All Member States are expected to be represented at the meeting on Friday, 3 May, that France has organised in support of endangered culture, and nearly 80% are expected to be represented at the ministerial level, a French source confirmed to EUROPE on the eve of the event (see EUROPE 12240/17).
This gathering, convened following the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, should culminate in a joint declaration.
“The objective is to bring the European spirit to life”, explained Secretary of State for European Affairs Amélie de Montchalin on France Info on Tuesday, 30 April. “We are meeting our counterparts to discuss not only Notre-Dame—because there may be expertise to be found elsewhere in Europe—but above all this heritage that, across the European continent, is an essential part of our identity”, she continued, referring in turn to “Pompeii, the Greek temples, places where Europeans know that there is a part of themselves there”.
The meeting will start with topical sessions: one with the Ministers of Culture and the other with the Ministers of European Affairs. A plenary session will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Louvre Museum, during which the competent European Commissioner, Tibor Navracsics, and representatives from UNESCO and the Council of Europe are expected to take the floor.
In an interview with EUROPE that was published on Tuesday, the commissioner supported the French initiative (see EUROPE 12245/12). (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)