#4 Policy Recommendation Area
Make the heritage sector a pillar of the European digital public space
4.2 Foster development of the common European data space for cultural heritage
Target Stakeholders
Policy makers at the EU and national level
Cultural Heritage Institutions
Recommendation
The common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage will be one of many data spaces developed in the coming years in Europe. This space has the capacity to serve as a European ecosystem that supports the mission of public institutions but also allows civic and commercial actors to become more active in this space.
The design and development of this space can take place on the basis of data-sharing infrastructures and relevant frameworks and standards for the sector developed, among others, by Europeana. Cultural heritage institutions should have the ambition of establishing best practices for making heritage data and content interoperable, leading to greater reuse and allowing true participation.
The experience of developing a common data space for cultural heritage should be the first phase in the development of the broader digital public space (mapping stakeholders, levels of participation and shared values). Both spaces must rely on democratic values and be driven by the public mission of their creators. They should also be aimed at empowering society at large, providing them with spaces that encourage inclusivity, dialogue, and the exchange of knowledge. Starting with heritage data, considered as a public asset, we can build further spaces and forms of engagement.