Honoured dignitaries in the photo above in order of appearance (from left to right, starting from the front row): Dr. Lina Mendoni, Minister of Culture of Greece; Ms. Heidy Purga, Minister of Culture of Estonia; Ms. Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice-President; Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus; Ms. Vaida Aleknavičienė, Minister of Culture of Lithuania; Ms. Agnese Lāce, Minister of Culture of Latvia; Mr. Ernest Urtasun Domènech, Minister of Culture of Spain; Mr. Harry Verwayen, General Director of the Europeana Foundation; Ms. Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Minister of Culture and Media of Croatia.
The high-level political closing event was organised by the Europeana Initiative and the European Commission, under the auspices of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU. As such, it was proudly hosted by the European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, and the Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus, Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou. It brought together seven EU ministers in charge of culture and other high-level representatives of EU institutions, as well as European and national policymakers and a select group of 3D experts and innovators. The closing celebrated the campaign’s success and unveiled the rich and diverse collection of more than 50 cultural heritage assets submitted by Member States, together with their ambitious visions for reuse.
The Twin it! Part II campaign
Building on the success of Twin it! 3D for Europe’s culture , which took place from 2023 to 2024, Twin it! Part II is further supporting Member States in their 3D digitisation and preservation efforts, now with a clear focus on the intended use of the digitised assets.
In Twin it! Part II, EU Ministries of Culture have been invited to submit at least one high-quality 3D-digitised heritage asset to the data space, with clear reuse intent or real world application in mind. The goal is to collect and showcase unique 3D samples of Europe’s cultural heritage, highlighting how Member States aim to make practical use of their digitised assets. By placing a greater emphasis on the cross-sector reuse of 3D heritage data, Twin it! Part II aligns closely with the objectives of the data space for cultural heritage Strategy 2025-2030 .
After months of dedicated work from Member States, cultural heritage institutions, aggregators, technological partners and colleagues across the Europeana ecosystem, we were delighted to present the results of the year-long campaign: a rich and diverse collection of more than 50 cultural heritage assets digitised in 3D across Europe. These were unveiled at the Twin it! Part II high-level political closing under the Cypriot Presidency, the first in a series of three events that will mark the Grand Final of the campaign.
High-level political opening
The event was opened by Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen as proud co-host. In her opening remarks, she expressed her appreciation for the remarkable efforts of Member States and emphasised that ‘the best way of preserving culture is by using it, reusing it widely and fairly, showcasing it and creating value’. She also noted that preserving culture is a matter of technological sovereignty, and that ‘the data space is already setting an example, a benchmark for a high-quality, fully European service.”
Following Henna Virkkunen’s address, Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus, delivered a powerful speech on behalf of the Cypriot Presidency. She presented one of Cyprus’s multiple submissions to the Twin it! Part II campaign: the Agios Neophytos Monastery - one of the best-known monasteries in Cyprus. She also applauded Europeana’s work as it ‘embodies the continued efforts of the European Commission and the Member States to democratise access to cultural heritage data’. She noted that initiatives like Twin it! are great examples of how Member States can work together towards this goal.
Ministers share their Twin it! Part II stories
We were honoured that the high-level event brought together seven EU ministers responsible for culture, who presented their countries’ submissions to the campaign and shared their visions for the reuse of the 3D models. This included Heidy Purga, Minister of Culture of Estonia, Dr. Lina Mendoni, Minister of Culture of Greece, Ernest Urtasun Domènech, Minister of Culture of Spain, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Minister of Culture and Media of Croatia, Agnese Lāce, Minister of Culture of Latvia and Vaida Aleknavičienė, Minister of Culture of Lithuania.
In addition, Anastasia Bondar, Deputy Minister of Culture for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalisation of Ukraine, submitted a powerful video-message, highlighting Ukraine’s participation in the campaign as a guest country.
Unveiling the Twin it! Part II collection
Harry Verwayen, General Director of the Europeana Foundation, unveiled the collection of 3D models submitted to the campaign by Member States, through a compelling immersive experience developed by our partners at Artetra . Through an engaging tour across Europe, he explored the Twin it! Part II collection, which ranges from underwater heritage to movable objects, massive rocks, sculptures and buildings. These 3D models will be used in a wide variety of ways - from supporting education to preservation efforts, and from research to the fashion and video games industries, among others.
What’s next?
This political event will be followed by a Twin it! Part II Policy Roundtable on the intersection of 3D and Artificial Intelligence, taking place on 26 May 2026 in Limassol as part of the Digital Heritage Summit 2026 , hosted by the Cyprus University of Technology, UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage. The discussion will explore how advanced 3D digitisation can contribute to the EU’s policy priorities, notably the Apply AI Strategy.
The campaign will conclude with Hackit!4EU , a dedicated hackathon taking place from 27 to 28 May 2026 in Limassol, also hosted by the Cyprus University of Technology, UNESCO Chair on Digital Cultural Heritage as part of the Digital Heritage Summit 2026. In line with the campaign’s focus on reuse, the event will bring together creatives, developers, students, educators, researchers, and cultural heritage and tourism professionals to explore innovative and imaginative ways to reuse the collected 3D assets.
Stay tuned for more
Keep an eye on our channels as we share stories from individual Member States, showcasing the 3D assets they have selected and their visions for reuse. We will also soon release the Twin it! Part II collection and public exhibition: an immersive virtual space developed by Artetra, a European software company offering new ways to engage with Europeana content through immersive, spatial environments. Stay tuned for its release and to explore the experience!
We also invite you to explore the 3D assets already shared through the Twin it! Part I campaign, and relive the event through our flickr album below!
