Summary:
This thesis approaches one of the economic dimensions of the protection of the World Cultural Heritage through the examination of its important funding opportunities by the European Structural Funds. The principal goal is to highlight the synergies and the differences of the way the monuments are defined from both the system of the 1972 Convention as well as the above-mentioned funding mechanism of the European Union. The first section of the study is devoted to the clarification of the most important concepts of the topic examined. In particular, we attempt to define the concept of the cultural heritage, focusing on the one hand to its ecumenical character and on the other hand, to the emerging challenges that arise with regard to its protection. In addition, we present the 1972 Convention and its subject, highlighting the individual criteria and the obligations of the contracting parties with a view to point out the philosophy of the specific protection system of the monuments. The second section focuses on the presentation of the European cultural policy, to its links to the Regional Policy as well as to the convergences and divergences with the aforementioned Convention. The third section briefly examines the way in which the Structural Funds operate, emphasizing the opportunity they provide to the funding of the World Heritage at a European level along the way to 2014 – 2020. The Greek case, in the second part, triggers for a more targeted examination of the possibilities offered by the funding instruments of the European Union, through the research funding of all the Greek monuments included in the World Heritage List. Finally, we try to draw conclusions, by detecting both the philosophy of the 1972 Convention as well as the European funding of the registered monuments in the context of the evolution of the different structural models and objectives adopted during the examined period. The protection and the preservation of the cultural heritage is once more considered as the one of the main goals of the Union’s cohesion policy which is necessary to be promoted since it is a significant factor for a sustainable and inclusive society. The Greek state through the EU co- funded programs may use its rich historical past in order to promote development initiatives and investment projects with a view to claim a strong position among those countries where culture and especially cultural heritage are the key for building a competitive economy.
Keywords:
World Cultural Heritage, European Structural Funds, 1972 Convention, Co-funding programs (NSRF), Cultural Policy
