BRUSSELS, Feb. 9
(Xinhua) -- Representatives for member states of the European
Union (EU) and the European Parliament reached a provisional
agreement on Thursday to establish a European Year of Cultural Heritage in
2018. The bloc's decision
makers want to raise awareness of European history and values and to strengthen
a sense of European identity through the event.
Meanwhile, the event
is expected to draw attention to the opportunities offered by Europe's cultural
heritage, but also to the challenges, such as the impact of the digital shift,
environmental and physical pressure on heritage sites, and the illicit
trafficking of cultural objects.
"As Europeans, we
have a particularly rich cultural heritage born of our long shared history. I
welcome the opportunity to celebrate that heritage and to take pride in all that
makes up our common European identity," Owen Bonnici, Malta's minister for
justice, culture and local government, said in a statement released by the
meeting.
The European Year of
Cultural Heritage will be funded through the redeployment of budgetary resources
from existing EU programs, the statement said.
中文
