Council of Europe Treaty Series

a   recognise that rights relating to cultural heritage are inherent in the right to participate in cultural life, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

b   recognise individual and collective responsibility towards cultural heritage;

c   emphasise that the conservation of cultural heritage and its sustainable use have human development and quality of life as their goal;

d   take the necessary steps to apply the provisions of this Convention concerning:

a   cultural heritage is a group of resources inherited from the past which people identify, independently of ownership, as a reflection and expression of their constantly evolving values, beliefs, knowledge and traditions. It includes all aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time;

b   a heritage community consists of people who value specific aspects of cultural heritage which they wish, within the framework of public action, to sustain and transmit to future generations.

a   all forms of cultural heritage in Europe which together constitute a shared source of remembrance, understanding, identity, cohesion and creativity, and

b   the ideals, principles and values, derived from the experience gained through progress and past conflicts, which foster the development of a peaceful and stable society, founded on respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

a   everyone, alone or collectively, has the right to benefit from the cultural heritage and to contribute towards its enrichment;

b   everyone, alone or collectively, has the responsibility to respect the cultural heritage of others as much as their own heritage, and consequently the common heritage of Europe;

c   exercise of the right to cultural heritage may be subject only to those restrictions which are necessary in a democratic society for the protection of the public interest and the rights and freedoms of others.

a   recognise the public interest associated with elements of the cultural heritage in accordance with their importance to society;

b   enhance the value of the cultural heritage through its identification, study, interpretation, protection, conservation and presentation;

c   ensure, in the specific context of each Party, that legislative provisions exist for exercising the right to cultural heritage as defined in Article 4;

d   foster an economic and social climate which supports participation in cultural heritage activities;

e   promote cultural heritage protection as a central factor in the mutually supporting objectives of sustainable development, cultural diversity and contemporary creativity;

f   recognise the value of cultural heritage situated on territories under their jurisdiction, regardless of its origin;

g   formulate integrated strategies to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of this Convention.

a   limit or undermine the human rights and fundamental freedoms which may be safeguarded by international instruments, in particular, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;

b   affect more favourable provisions concerning cultural heritage and environment contained in other national or international legal instruments;

c   create enforceable rights.

a   encourage reflection on the ethics and methods of presentation of the cultural heritage, as well as respect for diversity of interpretations;

b   establish processes for conciliation to deal equitably with situations where contradictory values are placed on the same cultural heritage by different communities;

c   develop knowledge of cultural heritage as a resource to facilitate peaceful co-existence by promoting trust and mutual understanding with a view to resolution and prevention of conflicts;

d   integrate these approaches into all aspects of lifelong education and training.

a   enrich the processes of economic, political, social and cultural development and land-use planning, resorting to cultural heritage impact assessments and adopting mitigation strategies where necessary;

b   promote an integrated approach to policies concerning cultural, biological, geological and landscape diversity to achieve a balance between these elements;

c   reinforce social cohesion by fostering a sense of shared responsibility towards the places in which people live;

d   promote the objective of quality in contemporary additions to the environment without endangering its cultural values.

a   promote respect for the integrity of the cultural heritage by ensuring that decisions about change include an understanding of the cultural values involved;

b   define and promote principles for sustainable management, and to encourage maintenance;

c   ensure that all general technical regulations take account of the specific conservation requirements of cultural heritage;

d   promote the use of materials, techniques and skills based on tradition, and explore their potential for contemporary applications;

e   promote high-quality work through systems of professional qualifications and accreditation for individuals, businesses and institutions.

a   raise awareness and utilise the economic potential of the cultural heritage;

b   take into account the specific character and interests of the cultural heritage when devising economic policies; and

c   ensure that these policies respect the integrity of the cultural heritage without compromising its inherent values.

a   promote an integrated and well-informed approach by public authorities in all sectors and at all levels;

b   develop the legal, financial and professional frameworks which make possible joint action by public authorities, experts, owners, investors, businesses, non-governmental organisations and civil society;

c   develop innovative ways for public authorities to co-operate with other actors;

d   respect and encourage voluntary initiatives which complement the roles of public authorities;

e   encourage non-governmental organisations concerned with heritage conservation to act in the public interest.

a   encourage everyone to participate in:

b   take into consideration the value attached by each heritage community to the cultural heritage with which it identifies;

c   recognise the role of voluntary organisations both as partners in activities and as constructive critics of cultural heritage policies;

d   take steps to improve access to the heritage, especially among young people and the disadvantaged, in order to raise awareness about its value, the need to maintain and preserve it, and the benefits which may be derived from it.

a   facilitate the inclusion of the cultural heritage dimension at all levels of education, not necessarily as a subject of study in its own right, but as a fertile source for studies in other subjects;

b   strengthen the link between cultural heritage education and vocational training;

c   encourage interdisciplinary research on cultural heritage, heritage communities, the environment and their inter-relationship;

d   encourage continuous professional training and the exchange of knowledge and skills, both within and outside the educational system.

a   encouraging initiatives which promote the quality of contents and endeavour to secure diversity of languages and cultures in the information society;

b   supporting internationally compatible standards for the study, conservation, enhancement and security of cultural heritage, whilst combating illicit trafficking in cultural property;

c   seeking to resolve obstacles to access to information relating to cultural heritage, particularly for educational purposes, whilst protecting intellectual property rights;

d   recognising that the creation of digital contents related to the heritage should not prejudice the conservation of the existing heritage.

a   develop, through the Council of Europe, a monitoring function covering legislations, policies and practices concerning cultural heritage, consistent with the principles established by this Convention;

b   maintain, develop and contribute data to a shared information system, accessible to the public, which facilitates assessment of how each Party fulfils its commitments under this Convention.

–   establish rules of procedure as necessary;

–   manage the shared information system referred to in Article 15, maintaining an overview of the means by which each commitment under this Convention is met;

–   at the request of one or more Parties, give an advisory opinion on any question relating to the interpretation of the Convention, taking into consideration all Council of Europe legal instruments;

–   on the initiative of one or more Parties, undertake an evaluation of any aspect of their implementation of the Convention;

–   foster the trans-sectoral application of this Convention by collaborating with other committees and participating in other initiatives of the Council of Europe;

–   report to the Committee of Ministers on its activities.

a   putting in place collaborative strategies to address priorities identified through the monitoring process;

b   fostering multilateral and transfrontier activities, and developing networks for regional co-operation in order to implement these strategies;

c   exchanging, developing, codifying and assuring the dissemination of good practices;

d   informing the public about the aims and implementation of this Convention.

a   any signature;

b   the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession;

c   any date of entry into force of this Convention in accordance with the provisions of Articles 18, 19 and 20;

d   any amendment proposed to this Convention in accordance with the provisions of Article 22, as well as its date of entry into force;

e   any other act, declaration, notification or communication relating to this Convention.