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The European Union Europa Nostra 2014 award was given to the Greek project "A vaulted Romanesque building in the Peloponnese." The project is based on decades of research of the construction methods used in the Peloponnese for 400 years from the 1st century BC to 300 AD by architect-restorer from Rome Dr. Paolo Vitti.

The 27 winners have been selected among 160 nominations from 30 countries honoured for achievements in 4 spheres: restoration, research, special services and education.

The awards ceremony will be held on 5 May at the Burgtheater in Vienna under the auspices of the President of Austria Heinz Fischer. Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, as well as opera singer and president of Europa Nostra Placido Domingo will award the winners together.

Six of the winners will get a Grand Prix and receive 10,000 euro, while one of them will receive the Audience Award, which will choose the winner via voting on the Internet. Besides honouring work on cultural heritage, the EU award aims at the promotion of skills and high quality standards in the field of restoration.

"The political heritage is among our most precious treasures. It creates bridges between the past and the present, stimulates development, social inclusion and helps attract tourism. However, a lot of these works of art and human ingenuity, which convey the beauty of centuries, are increasingly affected. Their survival depends on long-term investments in terms of restoration and maintenance," said Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.

"Achievements this year have shown that even in difficult economic conditions, cultural heritage projects can mobilize talented and passionate people and provide the support of public and private sources," added Placido Domingo.