Prospective
studies
To get
conclusions about each Prospective Study click at appropriate figure
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PS1 |
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PS3 |
General conclusions
derived from the Concerted Action
1. For Euro-Mediterranean co-operation
North-South
The N-S co-operation in the matter of Cultural Heritage
was initiated at the end of the IV Framework Program and has been continued
during the V Framework Program as the relations of the common interest and
mutual benefit. It permits the interchange of knowledge, working methodology
and experiences between the two blocks. At the same way the working prospects
of exceptional places from the historical, architectonic and artistic point of
view were opened to the EU Member States. The transference of experiences from
the EU to the countries of Southern Mediterranean enabled for these countries
to exploit a more rapid advance in the conservation and valorization of their
Cultural Heritage in an efficient form, which is in some case totally forgotten
or – as the worst case – spoiled.
South-South
The co-operation between the scientific
institutions: universities, investigation centers and the official agencies
that take care to the safeguard of the Cultural Heritage of the Southern
Mediterranean, is generally very limited. Initiatives like INCO-MED create the
opportunity for joint work of groups from various countries with very common
cultural basis in topics which are encountered in their cultural identity. The
mutual progressive knowledge of their scientists and institutions should serve
for reinforcing this co-operation.
North-North
If there exists a large experience of
co-operation among the groups from EU countries with a good human capital and
enough material means, their co-operation within the international
extracommunity framework permits an approach, which could not be possible
within other types of more restrictive international relations. More precisely,
for EU Mediterranean Member States starting from Portugal to Greece, working in
a co-ordinated form with an added value of the projection towards the south is
of capital importance, both from the historical point of view (presence of the
Islamic Cultural Heritage in Spain, Portugal and Greece) and the economical and
cultural presence of France, Italy, Spain … in many countries of the zone.
2. For Science and Technology
Role and importance of the Science &Technology for
the preservation of Cultural Heritage
During many years the study of Cultural
Heritage has been based on historical, artistic and architectonic view. This
was a cultural- type methodology of study. It is evident that only an
additional contribution of science and technology can lead to a qualitative
jump that leads us to the conservation and evaluation of the heritage.
Knowledge the materials, their physical and chemical proprieties, their
alterations, processes of alteration, environmental factors that cause these
alterations … is indispensable to obtain an exact insight to the conservation
status of a cultural estate, movable or immovable. On the other hand, its
rehabilitation requires the competition of other fields of S&T, like new
materials or new technologies. Namely, it is not only enough to restore a
cultural estate; one should be sure that this rehabilitation will last during
the time and that will not negatively affect the proper integrity of the
restored object. Therefore, the factor of S&T permits us to carry out a
rigorous time continuation of whatever restoring process.
Methodology
of the work plan of any intervention
Establishing of a working methodology is
essential for beginning of any study. Each artistic or cultural object has its
own identity and is situated in an environmental and socio-economical ambience.
In this context, before starting a restoration process, it should be
established the working methodology to the conditions and particular
necessities of the places and monuments situated in countries on the southern
shore of the Mediterranean, or on any other geographic site.
Opening
to the new technologies
The new technologies can be useful in both
phases: study and following. Nevertheless, one should be careful in their use.
Their use should be the consequence of a very studied working methodology,
adapted to each case. Having in mind their advantages, they should be
introduced only if it is demanded by the implementation of the works, above
all, non-destructive technologies, which permit us to have an exact idea of the
evolution of an object after being submitted to the restoration process.
Considering the diffusion of knowledge, new
advanced technologies represent an essential role for Information Society. Each
project should keep this in mind in order to achieve the most possible large
dissemination and to contribute to the formation of local population.
3. Socio-economic aspects
Employment
In the Mediterranean area, especially on its
southern shore, a process of rehabilitation supposes much craftwork, which is
good in it, but not sufficient. The SME-s of the sector should procure
scientific and technical knowledge that enables the implementation of rehabilitation
by qualified personnel or obtain the collaboration culture between universities
and enterprises. On the other hand, the tourist industry, which is in expansion
in all countries, should obtain necessary knowledge in order to give exact,
although superficial, information of the outstanding characteristics of a site,
monument or object. All this will be achieved by correct and efficient
diffusion of knowledge and education. On the same way, museums, archaeological
sites, monuments … should be capable to transmit to public exact explications,
based on scientific cognition that should be real, simple, sufficient and close
to the visitors. Therefore, new professions based on multidisciplinary and
interdisciplinary knowledge can be created and they could influence in an
effective form to the creation of new employment of the sector of construction,
tourism, museums, expositions or cultural foundations.
Training
This theme is directly bound with the
employment and with the mean cultural level of local population. Without the
transmission of knowledge, at a level appropriate to any specific circumstance,
it is not possible to sensitize the population to its heritage and make aware
the local society to the importance of the conservation in order to leave it to
the new generations. The cultural goods of a nation are the heritage and they
are of the same importance as the natural resources, industrial capacity and
efficiency of it services. In EU the great countries receptors of tourists
(Spain, France, Italy, Greece …) are not only those that possess climates,
coasts and beaches of high quality. They also possess the first-class artistic
heritage. Besides, they have been capacious to understand the importance of
their heritage as a factor of development by attracting many tourists that are
additionally interested for the culture. This is possible only with a
collaboration of educated local population, informed and instructed, with local
associations and national authorities sensible to the problematic. They have created
precise legislations, established public help for the sector and – at the end –
they have managers that are disposed to invest in the sector. Evidently,
education played an essential role in achieving these goals. This education, in
its various levels, is something that should be present in any co-operation
program. In the case of EC programs it should be on the university and
professional level. In this context the Information Society (INFOSOC) has a
first-class importance at each educative level (schools and universities), as
well as among professional sectors.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
The factor of time, environmental conditions
and socio-economical factors cause that cultural goods are submitted to an
inexorable process of degradation from the moment when they are finished. After
less of more time the subject of rehabilitation will be unavoidably met. In the
process of rehabilitation the monument should accept the aspect and
characteristics proper to the moment when they were conceived and constructed.
In the case of cultural heritage this process is generally carried out with
worker teams of SME-s. Therefore these SME-s need a high technical level of
knowledge, which are based on scientific and - of course - historic and
artistic knowledge. Without them the rehabilitation is condemned to failure,
which means that the good, after the process, will be in a worst condition than
before.
The topic of SME-s is intimately bound with
education and to the collaboration between University and Enterprises-Industry.
Only specialized SME-s, with tested technical capacities, are capable to
contribute to the solution valid within the time, although the costs of
intervention could be logically higher. It is always better not to intervene as
to carry out a bad intervention. A stronger emphasis to training of these
sectorial SME-s should be made.
Science and Technology Transfer
The transfer of technology is important within
the context of the N-S co-operation. The collaboration between the institutions
from the both sides of the Mediterranean implies to carry out joint scientific
investigation with additional employment of advanced technology in many cases.
Training of academicals in new techniques, which is generally performed in the
institutions of EU, permits the incorporation of these techniques and
associated technologies in Third Countries. On the other hand, the cost-benefit
ratio between high and traditional technologies is something necessary and
useful. New technologies are not always necessary for rehabilitation of
monuments, but are more useful in diagnostics and following of the processes of
restoration of a cultural good. An added value of the program INCO-MED, related
to the Cultural Heritage, is exactly this aspect between the comparison of both
types of technologies and adaptation of physical setting of the monuments.
4. Common creation of new inputs (North -
South co-operation)
From everything explained in previous sections
we can conclude the following: besides the benefit which gives the co-operation
in Cultural Heritage through the INCO-MED program to our partners from the
Southern Mediterranean, the benefits and advantages for the European Union are
also enormous, both from the point of view of Science and Technology as for
Enterprises and Industry of Member States. In reality, and in a global form,
these advantages are larger for EU than for Third Countries of the
Mediterranean.
The availability of exact data about the places
with monuments of the first-class artistic and cultural significance, which
need to attract capital in order to start the processes of rehabilitation
and/or conservation, as well as for the improvement of the environment and
socio-economic conditions of their surroundings, requires much effort and
mobilization of resources, which is possible only through the partnership
EU-Third Countries. Industrial and business sectors of EU should be prepared to
play a relevant role in these efforts. Moreover, we should take into
consideration that the political situation in this zone is in favor of EU.
Almost all countries of the Southern
Mediterranean are receptors of tourism, mainly European. They will be obliged
to make considerable efforts if they want to maintain the important share of
current sustainable growth during a sufficiently large period of time (e.g.
within the next 20 years).
Entering of foreign capital will relieve these
efforts, due to their limiting GNP-s and slight per capita incomes. Creation of
instantaneous possibilities and real opportunities for investment of the Member
States of EU in this zone is possible either through direct investment or
through forming of mixed enterprises.
It is clear that the Cultural Heritage — and particularly Monumental Heritage
– is directly involved in this promotion of tourism, which is a very important
source of incomes for some of these countries, particularly Morocco, Tunisia
and Egypt. The opening of new centers of cultural interest to tourism, or
renovation of others, always attracts to so-called cultural tourism, which
leaves more money into the sector.
That is why through Cultural Heritage the new
"inputs" are opened in an enormous wide sense for the North-South
co-operation. Within the range of new possibilities we have in the first place
the proper Science and Technology, but also various levels of education,
specialization of SME-s, creation of new professions, etc. This should be taken
into consideration in the next program of INCO-MED, because the Scientific-Technical
co-operation is a very important instrument within the economic co-operation.
Therefore, INCO, according to our opinion, should make an effort of imagination
in order to give the answers to the necessities of the Third Countries, but
also – in a very special form – to give opportunities to the business sectors
of the EU that are confronted to a market in economic and demographic
expansion, situated only some hundreds kilometers far from their Southern
shores. These markets are potential receptors, mostly of capital and know-how
proceeding from the Union. (see point 3.5 on page 13).
For INCO, which is now in
this phase in transition from V to VI Framework Program, there is the right
moment to give answers to the State of the Necessities of Third Countries and
to facilitate the scientific-commercial opportunities of EU through the
creation of new inputs.
In this sense it should be advisable to carry
out a reflection on the paper of the Cultural Heritage within the VI FWP and
its adaptation to the real necessities of EU and Third Countries of the
Mediterranean. This new Cultural Heritage should be understood in the first
place as the proper motor of the system of Science and Technology, but also –
in the second place – as the moving force of the system University – Industry,
i.e. the association of Science and Technology with the enterprise and with the
business investment.
Perhaps, an Accompanying Measure could be a
good initiative for this reflection, in order to expand economic co-operation
by means of Science and Technology through the Common Creation of New Inputs.
Final conclusions
1.
Provided
that the major part of cultural base of the European Union takes roots in all
successive cultures which have been developed in the Mediterranean during the
centuries and therefore form part of intrinsic of the personality of the
nations of EU, the existence of a program that permits the development of
scientific and technological co-operation in the field of Cultural Heritage is
something of the primary importance, not only for the Science and Technology, but also for the mutual Knowledge of the nations;
2.
Within
the range of new possibilities: "Common
Creation of New Inputs", we have in the first place the proper Science
and Technology, but also various levels of education, specialization of SME-s,
creation of new professions, etc. Therefore, INCO, according to our opinion,
should make an effort of imagination in order to give the answers to the
necessities of the Third Countries, but also – in a very special form – to give
opportunities to the business sectors of the EU that are confronted to a market
in economic and demographic expansion, situated only some hundreds kilometers
far from their Southern shores. These markets are potential receptors, mostly
of capital and know-how proceeding from the Union.
3.
The Education and Training is an essential
part of any program of co-operation, because without it there is not possible
to involve the maintaining and conservation of Cultural Heritage to the society
and administration;
4. Elevation of technical level of SME-s is also a part of working plan of
any program. The EU programs should consider this point as the source for
creation of employment and increase of welfare of local populations.