Brussels, 19/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - Thanks to the preparatory work done by the Spanish and Belgian Presidencies, the Culture Council reached political agreement, under Hungarian presidency on Thursday 19 May, on the European Heritage Label, despite a reservation from the United Kingdom which abstained in the vote. Everything was virtually tied up under the Belgian Presidency in November 2010, leaving only a few details to be sorted out. Chairwoman of the European Parliament education and culture committee Doris Pack also confirmed the Parliament's agreement on this text. Recalling that the European Heritage Label was one of the top culture objectives of the Barroso II Commission, Androulla Vassiliou, the commissioner responsible for this matter, welcomed the agreement which will not only bring Europe closer to its citizens but will also help tourism. “The agreement will guarantee the quality of this logo, and its reputation. Procedures will be simpler, clearer and more flexible”, she said. The aim of the decision is to encourage a belonging to Europe, especially among young people, said Hungarian Culture Minister Géza Szöcs. The European Heritage Label was initially an inter-governmental initiative launched in 2006 and 68 sites in 18 member states received the label under this scheme. Then, in March 2010, the Commission proposed to make it an official European Union initiative, to improve its quality and effectiveness and ensure its long-term success. The new initiative gives each member state the opportunity to pre-select two sites every two years, after which a group of independent experts will choose a maximum of one site per country to receive the European Heritage Label. (I.L./transl.rt)