Dear Secretary-General,

Dear Mr. Clausse,

Dear Ms. Dustdar,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Its a pleasure to join you online today for the announcement of this years 7 Most Endangered cultural heritage sites.

Preserving cultural heritage is not just a responsibility, but our duty to pass down a legacy to future generations. It is vital for our identity, reflected in monuments, traditions, and languages.

The 7 Most Endangered initiative, supported by the EUs Creative Europe programme, reminds us that preserving Europes heritage concerns us all. All nominated heritage sites tell a story that captures the spirit of their communities.

In the past, I have seen that even the greatest threats to Europes heritage can be overcome, as with the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Sadly, not all stories end so positively.

The story of Notre Dame offers hope for the 7 endangered sites revealed today. The EU is committed to supporting Ukraine because their heritage is also our heritage.

We have launched the READY projects to enhance our capacity to protect all forms of European heritage. The first training module is now open for applications until April 20.

I encourage everyone to participate in these efforts to protect Europes heritage. This initiative has been part of protecting 70 endangered European heritage sites since 2013.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute for their long-term partnership. Thanks to their efforts, numerous heritage sites have been saved and protected.