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Europa Nostra has announced the 2024 winners of the Costa Carras European Citizens Awards.<\/h3>\nEuropa Nostra has announced the 2024 winners of the Costa Carras European Citizens Awards.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Europa Nostra writes:<\/p>\n
The 2024 winners of the Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage were announced today.\u00a0St\u00e9phane Bern, a renowned French-Luxembourgish journalist, radio host and television presenter, and a prominent heritage advocate, has won the Golden Award for his exemplary work in raising awareness of the need to save heritage at risk in France and in the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n
The Jury granted the newly established Silver Award jointly to two NGOs,\u00a0Archilochos \u2013 Cultural Association of Paros\u00a0(Greece) and\u00a0Haydarpa?a Solidarity for Society, City and Environment\u00a0(T\u00fcrkiye), for successfully organising local citizens movements to promote and preserve their cultural and natural heritage.<\/p>\n
The Award Ceremony will take place on 10 April, within the framework of the Delphi Economic Forum.\u00a0The Ceremony will be held in the presence of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic,\u00a0Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and H.E. the President of the Republic of Slovenia,\u00a0Nata\u0161a Pirc Musar.<\/p>\n
The Costa Carras European Citizens Awards for the Safeguard of Endangered Heritage was established in 2023 by\u00a0EUROPA NOSTRA\u00a0and\u00a0ELLINIKI ETAIRIA \u2013 Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage\u00a0in memory of Costa Carras, an iconic champion of the protection of the environment and cultural heritage in Greece and Europe. The founding partners of the Awards are the\u00a0A.G. Leventis Foundation, the\u00a0Delphi Economic Forum\u00a0and the\u00a0European Investment Bank Institute.\u00a0The Golden Award and the Silver Award are generously financed by the A.G. Leventis Foundation.<\/p>\n
The response to the Call for Entries 2024 was impressive. 22 applications were received from Belgium, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Norway, Serbia, Spain, T\u00fcrkiye and Ukraine. Based on this response, the Silver Award has been established.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the announcement,\u00a0St\u00e9phane Bern\u00a0commented: \u201cFor all heritage defenders, the name of Costa Carras evokes fifty years of tireless fighting in favour of historical heritage and its environmental setting in Europe. Vice-President of Europa Nostra and founder of ELLINIKI ETAIRIA, Costa Carras showed us how to protect and safeguard heritage which cannot continue to exist without the support of people. As a lover of Greece, where I have resided occasionally for twenty-four years, as an ardent defender of French heritage and as a European, I am very honoured to be awarded the Costa Carras European Citizens Award. It is a real encouragement to continue the action that I have been carrying out for seven years, at the request of the President of the French Republic and with the assistance of the\u00a0Fondation du Patrimoine, to safeguard each year the nearly 120 monuments in danger that are reported by the public, who then participate in their restoration thanks to the Heritage Lottery that I was able to initiate with the\u00a0Fran\u00e7aise des Jeux. To date, we have been able to select 875 monuments which are saved or are in the process of being saved. I therefore dedicate this Costa Carras Award to all of my compatriots who have realised that we are all collectively and individually custodians of historical heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Award\u2019s Jury\u00a0stated: \u201cSt\u00e9phane Bern is a highly worthy laureate of the Costa Carras European Award owing to his steadfast dedication to conserving and championing Europe\u2019s cultural heritage. Known as \u2018Mr. Heritage\u201d in France, Bern\u2019s influential television programmes have spurred significant actions to protect heritage in his country. \u2018Mission Bern\u2019, a special mission entrusted to St\u00e9phane Bern (acting in a purely voluntary capacity) and initiated by the\u00a0Fondation du Patrimoine\u00a0and supported by the Ministry of Culture, also included the creation of the innovative Heritage Lottery (Loto du Patrimoine), with the\u00a0Fran\u00e7aise des Jeux\u00a0which has helped direct funding and much-needed awareness to hundreds of heritage sites in France. Yet, Bern\u2019s efforts extend beyond France, as he has raised awareness on a European and global scale through his many television programmes dedicated to European heritage. His tireless endeavours, culminating in the successful restoration of the former Royal and Military College of Thiron-Gardais, epitomise his profound impact on conserving endangered heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n
St\u00e9phane Bern\u2019s mission is characterised by his multidisciplinary efforts to raise awareness of endangered heritage across Europe. Commencing his career with television programmes focused on French heritage, he has since broadened his vision to encompass the preservation of European heritage through books and radio podcasts. His unwavering commitment has led to the establishment of the St\u00e9phane Bern Foundation for History and Heritage, affiliated with the Institut de France. Additionally, in 2022, Bern created the Association for Former Royal and Military Academies to facilitate academic exchanges between different campuses, rejuvenating their heritage and promoting their history.<\/p>\n
The Heritage Lottery was launched in 2017, after the President of the French Republic\u00a0Emmanuel Macron\u00a0entrusted St\u00e9phane Bern with a mission \u2013 implemented on a voluntary basis \u2013 to identify endangered heritage and seek new sources of funding to restore it. Thanks in particular to the attachment of the French people to their heritage, nearly 230 million euros have been allocated to support the restoration work on all the sites selected since the beginning. More than 850 sites have been assisted with their restoration work. Today, more than 500 sites have already been saved or are about to be saved.<\/p>\n
Bern\u2019s mission transcends borders, as evidenced by his dedication to promoting European heritage through television programmes such as \u201cBons baisers d\u2019Europe<\/em>\u201d and \u201cViennese Getaway<\/em>\u201d. His advocacy has garnered international attention, inspiring other European countries to contemplate adopting similar strategies for the safeguard of heritage at risk.<\/p>\n St\u00e9phane Bern\u2019s efforts have garnered recognition on both national and European platforms. He has been honoured with numerous awards, including the\u00a0European Heritage Award \/ Europa Nostra Award\u00a0in 2018, in acknowledgement of his successful endeavours to safeguard French heritage and save endangered historical monuments and sites.<\/p>\n Archilochos \u2013 Cultural Association of Paros (Greece)<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1976, Archilochos \u2013 Cultural Association of Paros has played a pivotal role in promoting local culture and conserving the unique environment of the island. Through initiatives such as the \u201cCitizens\u2019 Movement\u201d, it has actively involved the community in tackling pressing issues, ranging from healthcare improvements to environmental preservation. Despite undergoing transformations over time, Archilochos remains a significant force in shaping the cultural and environmental landscape of Paros and the Cyclades.<\/p>\n Archilochos emerged onto the European stage in the aftermath of the summer of 2023, when Paros citizens garnered support from various organisations and established the \u201cCitizens Movement\u201d to safeguard the environmental heritage of the Cyclades coastline and reclaim free beaches for the inhabitants (also called by the media the \u201cBeach towel Movement\u201d) . The movement gained traction, both nationally and internationally, inspiring similar initiatives in other regions. Archilochos has been proactive in advocating for the preservation of natural and cultural landscapes through petitions, protests, and communication campaigns. This activism led to public recognition of the issue by the Minister of the Environment and the Supreme Court (Areios Pagos) in Greece, along with the mobilisation of relevant authorities, including the Prosecutor of the Appeals Court of Syros. Demonstrating its ongoing adaptability and dedication to preserving the Cycladic character of Paros island, Archilochos continues to foster democratic decision-making and community participation.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Award\u2019s Jury\u00a0stated: \u201cArchilochos is an outstanding citizens\u2019 movement and its activities,\u00a0on the island of Paros and on a wider national scale, impressively reflect how citizens can raise their voice for the safeguarding of the environmental heritage of the Cyclades coastline.\u201d<\/p>\n Archilochos \u2013 Cultural Association of Paros commented:\u00a0\u201cIt is a great honour to receive the\u00a0 Costa Carras Silver Award. This act validates the efforts of all those citizens who fought last summer creating a pan-European movement for the protection of our coasts, public space and environment.\u00a0 This award gives us the strength and courage to continue our efforts to protect the threatened natural and cultural heritage of our land.\u201d<\/p>\nSilver Award for two outstanding NGOs from Greece and T\u00fcrkiye<\/h2>\n