Patrimonio culturale immateriale e Unione europea

Intangible Cultural Heritage and European Union

Abstract

This paper analyses the influence of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage on European Union law. The EU has not formally acceded to the ICH Convention, which is only open to States, but European cultural policies are affected by certain aspects of the ICH Convention. This can be seen in recent Recommendations of the Council or the EU Commission on digitisation and participatory governance of cultural heritage. However, the definitions and instruments of ICH Convention have a specificity that is not present in EU law, where the safeguarding of intangible memories and participatory processes are part of a broader process of European identity building.