On the invitation of Mr Karim Van Overmeire, Alderman of the City of Aalst, Member of the Flemish Parliament, the European Alliance Group of the European Committee of the Regions held its extraordinary meeting and a seminar on 'Fostering and Promoting the Cultural and Linguistic Heritage of Europe' in Aalst (Flanders).
A vibrant debate was held with regional representatives from across Europe on cultural heritage as a very broad concept which does not include only tangible artefacts but a wide range of shared values, beliefs, lifestyles and practices which strongly influence our perceptions and our daily lives. Amongst the guest speakers was Mr Marc Demesmaeker, Member of the European Parliament and Professor Matthias Storme.
Host for the meeting, Mr Karim Van Overmeire (1st Vice President of the EA group), said he was honoured that Members of the Committee of the Regions visited the historical city of Aalst. He said that it was imperative that the EU promotes and preserves Europe's Culture Language and Heritage. It is important to note that fostering national and regional cultures and languages is a decisive factor for successful integration and participation of citizens in daily life. Mr Van Overmeire added: our cultural heritage is essential to contribute to social cohesion, and we see our European cultural heritage as a strong factor in European understanding.
A Member of the European Parliament since 2013 Mr Marc Demesmaeker seeks European support and recognition for peoples and regions all over the world and defends the right to self-determination. Demesmaeker cherishes the European principle of "united in diversity" and defends the rights of languages which have not yet achieved full official EU status and recognition, languages such as Catalan, Basque and Welsh.
Mr Stanislaw Szwabski, EA President added: "Our Group will continue to work to support national and regional identities assuring that the respect of cultural and linguistic heritage is one of the basic principles underlying the process of European integration which is not about levelling out differences or creating uniform identities but fostering greater cooperation and understanding among the peoples of Europe."
Press Coverage
