The European Union is a mosaic of different customs, habits and traditions that have been creating a heterogeneous cultural heritage. It is worth emphasizing that the protection of this heritage is an essential factor in the process of cultural syncretism. Among the contemporary legal challenges, there is a need to identify those uniting elements of the European community that have been elementary from its beginning. Besides economic cooperation, cultural policy creates connections among citizens of the European Union. The author tries to define the cultural policy of the European Union and chronologically presents its most important stages. In addition, the author evaluates the significance of the community law for the cultural heritage protection. He also considers opportunities for the development of cultural policy in the following financial period 2014-2020. The aim of the article is to indicate the need of close cultural cooperation among Member States and to state that the strength of the European culture lies in its diversity.