The European commission launches a consultation on the future European Heritage Label.
 
The European heritage label was launched in 2007 by various European countries as an intergovernmental initiative. The thinking behind the label was to increase EU citizens' feeling of belonging to a shared European identity and a common cultural space.
 
60 sites in 18 European countries have obtained the label thus far. 17 of those countries are EU members.
 
On 20 November 2008, the EU Council Union called on the Commission to draft a proposal to transform the European heritage label into an official EU initiative. This would make the label more visible and effective.
The Commission has launched an impact study – including a public consultation – to assess whether the EU should get involved and whether it can add something to the European heritage label.
If the answer is yes, the impact study will be used to decide what form EU involvement should take.