Commissioner Vassiliou opens European Heritage Days in Cyprus

Our common European cultural heritage is one of the strongest assets we have in Europe, EU Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism, Sport, Media and Youth said today.

Speaking at the village of Kapedes, in the Nicosia District, at the opening the European Heritage Days in Cyprus, Vassiliou noted that cultural heritage is not a dead inheritance, but the most vivid depiction of the advancement of a people, of a place.

“Culture is an essential ingredient of what makes us who we are” Vassiliou said.

She added that “our shared heritage is part of what makes us not only the proud citizens of one or the other nation-state, but also Europeans, citizens of a civilization with a long, rich and often troubled history, a present fraught with both challenges and high hopes, and a future that it is our exclusive responsibility to shape and take forward”.

As European Commissioner responsible for Culture, Vassiliou said she wanted to make sure that “at European level we can support and protect our cultural heritage”, adding that she has asked for more funding for the new EU programme for culture “Creative Europe”, in order to have all the instruments to carry on with this important work.

Beyond the physical preservation of a historical site, the Commissioner said that the conservation of cultural heritage entails the preservation and the transmission of the knowledge that is embodied in that site, which is the knowledge that is necessary for it to come back to life.

Vasilliou further added that the European Heritage Days, a joint EU – Council of Europe initiative, gives the opportunity to more than 20 million people every year to visit historical buildings and sites, usually not easily accessible to the public.

The Commissioner said that due to the island`s geographic location its cultural heritage has been shaped with varied contributions from different conquerors that have passed through.

As a result, she continued, “what we own today as cultural heritage is the harmonious coupling of all these influences that makes it a true wealth for whole Europe”.

She noted moreover that the long-standing success of this event, both in Cyprus and across Europe, is very heartening for all who share a keen interest in safeguarding cultural heritage.

Vassiliou concluded by saying that the initiative has the strong support of the European Union and thanked all people involved in the event`s annual organization in Cyprus.