The European Union has been working in partnership with Europa Nostra since 2002, celebrating outstanding cultural heritage achievements from across Europe through our European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards. The European Commission is pleased that Europa Nostra is working in partnership with the Best in Heritage, to further benefit from the sharing of experience and best practices between Laureates of our joint Awards Scheme, with the heritage community attending this important yearly event. The Best in Heritage offers opportunities to build and deepen personal and professional contacts between those involved in the European heritage field. Heritage is not simply about restoring and conserving things from our past: it's also about actively bringing our common heritage into the present and making it a part of our daily lives. This year we're celebrating the European Year of Creativity and Innovation and this year's Award winners show a creative spirit: they've used inventive solutions to preserve and conserve our heritage and at the same time have found innovative ways to tackle the obstacles confronting them. They show that sustainable development is also about taking care of our heritage and our environment in a balanced way. Next week Monday in Brussels, the Culture in Motion Conference will take place, presenting projects with strong links to creativity and innovation and the European Agenda for Culture. During the following 2 days, the European Culture Forum will provide a platform to discuss the progress made in the expert groups and stakeholder platforms set up under this Agenda. These groups are sketching a profile of how the strengths of the creative and cultural industries - including the cultural heritage sector - can prepare us to effectively face future challenges. I wish you all a most successful and fruitful Best in Heritage gathering this week at in Dubrovnik, and I hope to be able to meet some of you next week in Brussels. Thank you. Odile Quintin Director General for Education, Training, Culture and Youth. DG EAC
