European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21 st century „ Page 27 D7. Preserving and developing the ability of public services to address heritage issues D8. Increasing the use and reuse of heritage Recommendations Recommendation D1 Promote cultural heritage as a resource and facilitate financial investment Heritage constitutes an irreplaceable asset with a high cultural, social, environmental, economic and scientific value. Its resources are long-term assets contributing to the sustainable development and management of territories. Themany positive impacts of heritage on the economic, cultural, social and environmental spheres can be demonstrated by a growing body of evidence, capable of convincing investors of all sorts (local and regional authorities, private owners, businesses, philanthropists, non-governmental organisations). Investing in heritage is a means of contributing both directly and indirectly to the development of the economy. Relevant challenges D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 Interfaces S2 Courses of action „ Support and showcase projects involving heritage which show due regard for its integrity „ Introduce or consolidate incentives (grants, tax concessions, etc.) for the preservation and manage- ment of cultural heritage and for heritage education „ Provide examples to demonstrate the positive impacts of heritage for society and the territory and for return on investment „ Highlight the various kinds of contributions to heritage-related projects „ Support investment projects in cultural heritage (relating to knowledge and skills) as a strategic factor in contributing to and supporting the creative economy Target audience: local, regional, national, European Examples of action „ “Cultural Heritage counts for Europe” report, 2015 (Europe) www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/cultural-heritage-counts-for-europe/ „ Art Bonus (Italy): favourable tax scheme for supporting culture through donations http://artbonus.gov.it/ Recommendation D2 Support and promote the heritage sector as a means of creating jobs and business opportunities The European Union estimates that the heritage sector represents over 300 000 direct jobs and 7 million indirect jobs. As a sector creating many jobs, it covers a broad range of occupations with a variety of roles and levels of skills and qualifications (conservation and restoration, engineering and maintenance, adminis- tration and management, surveys and promotion, research, specific technical development, interpretation and other activities, etc.) requiring many different techniques. Whether permanent, seasonal or casual, em- ployment is to be found in the public, private and voluntary sectors and also in associated sectors, especially tourism, trade, research and education. Investing in heritage contributes to employment and consequently helps bring about an inclusive and cohesive society. Relevant challenges D1 D2 D3 D5 D6 D7 Interfaces K2 K5 S8