Prize Speech by President Herman Count van Rompuy, Chairman of the Advisory Council, Theophano Foundation

I believe that Europa Nostra was destined to receive the Theophano Prize now that we are gathered here in the Rotunda. This building is an expression of the culture and craftsmanship of 2000 years ago and a symbol of European civilisation throughout the ages until today. The Theophano Foundation’s mission is to embody the idea of reconciliation and connection and to honour people and organisations engaged in that endeavour. They are European role models. The name Europa Nostra – our Europe – conveys not only an idea but also an emotion: it is about “our” Europe, a kind of European patriotism, a pride in our identity. In the case of Europa nostra, it is an identity as reflected in monuments, landscapes and initiatives by people who are committed to our culture. It is about connecting generations, connecting people who lived and live on our continent by passing on our heritage as a legacy to future generations. In that sense, we are part of a whole. Each generation is unique, and yet we recognise that we are part of and serve something that transcends us as individuals and as peoples.

Ultimately, the essence of our European culture revolves around humanity, or as the Roman playwright Terentius once put it, “I am human, and nothing human is alien to me”. It is an ideal: this is how we want to be, even though we have often failed in our history. But that too is human. Nevertheless, we must continue to cherish that great ideal. That is the core of Europa Nostra’s message.

Culture is ultimately about values, but it is also about beauty, how that humanity is translated into art and craft. We are moved and inspired by buildings, churches, stories, music, paintings and sculptures that express how people are and how we hope they will be.

Some will say that there is not one European culture but many cultures. Of course there is diversity, but there is also unity. It is precisely the value of each unique human person that is the binding force. A person is much more than an individual. A person does not live alone, but with and for others. Christianity and the Enlightenment find common ground here. The inspiration is different, but the goal is the same.

The Theophano Prize is a special prize. It aims to be a prize with a mission to celebrate people and organisations that bring more humanity and cooperation to Europe and mankind in a world in turmoil. Europa Nostra fits perfectly into our mission statement.

The world we live in is marked by oppositions that are quickly seen as irreconcilable and insurmountable, while society needs cooperation, bridge-building and reconciliation among people, generations, countries, philosophies and religions. In short, there is a need for positive values full of humanity. It is also the only way to give hope. We must remember this in a world and in a Europe where there is much fear and despair. The Theophano Prize aims to honour precisely those people and organisations that embody this hope.

The name of the prize refers to Empress Theophano, who a thousand years ago, as a princess from the Eastern Roman Empire, married the future emperor of the Western European Empire. At the time, this was an incredibly courageous act of reconciliation, bridging cultural differences. After her husband’s death, this Byzantine princess ruled for several years over what we would today call Germany. The prize named after her has honoured, in succession, the European Commission’s Erasmus programme, which enabled 15 million young Europeans to study in a country other than their own so that they could become real Europeans; the Turkish-German couple Sahin-Türeci who developed the most successful COVID vaccine, saving millions of lives; David Barenboim’s Jewish-Palestinian orchestra, the UN when it was able to transport grain to poor countries at the start of the war in Ukraine; Special Olympics, which enabled people with mental disabilities worldwide to participate in sports and develop their own talents, and Europa Nostra, which cares for our heritage and makes us proud to be Europeans.

We all need a “place” where we feel at home and at the same time we need a “space” to give us a broader perspective. Europe is that space. The combination of both gives the feeling that we are together in the same boat.

Europa Nostra is a pan-European organisation which brings together civil society organisations active in all countries of the Council of Europe – its membership and outreach are therefore broader than the present day EU. However, it can count on the active support of the European Commission and other EU-related institutions. It relies heavily on private initiatives and countless volunteers. Europa Nostra is an umbrella organisation with a dynamic base. Its members in the fifty countries share the same drive and the same values. Here, too, there is unity in diversity. Europa Nostra has been created in 1963, which is very young compared to the heritage it promotes and protects. Anyone who consults its publications will see that it also takes monuments under its protection that do not yet have the recognition they deserve, especially those located in small countries and remote areas.

Europa Nostra itself presents awards, but today it is their turn to be honoured, along with all those who make Europa Nostra what it is today. It does not want to be a museum catalogue. It wants to connect the old with the new. Nova et vetera. Tomorrow’s heritage is being created today. Without today’s initiatives, there will be no heritage tomorrow. Europa Nostra does not need the Theophano Prize to establish its reputation. The Theophano Foundation needs Europa Nostra to enhance its reputation and prestige.

The leaders and supporters of Europa Nostra should feel at home in this Rotunda, in this city so deeply marked by tragedy and glory. Located on the geographical periphery of Europe but situated at the heart of European culture.

We want to make Europe great, not by making  others small, but by trying to show and to be the best version of ourselves. We are gathering here for the sixth time to celebrate à Prize winner. We can do this even though not far from here wars are being waged where humanity and compassion are far away. The European Union has brought peace to at least 450 million people. Only in peace can monuments, landscapes and human creations of all kinds be preserved and promoted. In wars, people and monuments are destroyed. Let us do everything we can to preserve and promote peace in justice and freedom. Peace is our greatest monument. The Theophano Foundation has no other goal or ideal.