CONCLUSIONS OF THE COUNCIL AND OF THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL of 27 May 1988 concerning future priority actions in the cultural field (88/C 197/02)

THE COUNCIL AND THE MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL:

1. note the Commission communication on the relaunching of cultural action in the European Community and the opinions of the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee, as well as the French Government's Blue Book on Europe in Education and Culture;

2. recalling the discussion at their informal meeting on 10 and 11 December 1987 in Copenhagen, give priority to the following areas, without prejudice to actions which they consider desirable in other areas:

- promotion of the European audiovisual sector,

- book sector,

- training in the cultural sector,

- business sponsorship,

and accordingly consider that, for an initial pluriannual period, priority should be given to proposals for actions in these areas;

3. On this basis:

- with reference to promotion of the European audiovisual sector, having taken note of the Commission Media programme, they invite the Commission to report on the results of these experimental projects and to make, if appropriate, any proposals arising from the pilot projects carried out.

They also confirm their willingness to consider other actions relating to promotion of the European audiovisual sector with all the attention which the importance of this sector warrants,

- with reference to the book sector, they consider that all aspects of this sector, including national pricing systems for books, reproduction of texts, promotion and distribution, should be examined in depth, and state their readiness to study any proposal on the matter.

They confirm their desire for accelerated implementation of the resolution of 27 September 1985 on collaboration between libraries in the field of data processing and state their readiness to examine any new proposal in this connection;

moreover, the question of conservation should be studied.

They also confirm their desire to see:

- rapid implementation of the resolution of 9 November 1987 on the promotion of translation of important works of European culture,

- the launching of the pilot scheme referred to in the resolution as soon as possible,

- priority given in implementing the resolution to translation from languages less widely used in Europe,

- in the context of vocational training, they stress the growing importance for the cultural sector:

- of sound and vision specialists,

- of restoration specialists for preservation of the cultural heritage,

- with reference to business sponsorship, while recalling that this sponsorship should provide complementary support to public cultural activities, they confirm the importance which they attach to the implementation of the resolution of 13 November 1986;

this implementation should also draw on the texts relative to the financing of culture adopted at the Fifth Conference of the European Ministers responsible for cultural affairs (Sintra, 15 and 17 September 1987);

4. agree on the desirability of fully implementing the resolutions adopted since 1984 in the cultural sector and invite the Commission and the Committee on cultural affairs to follow up their implementation and report on it regularly;

the Member States could also, at particular times to be determined, furnish infor mation on the implementation of these resolutions at national level;

5. agree that, in accordance with their resolution on the future organization of their work, the question of the type of actions to be envisaged in the framework of these priorities and the nature of the bodies responsible for implementing them (private bodies, Member States, Community) will be decided in each individual case according to need and in line with the provisions of the Treaty and existing procedures.

The Committee on cultural affairs should also prepare the work of the Ministers on each proposal, including its financing, and on these two particular aspects.

It should ensure that each proposal for an action contains elements allowing for evaluation in due course of the results of the action.