This report seeks to move the concept of the participatory governance of cultural heritage from simply an abstract notion to concrete action .
It is the result of a collective effort by experts requested by the EU Council to identify ‘innovative approaches to the multilevel governance of tangible, intangible and digital heritage which involve the public sector, private stakeholders and the civil society’, in the framework of the Work Plan for Culture 2015-2018. This is a handbook designed first and foremost to provide practical advice for cultural heritage professionals and institutions to be able to use and benefit from. It focuses on providing advice on how to create the necessary preconditions for the participatory governance of cultural heritage, how participation can be put to practical use in the ordinary and everyday governance, how to support the process and to ensure its sustainability.