6.3. Reflective societies - Cultural heritage and European identity

The aim is to contribute to an understanding of Europe's intellectual basis, its history and the many European and non-European influences, as an inspiration for our lives today. Europe is characterised by a variety of different peoples (including minorities and indigenous people), traditions and regional and national identities as well as by different levels of economic and societal development. Migration and mobility, media, industry and transport contribute to the diversity of views and lifestyles. This diversity and its opportunities should be recognised and considered. European collections in libraries, including digital ones, archives, museums, galleries and other public institutions have a wealth of rich, untapped documentation and objects for study. These archival resources, together with intangible heritage, represent the history of individual Member States but also the collective heritage of a Union that has emerged through time. Such materials should be made accessible, also through new technologies, to researchers and citizens to enable a look to the future through the archive of the past. Accessibility and preservation of cultural heritage in these forms is needed for the vitality of the living engagements within and across European cultures now and contributes to sustainable economic growth. The focus of activities shall be the following: The activities will contribute to a critical analysis of how a European tangible and non-tangible heritage has developed over time, including language, memories, practices, institutions and identities. They will include studies of the interpretations and practices of cultural interactions, integration and exclusion. An intensified European integration process has underlined that a wider European identity sphere exists – one which complements other types of identities in Europe. A broad spectrum of evidence and testimonies of European identity spheres can be found in European and non-European scientific collections, archives, museums, libraries and cultural heritage sites. They offer materials and documents which enable greater understanding of identity building processes that allow reflections about social, cultural or even economic processes that contribute to past, actual and future forms of European identity. The objective is to develop innovations and to use and analyse objects and/or documentation in cultural and scientific collections, archives and museums to improve our understanding of how European identity can be traced, constructed or debated. The issues of multilingualism, translation and circulation of ideas across Europe and from and to Europe and how they form part of a common European intellectual heritage will be explored. Cultural diversity is an important facet constituting Europe's singularity and providing a source of strength, dynamism and creativity. The activities will address the contemporary European diversity and how this diversity is shaped by history while also helping to analyse how such diversity is conducive to new intercultural developments, or even tensions and conflicts. The role of arts, media, landscapes, literature, languages, philosophy and religions, in relation to this diversity, will be central as they offer various interpretations of the social, political and cultural realities and influence the visions and practices of individuals and social actors. The activities will address the complexity of the socio-economic and cultural links between Europe and other world regions and assess the potential for improved intercultural exchanges and dialogues taking into account broader social, political and economic developments. They will help to analyse the development of various views in Europe on other world regions and vice versa.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-04 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.