Seminar “Legislative Reform in the Field of Cultural Heritage in South East Europe”

Sofia, 7-9 October 2004

The Seminar was organized by the Council of Europe, DG IV – Directorate of Culture, and Cultural and Natural Heritage within the Regional Programme for Culture and Natural Heritage in South East Europe (component A of the programme - Drawing up of the Legislative and Institutional Framework for Protection of Heritage). Regional Programme includes the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The seminar was not attended by the representatives of Croatia.

In accordance with the Commission’s resolution adopted at the fifteenth session, the members of the Commission to participate in the Seminar were: Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Programme Coordinator, Dubravko Lovrenović, Project Coordinator for Component A, and Branka Mekić, Bachelor of Iuris. 

The Seminar was officially opened and the present were addressed by: Deiana Danailova, Programme Coordinator, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria; Mikhaël de Thyse, Directorate of Culture, and Cultural and Natural Heritage within the Council of Europe, and  Bojidar Abrashev, Minister of Culture of Bulgaria.

Following the opening of the Seminar, the present were addressed by the representatives of all participating states: Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Programme Coordinator from Bosnia and Herzegovina gave presentation with the subject: “Condition of the Heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Legislative and Institutional Framework” .

Agenda of the Seminar included eight themes:

1.      Purpose of the Law, harmonization of terms, categorization of the protected items and link to inventories/registers;

2.      Integrated Conservation Systems; 

3.      Institutional reform and the new role of the private sector (owners and entrepreneurs) and their professional advisers;

4.      Financial and other incentives and sanctions and coercive measures;

5.      The living heritage: a sustainable approach;

6.      Classification of museums and the status (condition) of museum collections;

7.      Circulation and restitution of cultural goods;

8.      Archaeological sites and research.

The themes were presented by the representatives of the Expert Group of the Council of Europe: Rob Pickard, Myriam Goblet, Pierre-Laurent Frier and Carsten Lund, and Project Coordinators of all individual states. Within the theme no. 3, Dubravko Lovrenović gave his presentation, with the subject: «Institutional reform and the new role of the private sector (owners and entrepreneurs) and their professional advisers in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

Within the Seminar, Amra Hadžimuhamedović had a meeting with Mikhaël de Thyse, Director of DG IV. On that occasion, Mr. de Thyse was handed over the project (Commission’s Decisions and technical documentation) of the historical area of Kreševo, representing a proposal for pilot-project of the Council of Europe within the component C of the Regional programme – Local Development. Project includes urban area of Kreševo, architectural ensemble of the Franciscan monastery and the Old Town of Kreševo. Ms. Hadžimuhamedović arranged a visit of the legal expert in the Council of Europe, Mr. Rob Pickard to the Commission, as a support in drawing up of the draft text of the Law on Cultural Heritage of B&H, from 10-12 November 2004, as well as the visit of Mikhaël de Thyse, from 9-11 November 2004.

At the closing of the seminar, the representatives of the Council of Europe asked all participating states to submit comments on presentations displayed at the Seminar, for each individual theme, by 27 October 2004 to the latest.

The Seminar enabled realization of useful exchange of experience, presentation of the current condition and putting light to various problems in the field of protection of the cultural heritage in the countries of South East Europe. Each of the above nominated themes is important as to be a theme of a Seminar. The presentations of the participants to the seminar – the representatives of each country showed that there are considerable diversities in business, economical, political, educational and other types of development of countries of South East Europe, and that the field of the cultural heritage should be considered in the context of general social and economical condition and circumstances of each of the countries. Therefore, the Council of Europe requires special and adequate approach in implementation of legislative reform in the field of protection of the cultural heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was emphasized by Dubravko Lovrenović, in his final addressing to the participants of the Seminar.