Archaeology can cooperate in the country's economic recovery. Proposals for the Recovery Plan

Eleven associations launch proposals for archaeology to be included in the Recovery Plan. The eleven acronyms (ANA - National Association of Archaeologists, Archeoimprese, National Association of Cultural Heritage Technicians, CIA - Italian Confederation of Archaeologists, CNA, Council of Ancient Topography, FAP - Federation of Professional Archaeologists, Federation of University Archaeology Councils, Legacoop Production and Services, Do You Recognize Me? I’m a Cultural Heritage Professional) join the Coordination Table of the acronyms of the Archaeology sector (representing public administration, professions, businesses, university councils) and after the round table A restart for Cultural Heritage post covid-19, organized by the Italian Confederation of Archaeologists, they drafted a joint document on the opportunities and prospects opened up by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan ( NRP), or the so-called “Recovery Plan,” which was sent last Dec. 24 to MiBACT, MUR, MISE and MIT.

The signatories of the plan emphasize that archaeology is a sector with a strong social impact, which enables the reconstruction of historical memory, the cultural roots of the community by giving it a voice, as well as representingone of the main factors in animating the tourism market and providing employment for a vast network of specialized businesses and professionals. The associations also reiterate how investments in the cultural sector are generators of development because of how much they affect the induced revenue (Impresa Cultura Italia and Confcommercio estimate 2.65 euros of local induced revenue for every euro invested). For these reasons, the eleven acronyms believe that professionals and businesses engaged in the preservation of Italy’s cultural heritage are capable, if provided with appropriate tools, of acting as a driving force not only for the enhancement of the heritage itself, but also for actively collaborating in the country’s economic recovery. The Recovery Plan therefore represents, according to the archaeology associations, an opportunity for a new systemic start, to define a new industrial policy for the Cultural Heritage sector with resources, rules and definition of training paths that see, among other things, a closer relationship between training and research institutions, business and the world of the professions. According to the eleven associations, there is no need for “piecemeal” interventions, but for targeted and structural interventions, accompanied by a framework of reforms of the practices and rules that regulate the relevant market, in the belief that if one invests in a system that is not regulated, that does not work or that is not capable of imagining or incorporating new potential, the effectiveness of investments is at risk.

The associations’ proposal is structured around three points. The first: enhance the professions and the culture market. Among the reform interventions, the importance of the full implementation of regulations governing professional figures in the sector is emphasized, with the enhancement of specific professionalism in the field of design, supervision of works and in the composition of tender commissions, as well as the incorporation of the study phase and online publication among the activities constituting archaeological excavation. For the proper functioning of the market, the need to standardize specifications and price lists is also emphasized, overcoming the many territorial diversifications, also hoping for the application of awarding criteria that take into account the highly specialized characteristics of the sector, characterized by a high incidence of the human factor and the need to ensure high quality standards, factors moreover connected with the high profile that the constitutional dictate reserves for the protection of cultural heritage.

The second point: new taxation and resources for culture, with the conviction that every archaeological survey generates an enrichment for the state not only in terms of knowledge, but also in terms of the increase in economic value brought to the public heritage through the release to the State Property of new assets, appropriately filed, in the State’s patrimonial inventories. In addition, surveys, even if fruitless from an archaeological point of view, by increasing the stock of knowledge, benefit the design of future works. Thus, archaeology can no longer be considered a problem nor a risk, but an opportunity for the growth of the national heritage as well as the system for cultural enjoyment. From these considerations derive the proposals for the deduction of cultural expenses, the reduction of VAT to 10 percent, which is already applied for restoration works, and the establishment of advantageous taxation for private individuals who have to deal with the costs of archaeological investigations in the preventive phase or assistance during the execution of works. In the context of the investment programs of the PNRR, first of all, the exiguity of the planned allocation is highlighted (just 3.1 billion euros in total for culture and tourism), which according to the associations is not up to the opportunities that cultural heritage could generate for the country and also in view of the fact that the two sectors are among those most affected by the effects of COVID-19. The establishment of a fund for accessibility and expanded enjoyment is therefore called for, with the belief that visiting museums, monuments, monumental complexes, and archaeological areas and parks means first of all being able to physically access them and secondly being enabled to be able to understand their historical and cultural contents. The associations also believe that an additional fund is needed to support private individuals facing reconstruction work on homes damaged by an earthquake event when construction sites fall in areas of archaeological interest.

Finally, third point: digitization, one of the central themes of the NRP, and the field of archaeology has a strong need to normalize and systematize a very considerable amount of data stored in archives, as well as to conclude the process of processing them in order to make them usable. The acquisition of a digitized system would have immediate positive effects within the spatial planning processes. Within the broad scope of digitization, three lines of action have been identified aimed at the creation of a National Inventory of Sites and Findings, Digitization of archival dataand Publication of unpublished historical material. The first directrix aims at the creation of an integral and public cognitive tool, a true national portal, to be integrated with MiBACT’s other cataloguing or digitization tools, of immediate utility for the protection, valorization and planning of the territory, since it is a consultable tool for planning (Territorial Bodies, Professionals) and usable by PA officials for the drafting of technical opinions. The second guideline proposes a real and generalized plan to digitize the information heritage on Cultural Heritage present in the archives of MiBACT Institutes (Superintendencies, Museums, Libraries and Archives) and Universities. It is precisely the health emergency from Covid-19 that has strongly highlighted the serious delay in terms of access to the information and technologies necessary to support work even carried out in “agile” form. It will also be necessary to promote, in order to foster a use of cultural heritage for enhancement and accessibility, the inclusion of innovative documentation tools such as video footage from drone, 3D models, etc. The third guideline identifies, as an area of investment, that of the publication on a digital platform of the documentary, tangible and intangible heritage that has preceded and is preserved in archives, warehouses and on the territory. A huge amount of data, often inaccessible, unpublished and therefore removed from collective valorization and usability, which is of absolute necessity for the knowledge of the territory, as a necessary element for the planning of its development and for the enhancement of its heritage.

How to bring this to life? Archaeologists propose two areas of intervention, namely reform programs on the one hand and investment programs on the other. Reform programs focus on two lines: A regulated market (Full implementation of regulations on professional figures in the sector; Increased qualification of all public works including works pertaining to cultural heritage; Uniform technical and professional profiling of the archaeological category OS25; Uniform economic evaluation for works and services in the sector; Composition of tender commissions; Bid selection criteria; Transposition of the study and publication phase among the activities constituting archaeological excavation; Incentivizing specialization processes; Training plan for contracting authorities; Liberalization of the use of images) and a new taxation framework (possibility of deduction of cultural expenses; advantageous taxation for individuals incurring costs for archaeological investigations; reduction of VAT rate to 10 percent for works pertaining to archaeology; free admission to museums and parks for professional archaeologists). Finally, in terms of investment programs, the eleven associations propose a fund for accessibility and reconstruction, and a fund for digitization of heritage. All proposals have been compiled in a 15-page document sent to relevant bodies and the press.

Image: the Populonia Archaeological Park. Ph. Credit Windows on Art

Archaeology can cooperate in the country's economic recovery. Proposals for the Recovery Plan

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