The Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) is an independent network of national museum organisations representing the museum community of the member states of the Council of Europe.
It has always promoted the work of museums and their value to policy makers and has supported museums providing with information, networking and opportunities for collaboration.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, European museums had to manage a situation of crisis undertaking actions in regards to the coronavirus.
To better assist the European museum community, NEMO created a short survey and asked the European museum community to fill out it to collect information of museums’ actions in regards to the coronavirus.

Until 3rd April, 650 museums responded to the survey (41 countries in total: museums from all 27 EU member states, from 9 member states of the Council of Europe and feedback from museums in the USA, Philippines, Malaysia, French Polynesia, Iran).

The data highlight that the majority of museums in Europe and around the globe have closed; the biggest losses were recorded by the larger museums and museums in touristic areas, with weekly losses adding up to hundreds of thousands of Euros.

NEMO, in light of the collected data, underlines the value digital cultural heritage and digital engagement that, in the past weeks, has bring people together, encouraging creativity and offering a virtual space to share experiences.
Museums have been quick and pro-active in their response to the pandemic. They have increased digital services, engaged people staying at home, they have shared collections and offered digital tools. There has been unprecedented digital activity, but this is not enough to cope with the losses suffered.

NEMO asks governments to invest in Europe’s cultural heritage in the future, to mitigate losses of museums and to continue the investment in large-scale projects in museums across Europe.

Link here to read the Findings and Recommendations of NEMO.