Europa Nostra is the largest cultural heritage network in Europe. The civil society organisation was founded over 60 years ago and is present in more than 40 countries. Every year, Europa Nostra, in co-operation with the European Union, presents the highest awards for outstanding merits and achievements in the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage in Europe. Europa Nostra Germany is the organisation's national representative office and is based in Potsdam. It is particularly committed to the thematic approach of the motto Sharing Heritage, i.e. the unifying potential of cultural heritage.

Dr Uwe Koch has been the President of Europa Nostra’s German representative office since November 2021. Cultural heritage has been a recurring theme in his professional career since the 1990s. Among other things, he was Head of Division of the State of Brandenburg for Cultural Heritage, UNESCO World Heritage, Museums, Culture of Remembrance, Palaces and Gardens as well as co-initiator and national coordinator of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018. 2015-2020 he was Head of Office of the German National Committee for Monument Protection of the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Since 2020, he has been the Brandenburg State Commissioner for Cultural Development in Lusatia.

The European Heritage Days, a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Union since 1999, is the most widely celebrated participatory annual cultural event in Europe, reaching out and mobilising millions of people under the motto “Europe, a common heritage”. The European Heritage Days not only provide a platform to strengthen Europe's cultural heritage and make it more accessible but also offer promotional programmes and competitions. Synergies, for example with the European Heritage Label, also make the European Heritage Days interesting for various cultural institutions.

Sergei Bazarya is a programme manager of the European Heritage Days. Before joining the European Heritage Days team, Sergei held various advisory and management roles at the Council of Europe, coordinating and implementing programmes in the areas of intergovernmental cooperation, education and youth work. He has over 25 years of experience in international organisations, has lived and worked in Ukraine, Czech Republic, Austria and France and has seen first-hand how international programmes lead to development of democratic institutions and intercultural dialogue. Sergei has advanced degrees in history, sociology and management.

The European funding landscape is diverse and enables cultural projects to access various funding programmes. Among the EU funding programmes, Creative Europe CULTURE is the only programme that explicitly supports the cultural sector. The presentation offers an introduction to the Creative Europe CULTURE programme and its funding criteria. The focus is on the funding scheme of European Cooperation Projects, which promotes cross-border cooperation between cultural organisations.

Sophia Hodge studied art history and philosophy in Trier, Paris and Bonn. She has been working at the Creative Europe Desk CULTURE since 2018 and advises on EU cultural funding. Her main areas of expertise are European cooperation projects and literary translation projects.

Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) – Präsentation und Gesprächsrunde
With more than 1.5 billion euros in funding, the EU programme ‘Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values’ (CERV) is one of the EU's most important financial instruments for supporting civil society organisations, municipalities and other stakeholders. The round table will provide an overview of the funding opportunities in the programme and focus on the ‘Civic Engagement and Participation’ action area. Among other things, this offers municipalities and associations or cultural institutions that want to organise civic encounters or urban networking projects the chance to receive European funding. Together, we will take a look at current calls in the programme and assess your project ideas for eligibility for CERV funding.

Jochen Butt-Pośnik has been Head of the Contact Point Germany for the EU programme ‘Europe for Citizens’ and, from 2021, ‘Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values’ (CERV) since January 2018. After training as a carpenter and studying social sciences at the Leibniz University of Hanover, he founded the ‘Profondo’ counselling office for youth, Europe and education in 2000 and was the coordinator of various European projects. From 2011 to 2017, he was project coordinator at ‘Youth for Europe’, the German national agency for the EU programme ‘Erasmus+ Youth in Action’. He is also a freelance trainer, process facilitator and moderator.

Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe – a Unique Cultural Programme for European Cooperation– Presentation and Round-Table Discussion
European cultural heritage could not be more diverse! Customs, traditions and shared memories connect people across the continent. Travelling on a wide variety of paths and routes has developed a cultural identity over thousands of years, making Europe the community in which we live today. Since 1987, the Council of Europe has awarded international networks the title of "Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe" that bring these routes to life by working together in an interdisciplinary manner in the areas of (cultural) tourism, historical research, art and culture, citizen and youth exchange. The workshop presents the programme, the award and its benefits.

Caroline Fischer is a cultural and European sociologist. She is the director of the European Culture and Information Centre in Thuringia and acts as manager of the cultural route VIA REGIA, which was awarded by the Council of Europe in 2006. At the same time, she is the spokesperson for the cultural routes with German members and part of the task force Cultural Routes International.

Exchange on European Cultural Promotion with the Saxon Ministry of Science and Culture and Notenspur Leipzig e. V. – Round-Table Discussion (German)
With the imminent transition to the new funding period from 2028, the structure and functioning of the Creative Europe cultural funding programme are once again on the agenda. Against this backdrop, this forum will provide an opportunity to share experiences of successes, positive developments, but also difficulties and opportunities for improvement in cultural funding at European level to date. The aim is to make possible proposals to the EU Commission as well as to exchange ideas with each other in an advisory capacity.

Henry Krentz has been the European and Regional Affairs Officer for Culture at the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism since 2021. After completing his training and studies, he worked from 2008 onwards as a consultant in the extremism evaluation department at the Ministry of the Interior of the states of Brandenburg and Hesse and in their respective departments. From 2014, he worked as a consultant in the evaluation of right-wing extremism in the Saxon State Ministry of the Interior.

Prof. Werner Schneider is the honorary chairman of Notenspur Leipzig e.V. and specialises in project development and networking. He holds lectures and training events in the fields of music history and mediation, cultural management, remembrance culture, urban history and urban development. A physicist by profession, he experienced numerous breaks in his career before the peaceful revolution, before embarking on an academic career at the University of Leipzig and TU Dresden from 1991. He is also a visiting researcher at the Institute for Urban Development at Leipzig University.

European Projects for Beginners - How Do I Get Involved in an Exchange? – Workshop (German)
The European community thrives on diverse relationships. In addition to state contacts and contacts of large European institutions, it is also civic exchange projects, smaller international cultural events or youth exchanges organised by local associations that fill these relationships with life. In this workshop, we will exchange experiences with colleagues and explore questions such as: How do I find partners? What funding opportunities are there for small projects? How much lead time do I need for planning? Who are my local contacts? The aim of the workshop is to provide inspiration and suggestions for advancing your own European project.

Heike Bronn has been working in the cultural and music sector for decades. After working for the Lower Saxony Music Council, the Musikpodium Stuttgart and the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre, she has been a freelance cultural manager and owner of the agency Dreh- und Angelpunkt - Kulturprojekte since 2003. Her focus is on the organisation of (international) music events, funding applications/fundraising and public relations. Since 2014, she has been working as an evaluator for EU funding projects (cooperation projects, Pan European Cultural Entities) for the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).