The Riigikogu supports cooperation of Member States to preserve digital cultural heritage

Chairman of the Committee Peeter Tali pointed out that one of the lessons of the war Russia waged in Ukraine was that in particular the Kremlin wanted to destroy cultural heritage and historical memory in order to deprive the Ukrainian people of their identity.

“If heritage were to be destroyed in one country, it is very important that digital cultural heritage can be copied and preserved outside the country. In that way, it will be possible to restore this heritage later,” Tali said. “As the preservation and protection of heritage is important for all Member States, it makes sense to develop a common solution that is also more cost-effective and sustainable.”

It was decided at the sitting that our duty was to ensure cultural historical continuity. Therefore, it is important for Estonia that the European Commission develops a common solution for the cross-border preservation of digital heritage within the European Union and within the EU financial framework, so that the most valuable part of Europe’s digital heritage and the information systems related to it could be preserved for centuries.

Before a solution that covers the whole Europe could be developed, it is necessary to ensure that systems are able to exchange data between themselves. It is essential that national systems for preservation of digital heritage could operate together so that it would be possible to exchange data very quickly and at the same time securely in a crisis.

Estonia also considers it necessary that the European Commission forms an expert group consisting of representatives of Member States to formulate a solution, and ensures the transparency and consistency of its activities, as well as the resources necessary for its work, in order to first create a standard according to which it would be possible to start working. Estonia would like the European Commission to carry out a pilot project to test the model in different cultural contexts and make sure it works before offering it to all.

A trans-European preservation service must ensure the sustainable long-term preservation of unique digital heritage and related information systems, and the capacity to launch priority services relating to digital heritage beyond national borders. The aim is to have high-quality copies of digital heritage in a ‘digital embassy of heritage’.

The preparations have been ongoing for a couple of years and it is expected that the model could be implemented in 2028.

Minister of Culture Heidy Purga, and Adviser on Digital Heritage Kristiin Meos and European Union Affairs Adviser Kadri Jauram from the Ministry of Culture gave an overview of the Government’s positions on the preservation of digital cultural heritage at the sitting of the European Union Affairs Committee. The Committee decided to approve the positions in line with the opinion of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Riigikogu supports cooperation of Member States to preserve digital cultural heritage

Source: Parliament of Estonia