The objectives of EMH exclude any pursuit of profit, and are:
to encourage mutual cooperation between the extensive community of organisations in Europe, including
museums, involved in keeping maritime heritage alive
to act as a conduit for the flow of advice and assistance between such organisations to contribute to the
mutual understanding of different maritime cultures and increase public awareness of those cultures, by
organising a triennial congress
to identify and promote historic water-borne links between European regions, publicising the role of
waterways as a cultural bridge between the nations
to study and resolve common problems identified in the course of preserving and operating traditional
craft in Europe
to provide official organisations of the European Union with a representative and consultative service on
all aspects of preserving and operating historic boats and vessels