Monitoring

The Panel of the European Heritage Label monitors the labelled sites on a regular basis in cooperation with participating EU countries. 

The purpose of the monitoring is to ensure that labelled sites continue to meet the criteria for the attribution of the Label.

The European Heritage Label Panel is composed by independent experts.

Monitoring takes place every 4 year in accordance with the calendar set out in the Annex of the Decision No 1194/2011/EU establishing the action. The next monitoring of the European Heritage Label sites takes place in 2024.

Takeaways from the 2020 Monitoring Report

In 2020, the European panel carried out the second monitoring of the European Heritage Label sites and endorsed the following key conclusions and recommendations:

All sites meet the initial selection criteria

The panel has concluded that all 38 sites monitored in 2020 continue to meet the criteria for the award of the European Heritage Label. This is thanks to their activities to strengthen European citizens’ sense of belonging to the Union, in particular that of young people, and to build intercultural dialogue.

From 4 to 48 labelled sites

Since the first selection in 2013, the number of European Heritage Label sites has grown from 4 sites in 5 countries up to 48 sites in 25 EU countries . During the period between 2013 to 2020 there have been an increasing number of fruitful collaborations between European Heritage Label sites as well as with other partners, including educational institutions.

A flexible action that facilitates cooperation

The monitoring report emphasized that the European Heritage Label provides opportunities for collaboration between sites that generated many local initiatives.

Selected sites need more support to increase their recognition

Ultimately, the European panel recommended that the European Commission gives more support to the European Heritage Label sites and Network in order to reach an even higher level of integration and increased international recognition.

Find the 2020 and previous monitoring reports of the European Heritage Label at the end of this page.

Evaluation

An expert committee (different from the Panel of the European Heritage Label) evaluates the European Heritage Label every 6 years. The next evaluation of the European Heritage Label sites takes place in 2024.

Takeaways from the 2018 Evaluation Report

An expert committee carried out the first evaluation of the European Heritage Label action in 2018 to see the progress from 2011 to 2017.

The expert committee looked at the 

• relevance
• coherence
• efficiency
• governance
• effectiveness
• EU added value

of the European Heritage Label.

Their report found that the main objectives of the action are highly relevant to the current needs to the EU: to strengthen the sense of belonging of people to the European Union and to foster intercultural dialogue.

The report recommends that the action should be widened by improving the sites’ narratives, helping these to work closer together, and contributing to their development.