Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Recent trends in the European Area

The paper describes the evolution of the intangible cultural heritage safeguarding in the European area. Firstly, it analyzes the fundamental features of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of 2003, with particular attention to its fundamental principles and the obligations assumed by the States with regard to its implementation. Then, it outlines the evolution of the legislation on the ICH in the Spanish and French cases, with the description of content and scope of the changes adopted in the more recent years. Finally, it considers the Italian legislation and its future perspectives from a critical point of view.