Our Advocacy Work

NEMO liaises with the European institutions to advocate on behalf of the museum sector. We liaise with the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council, representatives of countries holding the EU presidency, as well as other stakeholder in the European culture sector.

What we do

With our members and allies, NEMO maintains a constant dialogue with relevant stakeholders about questions that are relevant to the museums in Europe. Through this dialogue, we believe we can:

  • influence policies and developments
  • voice the museum sector’s needs and framework conditions within policy making
  • advocate on behalf of the museums’ values, work and potential.

NEMO promotes museums

The core mission of NEMO’s advocacy work is to strengthen the role of museums in the following areas: collection, education, social and economic issues. We believe that the themes of digitalisation and professionalisation of the sector are imperative to help maximise the full potential of Europe’s museums. With this in mind:

  • We advocate for the manifold values of collections and provide a platform for museums to exchange best practice.
  • We highlight the social value and support the potential of museums for society by promoting their contribution to different agendas.
  • We support the recognition of museums as rich learning environments and places of public engagement and provide a platform for the exchange of best practice.
  • We want to ensure that museums are recognised and supported as key assets for urban and regional development, for a flourishing tourism industry and as drivers for the economy and the creative industries.
  • We advocate for museums and heritage to become an integral part of the Digital Agenda of the EU.
  • We advocate for support through targeted capacity-building programmes for museum professionals.

Our current focus topics

Sustainability

It is time to put museums’ potential into action. NEMO encourages museums to support a sustainable and better future and to contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2030. We want to inspire museums to take action for the climate and be #MuseumsforFuture.

Find out more

Mapping of climate action

NEMO's interactive map demonstrates museums' strength in creating awareness, adapting, and fighting climate change. By joining forces, we can create a museum community that is actively steering the topic forward and show that museums can make an impact and difference for the planet. Please contribute via the form bit.ly/NEMO-Climate-Map-Submission

Find out more

The Ukrainian flag is projected on the wall of a modern building.

Emergency responses

NEMO is quick at gauging museum activities and responses to different crises. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have published two reports, mapped the response across Europe and gathered resources. We also #StandWithUkraine and published a statement and collected initial initiatives by museums in support of Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in February 2022.