Hub launches two new thematic task forces on music and digital heritage

The European Heritage Hub is strengthening its role in advocacy and in shaping European cultural policy with the launch of two new thematic task forces: the Music Task Force and the Digital Task Force. 

Coordinated by partners of the Hub together with members of the European Heritage Alliance, these Task Forces will connect experts with relevant stakeholders, bringing lessons and insights from the ground into European policy discussions and helping to ensure that European heritage voices are reflected in key European policy developments.

Initiated by organisations including the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), Centre Européen de Musique, European Early Music Network (REMA) and B’Rock Orchestra, the Music Task Force aims to champion music as a core component of European heritage, culture and public policy.

It views music as a foundational European ecosystem that deserves increased recognition as a human need, public good, and cornerstone of European heritage. The Music Task Force will ensure music heritage is integrated into EU policies across sectors such as youth, education, digital transformation, AI, skills development, climate action, resilience, and international relations, as well as build stronger connections among stakeholders from different musical and heritage fields, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration across Europe.

The group will raise awareness of both tangible and intangible musical heritage,  initially putting its focus on three thematic areas: (1) Cultural heritage governance and communities; (2) Social inclusion, cohesion, and European values; and (3) International cultural relations and EU enlargement. Through initiatives led by its founding organisations, the Task Force will also explore how Europe’s living musical heritage can be documented, transmitted and activated across territories and generations.

The Music Task Force will complement statistical evidence with compelling qualitative stories and case studies: from European ensembles, composers, performers, instrument makers and historically informed performance practices to musical routes, endangered soundscapes, oral traditions, community memories and intergenerational transmission. Initiatives such as Via Musica®, the Atlas of Living Heritage Sounds, the REMA Awards and the EUYO alumni networks will demonstrate how musical heritage can foster belonging, dialogue, resilience and European cooperation.

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Shaping a people-centred digital transition

The Digital Task Force, initiated by the Europeana Foundation (both a member of the European Heritage Hub Consortium and European Heritage Alliance) and Michael Culture Association, will focus on another defining challenge for the sector: ensuring that the digital transformation of the cultural heritage sector is ethical, inclusive, sustainable and aligned with the needs of heritage professionals and communities.

From high-resolution imaging and 3D reconstruction to sensors and AI, digital technologies are creating new possibilities to document, preserve, research and access cultural heritage. At the same time, the group stresses that technology must remain people-centred, complementing rather than replacing professional expertise and community knowledge.

The Digital Task Force will focus on three thematic areas: (1) Competitiveness: exploring the relationship between digital transformation and competitiveness, in the frame of the next EU budget discussions; (2) Social and environmental sustainability: Addressing inclusion, accessibility, digital gap, employment and skills, as well as  energy use, sustainability, and the environmental impact of digital infrastructure; and (3) Future technologies: Monitoring emerging technologies with a special focus on AI.

Looking ahead, the group plans to carry out its goals by promoting and coordinating digital initiatives, research, and capacity-building activities undertaken by Alliance members through the Hub, organising dedicated digital sessions at Hub events, producing digital-focused communications, and strengthening collaboration and representation across Hub and partner events.

Together, the two task forces reinforce the Hub’s commitment to turning sector expertise into coordinated action and advocacy — ensuring that both Europe’s musical heritage and its digital future remain firmly at the heart of the European project