EU Recommends 3D Digitization of Cultural Heritage by 2030

The European Commission's Recommendation (EU) 2021/1970, issued on November 10, 2021, outlines a strategy for creating a common European data space for cultural heritage. It replaces the earlier Recommendation 2011/711/EU and sets binding targets for member states: by 2030, all at-risk monuments and sites must be digitized in 3D, along with 50% of the most visited cultural heritage assets; by 2025, 40% of those targets should be met. Cultural heritage institutions—including public libraries, museums, archives, and film or sound institutes—are encouraged to use advanced digital technologies such as 3D, AI, machine learning, cloud computing, and VR/AR. Digitized assets should be made available through the Europeana platform and follow FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Copyright and related rights are identified as potential obstacles, addressed by Directive 2019/790 on copyright in the Digital Single Market, recently transposed in Italy via Legislative Decree No. 177 of November 8, 2021. Key provisions include rules on digitizing out-of-commerce works, mandatory exceptions for preservation copies and text/data mining for research, and the legal status of reproductions of public domain visual art. The Commission will evaluate progress biennially based on member state reports.