and history education.
The participating countries
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Sites labeled "European Heritage" in the Great East
In 2018, 38 European sites were labeled, including 4 French, and 3 located in the Great East:
2015: Robert Schuman House in Scy-Chazelles (Moselle) (website)
2016: European District of Strasbourg (website)
2018: Former Natzweiler concentration camp and its subsidiary camps (France-Germany: two side camps located in France, the fort de Metz-Queuleu in Moselle and the Urbès tunnelin the Upper Rhine and twelve camps in Germany, Baden-Württemberg) (website)
The fourth French site labeled is the Abbey of Cluny.
The selection criteria
Every two years, participating countries shortlist up to two sites. An independent panel of experts, which makes up the jury at European level, can then select a site for each country.
Sites are assessed according to three main criteria:
- their symbolic European value;
- the quality of the proposed project to promote its European dimension;
- the quality of the work plan.
The Ministry of Culture examines applications for France and forwards the successful application to the European Commission.
The last campaign ended in February 2019.