The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: a platform for intercultural dialogue
Recommendation 2249
(2023)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text
adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of
the Assembly, on 3 March 2023 (see Doc. 15710, report of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education
and Media, rapporteur: Mr Andries Gryffroy).
1. The Parliamentary Assembly, referring
to its
Resolution 2488
(2023) “The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe:
a platform for intercultural dialogue”, underlines the importance
of heritage as a resource for human development and as a tool to
enhance cultural diversity and promote intercultural dialogue.
2. Moreover, the Assembly considers that the Cultural Routes
of the Council of Europe Programme offers an excellent platform
to promote open exchanges based on mutual understanding between
individuals and groups of different origins, cultures, religions
and languages; and that it is an effective means to promote conflict
prevention and strengthen democratic values and democratic practices
in Europe.
3. The significant rise in the number of certified cultural routes
(there are now 48) is a clear indication of the success of the Cultural
Routes of the Council of Europe Programme. However, the accomplishment
also lies in the capacity of each route to sustain its activity,
partnerships and relevance in the long term and to ensure quality
and share experience, strategies and tools through regular exchanges
and development of joint projects within the route itself and in
co-operation with other thematically or geographically related cultural
routes.
4. The Assembly considers that the Council of Europe and the
European Commission should enhance their co-operation to support
this activity and develop targeted European Union funding programmes
for cultural routes based on clearly established criteria, including
the promotion of democratic values and the implementation of the
key principles of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on
the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (CETS No. 199, the “Faro
Convention”) at both local and European levels.
5. Accordingly, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of
Ministers together with the member States that are Parties to the
Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of
Europe, and in co-operation with the European Union:
5.1 increase the resources and reinforce
the capacity of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes
of the Council of Europe and provide more support to cultural routes
in their development and co-ordination of activities;
5.2 undertake a strategic reflection concerning the overall
aims and framework of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe
Programme to ensure that quality standards accompany the rapid increase
in the number of certified cultural routes;
5.3 consider reviewing the certification process and extending
the certification cycle to five years in order to guarantee quality
and at the same time reduce the administrative burden related to
the process of certification;
5.4 develop a common, quality-based label for cultural routes,
similar to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) heritage label, to accompany visually the transformation
of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme into a
strong, collective and dynamic network, easily recognisable to visitors
throughout Europe;
5.5 develop targeted joint programmes with the European Union
for certified cultural routes that promote sustainable development,
democracy and human rights, and enhance co-operation with the European
Commission and its European Heritage Label initiative.
