Recent policy developments in the field of Malta's cultural heritage

Abstract

"If a people is to move forward and meet ever new challenges, it must never forsake its roots". 1.1 Background information The Cultural Heritage Act that was enacted by Parliament on 16th April 2002 ushered in a period of deep change for the country's cultural heritage sector. Prior to the Cultural Heritage Act responsibility for cultural heritage belonged to the Museums Department whose functions as excavator, manager, superintendent and exhibitor of heritage were regulated by the Antiquities (Protection) Act of 1925. By the early 90s other legal instruments having a bearing on heritage issues were enacted and a number of state and private institutions became actively involved in cultural heritage management. However, this legislative framework left several lacunae in the field of national heritage management and the institutions working in the sector did not interact in a coherent manner. As pressure for reform of the legal and operational framework of the cultural heritage sector mounted from various quarters a wide-ranging process of consultation with interested stakeholders was finally started towards the end of the 20th century. This process culminated with the enactment of the Cultural Heritage Act. The Act led not only to the dissolution of the Museums Department and the introduction of a different institutional and organisational set-up but, even more importantly, it introduced a new governance and vision for Malta's heritage sector [...]