Peculiarities of the EU’s heritage diplomacy

This article aims to fill the gaps in the discourse on heritage diplomacy, especially concerning the EU’s efforts on heritage. Heritage diplomacy is a new term, the discussions about a more precise theorization of which are still ongoing. Thus, of particular interest was the question of the functions and defining features of the heritage diplomacy of the European Union in terms of its internal (“domestic”) and external (“foreign”) dimensions. Considering this research question, the article focuses on defining the main functions and features of the European Union’s heritage diplomacy activities through their heritage-specific projects and initiatives, especially given the intensification of the EU’s heritage activities in recent years. To do this, firstly, the concept of heritage diplomacy was analyzed and the role and place of heritage and heritage diplomacy in the EU policy was indicated. This article defines heritage diplomacy as the process of instrumentalising the tangible and intangible past (heritage) and the narratives around them to promote (geo-)culture and/or intercultural relations. Then, a careful analysis of the EU’s initiatives and projects on heritage (European Heritage Label, European Capitals of Culture, European heritage awards, UNESCO-EU joint projects, etc.) was done, through which many functions of EU’s heritage diplomacy were pointed out and categorized within the internal (“domestic”) and external (“foreign”) dimensions. Among the functions were defined the following: integration, creation and strengthening of European identity through making a European narrative, ‘Europeanisation’, cooperation, raising awareness of other issues (such as about the practices of sustainability), conservation, culture preservation, involvement of non-European cultures in the cultural dialogue (heritage as a platform), peacekeeping, etc. Although the two ought to be distinct, a blurring between the two dimensions was pointed out, resulting in the notion of the heritage diplomacy of the European Union as being mostly done on the level of the European Continent.