site.bta200-Plus European Experts Discuss Cultural Heritage in Plovdiv

Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria, March 27 (BTA) - A conference on "Cultural Heritage for a More Sustainable Europe" is taking place here on Monday and Tuesday. The event is organized by the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency and the European Commission.

EU Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Commissioner Tibor Navracsics and over 200 experts from various European countries participate in the conference.

"Cultural heritage as a shared resource and a common asset is becoming ever more important for Europe today, both in a specifically cultural and a social and economic aspect," Bulgarian Culture Minister Amelia Gesheva said at the opening session of the forum on Monday. She pointed out that the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council prioritizes cultural heritage and its functions in present-day Europe. "The conference is being held during the European Year of Cultural Heritage and the discussion will help draft the Council conclusions on the place of cultural heritage in EU policies," Gesheva added.

Navracsics said that "European identity does not threaten our local, regional and national identities because it enriches them and builds on them." In his words, 78 million jobs in Europe are indirectly related to heritage in one way or another, and tourism is one of the sectors that benefit from the advantages of cultural heritage.