The European Commission's Reflection Group on digitisation launched a consultation on how best to foster the online presence of cultural heritage. The consultation will run until 30 September 2010.

As Europe's creative and cultural sectors undergo a revolutionary transition, innovative solutions are needed to keep up with technological advances and reap their full benefits. In this way, the Commission has asked the Reflection Group to look at how best to speed up the digitisation, online accessibility and preservation of cultural works across Europe and the Group has launched a consultation until 30 September 2010.

The consultation is inviting all interested parties: citizens, cultural institutions, public authorities, private companies, NGOs and academic institutions. These include potential sources of funding for digitisation and for developing Europeana, Europe's digital library. This single multilingual online portal has included 10 million items available thanks to the European Council in this year 2010.

The Reflection Group will analyse the responses to this consultation and the views raised in other fora, including a follow-up hearing scheduled to take place in Brussels on 28 October 2010. At the end of 2010 the Group will come forward with a set of recommendations for the digitisation, online accessibility and preservation of Europe's cultural heritage in the digital age, looking in particular at the issue of public-private partnerships for digitisation in Europe.

The Group, established in April 2010, is part of the European Commission's broader strategy to help the cultural sector make the transition towards the digital age. This is to ensure that Europe's rich cultural heritage and diverse cultural content is preserved and made accessible to all on the internet, including finding new effective business models.