(Brussels) “Our values and our very identity are deeply rooted in over 3,000 years of history and culture. From ancient European civilisations to the glories of Renaissance, with Leonardo da Vinci, Erasmus of Rotterdam and Van Eyck, from the baroque style of Caravaggio, Bach or Velázquez to Voltaire’s Age of Enlightenment, European creativity has shaped a huge, priceless heritage. We are the continent with over one half UNESCO World Heritage sites”. This has been stated by the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, who will open the high-level conference on the European Year of Cultural Heritage, in Brussels, tomorrow, June 26^th. The event – “Cultural heritage in Europe: linking past and future” – will start at 02.00 pm at the premises of the European Parliament, as part of the initiatives for the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018. Tajani will give a speech about the importance of creative and cultural industries in Europe. Guest speakers will include Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Culture, national and regional state officials, businessmen and public authorities. “Even more than economy, it is culture – Tajani adds – that distinguishes, joins and brings European peoples together, providing sound grounds to inject new life into the European project”.