Vitalie JOSANU, cultural heritage expert, at FERM 2025: “Cultural heritage is not just a burden, but a resource for development and regional identity”
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025
19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025
Thematic Panel:
Culture and Regional Identity – Tradition, Innovation and Social Cohesion
Speaker:
Vitalie Josanu – cultural heritage expert
Topic of the intervention:
“Protecting National Cultural Heritage: Between Duties and Opportunities”
Present at the Regional Economic Forum Moldova (REFM 2025), held between July 9–13 in Vatra Dornei, Vitalie Josanu, cultural heritage expert, drew attention to a crucial theme for Moldova’s sustainable development: the relationship between cultural heritage protection, legal obligations, and economic opportunities.
During Panel 10 – Culture and Regional Identity, Josanu offered a lucid and often critical analysis of how built heritage is treated in Romania, highlighting the contradiction between the responsibilities imposed on monument owners and the lack of real support from the state.
Heritage – Between Duties and Opportunities
Josanu began his speech with a reflection inspired by Victor Hugo: “Architecture belongs to the owner, but the monument belongs to all of us.” Starting from this, he showed how, in public mentality and administrative practice, heritage is often perceived as an exploitable resource, but too rarely as a shared responsibility.
“We tend to use cultural heritage like a worn-out horse that everyone profits from, but too few feed,” the expert stressed, explaining that public monuments, being considered “nobody’s,” risk degradation through neglect.
At the same time, private owners of historical monuments are burdened with legal obligations without receiving real support for their maintenance and valorization.
Monuments – Engines of Identity, Culture and Economy
In Josanu’s view, cultural heritage must be seen as a gold mine.
“To extract gold, you must first invest. A monument attracts visitors, creates stories, sustains traditions, and generates a local economy.”
He offered concrete examples: the city of Roman, spared from the “communist bulldozer”, is preserved as a true living museum inhabited by private citizens, while monasteries and medieval fortresses attract visitors not only for their spiritual dimension but also for their historical authenticity.
“People come for what is authentic, for what represents value. If we don’t preserve this, we lose the objective,” warned Josanu, also recalling the attachment of communities in the Republic of Moldova to Soroca Fortress and to the figure of Stephen the Great.
The State and Local Authorities – Lack of Coherence and Involvement
As a former heritage officer for 16 years, Josanu presented a worrying picture of how legislation and institutions implement protection measures.
He showed that the number of court actions and fines applied for non-compliance with heritage regulations is extremely low, leading to irreversible degradation and loss.
“Even fines are a preventive measure. If they are absent, we cannot stop the destruction.”
An eloquent example was Sibiu, where despite the absence of administrative sanctions, the number of heritage-related crimes is high.
“When there is no prevention, losses are inevitable.”
Heritage Financing – A Major Unresolved Issue
Another critical topic raised was the financing of cultural heritage protection. Josanu explained that the “Heritage Fund” project, designed to redirect part of the taxes generated by economic activities derived from monuments back into their maintenance, was blocked by bureaucratic interests.
“We proposed that all economic activity derived from a historic monument should partially return to the community to be reinvested. Unfortunately, things were distorted and Bucharest tried to seize the idea. Thus, the project remained unapproved.”
Moreover, he also criticized how existing funds are distributed: southern regions and Dobrogea benefit from multi-annual financing programs, while in Moldova projects are launched and closed within just a few weeks, making a coherent strategy impossible.
Heritage – Identity Resource and City Brand
Vitalie Josanu reminded that the brands of major European cities are built around heritage and that lack of investment in its preservation affects not only culture but also the economy and community identity.
“Cultural heritage is an identity resource. It generates local economy, jobs, reduces crime, and creates social cohesion. But for this, it needs to be nourished, not just exploited.”
Conclusion: Heritage, Between Fragility and a Development Opportunity
Vitalie Josanu’s intervention at the Regional Economic Forum Moldova brought to the forefront a reality often ignored: cultural heritage cannot be treated only as a backdrop for tourism or as a bureaucratic burden, but must be seen as a strategic resource for regional development.
His message was twofold: on the one hand, he highlighted current shortcomings – from incoherent legislation and absence of preventive sanctions to funding inequities and lack of consistent support for monument owners. On the other hand, he outlined a huge potential: heritage can become a driver of local economy, sustainable tourism, and community cohesion, if treated with respect and responsibility.
In his vision, protecting heritage is not just a cultural gesture but also an act of public policy and economic strategy. Cities and regions that know how to value their history become more attractive to tourists, investors, and residents alike. Without such a vision, losses are irreversible, and communities are left without identity landmarks.
