The Open Heritage Statement is a global call to action developed by more than 60 organisations across 25 countries in the Open Heritage Coalition (previously known as TAROCH initiative, of which the Europeana Initiative has been a member since March 2025). The Statement crystallises years of dialogue, experimentation and cross-border collaboration into a unified vision for equitable access to heritage in the public domain. This work has been initiated and is coordinated by our trusted partner Creative Commons.

The Statement highlights barriers that keep heritage locked away, affirms openness as a guiding principle and invites governments, organisations, and institutions to sign the Statement and adhere to a global policy that safeguards the public domain and the value it brings to society. The Open Heritage Coalition is actively engaging with Member State representatives at UNESCO to foster adoption of such principles by that organisation.

The Europeana Initiative is delighted to join a large number of like-minded organisations that have signed the Statement. This work is closely linked to our mission to make it easier for people to use digital cultural heritage, and to the principles of the ‘Cultural Commons’ and digital cultural heritage as a public good we defend.

The Statement advocates for equitable access to public domain cultural heritage in the digital environment and acts as a reminder of the important role that the public domain plays for fundamental freedoms of opinion, expression and information. As such, it is highly relevant to the data space aims of expanding cultural participation, further democratising access to culture and promoting openness. It is also fully aligned with our Public Domain Charter and policy positions defending an open, knowledgeable and creative society.

Find out more

Read the statement in full.

If you support the principles defended by the Open Heritage Statement, we encourage you to sign it via this page . You can also support advocacy efforts to encourage UNESCO to adopt the statement by engaging with your local representatives.

If you would like to be the first to hear news about the public domain and related developments in Europe, we also invite you to join the Europeana Network Association Copyright Community and continue the conversations!