The European Union Policy on Cultural Heritage: A Shift in Guidelines for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This work analyses the paths taken in the field of the cultural heritage at the European Union level and how the Community has integrated it into its policies. It identifies the major European legal frameworks, procedures and initiatives in which European heritage has evolved since the 1950; the aim is therefore to describe, expose, and assess the objectives and the impacts of European cultural interventions in order to be able to understand to what extent European law protect and promotes the cultural heritage and thus of culture itself. Moreover, the thesis examines the main issues shaping the fields in the beginning of the 21st century, including the socio-economic pressures, the natural and manmade threats, and the decay and abandonment of historic and traditional cultural heritage. The historical and theoretical approach to heritage provides an opportunity to understand recent developments in European cultural policies, rethinking the integrated approach, further developing cooperation, and building resilience and sustainability.