The essays in this book review recent developments in cultural heritage policy and practice in South-East Europe. Since 2003, the Council of Europe–European Commission joint initiative known as the “Ljubljana Process: rehabilitating our common heritage” has set out to unlock the potential of the region’s IN SOUTH-EAST EUROPE REGENERATION THE POLITICS OF HERITAGE THE POLITICS rich immovable cultural heritage, working with national authorities to accelerate the development of democratic, peaceful and open societies, stimulate local economies OF HERITAGE REGENERATION and improve the quality of life of local communities. In 2003, the region was overcoming the effects of the traumatic IN SOUTH-EAST EUROPE transition to a market economy. Since then, it has been hit hard by the economic crisis of 2008, and more recently by an unprecedented migration crisis. Despite the challenges facing the region in the field of cultu al heritage, the present situation can be seen as an opportunity to use the lessons learned from the Ljubljana Process to avoid the traps laid by the cumulative and sometimes inconsistent heritage-protection legislation of the past 60 years, overcoming the legacy of the top-down approach that privileges the “high art” canon rather than the local heritage that refle ts the culture of everyday life and which often means more to most people. The authors suggest that selecting from innovative practice elsewhere could make heritage management smarter so that it more directly meets the needs of modern society and individual citizens. This volume refle ts the views of international experts involved in the joint initiative and complements earlier studies on the impact of the Ljubljana Process by experts from within the region (Heritage for development in South-East Europe, edited by Gojko Rikolović and Hristina Mikić, 2014) and from the London School of Economics and Political Science (The wider benefits of i vestment in cultural heritage. Case studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, edited by Will Bartlett, 2015). PREMS 158915 ENG The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation. It comprises 47 member states, 28 of which are members of the European Union. All Council of Europe member states have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The European Court of Human Rights oversees the implementation of the Convention in the member states. Council of Europe Council http://book.coe.int ISBN 978-92-871-8160-2 €24/US$48 THE POLITICS OF HERITAGE REGENERATION IN SOUTH-EAST EUROPE John Bold and Martin Cherry (eds) Council of Europe The opinions expressed in this work are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily refle t the official olicy of the Council of Europe. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic (CD-Rom, Internet, etc.) or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the Directorate of Communication (F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex or [email protected]). Cover photos: Sandro Weltin, © Council of Europe All photos copyright Council of Europe unless otherwise indicated. Layout: Jouve, Paris Council of Europe Publishing F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex http://book.coe.int ISBN 978-92-871-8160-2 © Council of Europe, March 2016 Printed at the Council of Europe Contents FOREWORD 5 INTRODUCTION 7 Martin Cherry PART ONE – BACKGROUND 15 Chapter 1.1 – The technical co-operation programme: context and evolution 17 John Bold Chapter 1.2 – Socio-economic and historical background 27 Will Bartlett Chapter 1.3 – Cultural heritage in South-East Europe 39 Martin Cherry PART TWO – PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES 49 Chapter 2.1 – The project: principles and methodology 2003-13 51 John Bold and Robert Pickard PART THREE – MAKING THE PROCESS WORK 69 Chapter 3.1 – Introducing the wider issues 71 John Bold Chapter 3.2 – Partnership and funding 83 Will Bartlett Chapter 3.3 – Policies and strategies 95 Robert Pickard Chapter 3.4 – From saving to conservation 113 David Johnson Chapter 3.5 – Realising the potential of heritage regeneration 135 Will Bartlett, Nancy McGrath and John Baguley PART FOUR – THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES 149 Chapter 4.1 – The concept of heritage 151 John Bold Chapter 4.2 – Priorities and public perceptions – The Ljubljana Process and European cultural heritage strategies for the 21st century 163 Martin Cherry ABOUT THE AUTHORS 185 ► Page 3 Foreword he way Europe’s cultural heritage is managed is important. Done well, it can help societies weather all manner of crises, rebuild trust in divided communities, stimulate local economies T and improve quality of life. This is the rationale behind the “Ljubljana Process: rehabilitating our common heritage”, a joint Council of Europe–European Commission initiative, which has been running in South-East Europe since 2003. And it is encouraging to note that recent opinion polls confi m that there is public sup- port for the use of cultural heritage in confli t resolution. This book is the third in a series of volumes about the Ljubljana Process. It provides analyses from some of the international experts involved in the project, some since its inception. It identifies prog- ress, but also acknowledges issues that still need to be resolved; some are legal and administrative, others, matters of co-ordination. From the beginning, the Ljubljana Process has aimed to go beyond administrative reform and capac- ity building, important though these are. The ultimate aim is to help the countries of South-East Europe unlock the potential of the region’s rich cultural heritage, to accelerate the development of democratic, peaceful and open societies with the active engagement of all citizens, without com- promising the special character and cultural value of the historic environment itself. The economic crisis has made heritage-led development more urgent and underlined the need to reduce the dependency of heritage protection on public funding. Today, the unprecedented migration crisis means that issues of solidarity, mutual understanding and dialogue are even more pressing. Based on the experience of those involved, this book argues that there should be a greater sharing of responsibility for the identific tion and future planning of the historic environment between public bodies, local communities, voluntary organisations and individual citizens to create a greater sense of shared ownership. I thank the many specialists who have contributed to the Ljubljana Process and, in particular, the authors of this book, whose insights will help inform our European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st Century. Snezana Samardzic-Markovic Director General Directorate General of Democracy (DG II) ► Page 5 Introduction Martin Cherry he collapse of the former communist states in South-East Europe and the wars and disrup- tion that followed presented a challenge to the Council of Europe: how best to promote its T core principles – the protection of human rights, the consolidation of democratic stability, the promotion of European cultural identity and social cohesion and the rights of all, irrespective of religion, ethnicity and nationality – in the field of cultural heritage protection? The interna- tionally funded programmes that are the subject of this book were designed initially to support those ministries and institutions in the region that were responsible for the protection of immov- able cultural heritage (buildings, monuments and sites of outstanding historic, archaeological, architectural or artistic importance) in revising legislation and developing policy to conform with international standards and good practice. Central to the brief was a commitment to the cultural heritage as being fundamental to the building of national and European identities. While it was busy winning over the hearts and minds of politicians and practitioners in the region, the Council of Europe, like other players in the heritage sector, was forced to adapt and rethink its own objectives and priorities in what was a fast-changing environment. A programme that set out at first to help build institutional capacity soon needed to address a more complex set of issues. The most compelling of these was how to exploit the potential of key monuments in the region in such a way that they would help revitalise the local economy and improve local people’s standard of living without compromising the monuments’ intrinsic cultural value; how, at a time of severe economic crisis, when traditional public resources were severely strained, to finan e the rehabilitation of these monuments from the private as well as the public sectors; and how, in countries where civil society is poorly developed, to win public support for the conservation of historic and archaeological monuments and at the same time take into account local community views of significan e in heritage policy making. ► Page 7 In 2003, the European Commission and the Council of Europe launched the Regional Programme on Cultural and Natural Heritage in South East Europe (RPSEE), a joint initiative with nine partners in South-East Europe – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”1 and Kosovo.2 With its three elements (insti- tutional capacity building, heritage rehabilitation and local development), it was