(MTI) - Interviewed by MTI, Geza Szocs said that the Hungarian presidency would encourage efforts to strengthen the role of culture. "Although it sounds like a commonplace, the view that culture is a luxury is sometimes voiced even at higher levels of EU decision making. This approach is reflected both by budget figures and the weight or the insignificance of references to culture," he said.
Szocs said that the Hungarian government would convene a conference to Visegrad in June to pave the way for the introduction of the European Heritage label to be awarded to monuments, natural, archaeological, urban or cultural sites that have played a significant role in European history and culture or in European integration.
The National Digital Archive (NDA) will comprise all cultural assets of Hungary, ranging from literature to art and film, and made accessible to all on a central digital archive, the state secretary said.
The multilingual part of the NDA will form part of Europeana, an online collection of 14.6 million digitized items from European museums, libraries, archives and multi-media collections, Szocs said.
