EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/634

(2004/C 88 E/0651)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3031/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(17 October 2003)

Subject: Community subsidies in the cultural sphere

Associations play a central role in any country's social development, not only in terms of active involvement and self-organisation on the part of citizens, but also of the services which associations provide, particularly in culture and sport. Recreational associations are often the main channels for publicising and preserving the cultural heritage of many regions, thus contributing to cultural wealth and diversity within the European Union. Associations are responsible for amateur drama, folk clubs, brass bands, music schools and a whole range of exhibition spaces for art. Resources, particularly funds, are generally in short supply to cover the working requirements of these associations in the tasks they perform for the community, above all in providing leisure time activities. I personally encounter this hard fact with some frequency, and likewise the lack of available information as to sources of support, particularly at Community level.

Can the Commission answer the following:

— what Community resources exist to support culture, particularly for recreational associations;

— in the specific case of wind band associations, what Community aids exist for buying instruments and support material for music schools, and doing up auditoria and halls to perform in;

— what are the global Community budget totals authorised and actually paid out for culture, and how have these totals varied between 1994 and 2003? What is the breakdown of this total by Member State and number of projects funded?

Supplementary answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(23 January 2004)

The Commission would draw the Honourable Member's attention to the fact that it is difficult to gain an overview of the many EU activities and programmes in the field of culture. Besides the Culture 2000 Programme, which is specifically for cultural cooperation and supports projects that are jointly run and financed by at least 3 operators, there is a cultural dimension to many European programmes in various fields of activity: supporting cultural industries, technological research, education and training in the arts, regional development, cooperation with third countries etc.

These Programmes are managed by different Commission Directorates-General and departments and have their own operating and eligibility rules. In March 2002 the Commission launched an internet site for Europe and Culture in order to promote the networking of cultural information so as to enable all citizens to access European cultural content. This site is intended to guide citizens, cultural operators and local, regional or national institutions through the areas of EU activity that are related to culture in one way or another (1).

Given the European dimension and the necessarily transnational nature of the projects financed by the programmes based on Article 151 of the EC Treaty (formerly the Raphaël, Ariane and Kaleidoscope Programmes and, since the year 2000, Culture 2000), it is impossible to give a precise breakdown by Member State of the sums allocated in the form of grants. However, the mid term evaluation of the Culture 2000 Programme (available on the internet (2)) and the evaluation of the Raphaël, Ariane and Kaleidoscope Programmes (the results of which are shortly to be published on the internet) make it possible to assess their impact and advantages.

As far as the cultural aspect of the Structural Funds is concerned, it is important to bear in mind that culture in itself is not one of the Structural Funds' objectives. Action taken within the field of culture can benefit from Structural Fund co-financing in so far as it contributes, directly or indirectly (particularly through the creation of jobs) to economic and social cohesion. It must be emphasised that it is generally very difficult to quantify the Structural Fund allocations within the field of culture since this definition covers a relatively broad sector. The Commission is currently preparing a staff working paper on the use of the Structural Funds in the field of culture during the period 1994-1999. This paper will be based on the information provided by the Member States regarding the Structural Funds allocated to culture between 1994 and 1998.

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/

(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/sources_info/studies_evaluation/studies_fr.html