“I believe that developing a sense of European identity enriches and strengthens our local, regional, and national identity and heritage, as you become part of a community of 500 million citizens who have such rich histories and interwoven cultures.” — Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, 2017
1. The European Paradox: Unity Through Difference
“United in diversity” is not just a motto — it is an accurate description of how European integration actually works. Not only do the twenty-seven EU Member States organise themselves around their uniqueness, but within each country one can easily identify numerous regional and local communities, jealously preserving their habits, traditions, customs, and festivities.
T.S. Eliot, reflecting on the evolution of poetry in Europe, acknowledged that “no one nation, no one language, would have achieved what it has, if the same art had not been cultivated in neighbouring countries and in different languages.” (Notes Towards the Definition of Culture, 1948) This is no less relevant for any other dimension of culture.
A brief look at traditions celebrated across Europe reveals something striking: the Carnaval, the mask parades, the departure of winter and the longing for spring — each one unique, and yet each following a shared perception of the world, shaped by common religious experience, climate conditions, and the change of seasons. Each unique. Each European.
Key insight: ICH is the place where local distinctiveness and European commonality meet. It is precisely because each tradition is authentically local that it can become genuinely European.
2. ICH and Social Identity: Why It Matters for Integration
The preservation of ICH provides the necessary background for nurturing the senses of belonging and uniqueness that determine individual and social identity. Only when these fundamental principles are secured can the sense of openness and inclusion unfold its integrating capacity.
The main advantages ICH brings to EU integration:
Dimension
How ICH contributes
Cultural cohesion and identity
Shared traditions cut across borders and make people part of a broader European community.
Mutual understanding
Cross-border festivals, exchanges, and collaborative research reduce misunderstandings between cultures.
Economic opportunities
Cultural tourism and ICH-based industries create jobs and regional development.
EU policy alignment
ICH reinforces goals in education, sustainability, social cohesion, and regional development.
Social coherence
ICH crosses cultural divides — bonding urban and rural, youth and elders, majority and minority communities.
The traditional music and dance or the Mediterranean Diet represent traditions that cut across borders. The preservation of ICH enriches national narratives which are often preceded by local and regional customs and habits. A closer look at unique traditions reveals cultural connections and exchange far beyond current state borders.
3. Cross-Border ICH: Reducing Tensions, Building Bridges
Collaborative cross-border ventures — exhibitions, research projects, joint inscriptions on UNESCO lists — highlight the interrelatedness of European cultures. The transmission of common elements of ICH by several countries or communities is a reservoir of new information on interrelations of cultures in the past and on humanity’s universal relationship with nature.
Simultaneously, recognising shared heritage dismantles fake nationalist narratives aiming to incite tensions among neighbouring societies. When people recognise that their festive tradition also exists — in a slightly different form — in a neighbouring country, the emotional basis for conflict weakens.
4. ICH in the Globalised World: The Renaissance of Localism
In the contemporary globalised environment, which promotes standardisation and unification, there is a noticeable longing for social and economic uniqueness. The renaissance of localism — with its customs and habits — provides conditions for cultural tourism. ICH enriches regional development and employment opportunities. Shared heritage sites and festivals attract international tourists and enhance Europe’s worldwide cultural reputation.
Investment in ICH sectors such as traditional cuisine and crafts can create long-term economic opportunities for communities. Promoting Europe as a destination for a cultural experience enhances its value in the global tourism market. Aligning ICH with broader EU policies on education, sustainability, and regional development maximises the role of culture in helping to reach the EU’s strategic goals.
Example: Incorporating ICH into sustainability policies can drive forward traditional practices — traditional ecological knowledge, natural building techniques, crop rotation — that directly serve environmental goals.
Activities
Festivity comparison (individual or pairs, 30 min): Explore examples of festivities celebrating seasonal changes from at least 2–3 different European countries (e.g., spring festivals, Carnival traditions, harvest celebrations). Present: the meaning, logic, and symbolism of each case. Discuss the degree of similarity and distinctiveness. What explains both the similarities and the differences?
Cross-border ICH case (group, 20 min): Find one example of a UNESCO ICH element inscribed jointly by two or more EU Member States (e.g., the Art of Drystone Walling, Transhumance, the Mediterranean Diet). Explain: how was the joint inscription achieved, what are its benefits, and what does it tell us about European cultural connections?
Explore: Check the e-library for available case studies from the INTHRACE repository.
Key Questions
How can ICH simultaneously strengthen local identity and contribute to a shared European identity?
Why do festive traditions across Europe often resemble each other, even when their communities are separated by borders?
How does preserving ICH help dismantle nationalist narratives and reduce cross-cultural tensions?
In what ways does globalisation create both a threat and an opportunity for intangible cultural heritage?
