A strategic partnership between the Municipality of Athens, Europa Nostra – the pan-European federation of cultural heritage organisations – and ELLINIKI ETAIRIA – Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET) was established yesterday. Following the decision of Europa Nostra – which is based in The Hague and in Brussels – Athens becomes, after Kraków, the second city in Europe where a Europa Nostra Heritage Hub is being established; a decision that upgrades and consolidates the key role of Greece in the field of cultural heritage as well as its protection and promotion.
The establishment of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Athens is the result of a close cooperation between Europa Nostra, the Municipality of Athens and ELLET, which is selected by Europa Nostra for the coordination, management and representation of the Hub in the wider region of South East Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean (with special focus on the Eastern Balkans).
The role of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Athens is to develop and strengthen the activities of the organisation in this important part of Europe and to involve civil society organisations in the protection of Europe’s heritage. At the same time, through the Hub, the role of the Greek capital, as a leading European centre in the field of cultural heritage conservation and in the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and other key European documents related to cultural heritage, will be strengthened.
