Diverse and dynamic Slovenia, towards the necessary changes

Abstract

Cultural heritage is a value in all its forms. As an important and indivisible part of local, regional, national and European identity, it represents the quality of the living environment and is a key source of balanced development. Heritage is the foundation of Slovenia’s cultural diversity, which is intertwined with remarkable landscape and biological diversity and the country’s attractiveness for living, education, development, artistic creation, tourism and other economic activities. Cultural heritage broadens Slovenia’s visibility in the international community. In a Eurobarometer survey (2017), 92% of Slovenians surveyed said that cultural heritage is important for our country, and 76% said they are proud of our common heritage. Naturally, cultural heritage cannot exist without the people who protect, preserve and popularise it. This is precisely where we need to work on the challenges and problems that have arisen as a result of the free movement of labour and the emergence of market activities.
 One of the biggest challenges facing the conservation-restoration Þeld is the regulation of the profession. The regulation of the conservation-restoration professions is relevant in Slovenia for the public sector and in the case of persons who independently perform a specialised profession through recognition fees, from the point of view of covering the social instruments in the Þeld of self-employment in the cultural heritage sector. The status of self-employed persons in the cultural heritage sector is granted by the Ministry of Culture. However, the profession isn´t regulated on the market since anyone who believes they have sufÞcient knowledge, even without appropriate education, can create and register a conservation and restoration business in any Þeld without examination by a commission. Conservation and restoration activities in Slovenia can therefore be based on three different starting points: The Public sector (regulated), the Status of self-employed persons in the cultural heritage sector (regulated), and Independent entrepreneurship in the Þeld of conservation and restoration (unregulated).