WRITTEN QUESTION No. 307/98 by Luis CAMPOY ZUECO to the Commission. Aid for music
Date: 1998-02-05
Institutions: CAMPOY ZUECO, European Parliament
Subjects: EU aid, EU programme, European Regional Development Fund, action programme, cultural policy, music

C 304/74

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

2. 10. 98

The European Council said that strengthening Turkey(cid:146)s links with the European Union also depended on that
country(cid:146)s pursuit of the political and economic reforms on which it had embarked, including the alignment of
human  rights  standards  and  practices  on  those  in  force  in  the  European  Union;  respect  for  and  protection  of
minorities; the establishment of satisfactory and stable relations between Greece and Turkey; on the settlement of
disputes, in particular by legal process, including the International Court of Justice; and support for negotiations
under  the  aegis  of  the  UN  on  a  political  settlement  in  Cyprus  on  the  basis  of  the  relevant  Security  Council
Resolutions.

The European Council took the view that it was important for a strategy to be drawn up to prepare Turkey for
accession  by  bringing  it  closer  to  the  European  Union  in  every  field.  This  strategy  should  consist  in  the
development  of  the  possibilities  afforded  by  the  Ankara  Agreement,  intensification  of  the  Customs  Union,
implementation  of  financial  cooperation,  approximation  of  laws  and  adoption  of  the  Union  (cid:145)acquis(cid:146),  and
participation, to be decided case by case, in certain programmes and in certain agencies by analogy with the
arrangements for the other applicant countries. The strategy was to be reviewed by the Association Council (cid:150) in
particular on the basis of Article 28 of the Association Agreement (cid:150) in the light of the Copenhagen criteria and
the Council(cid:146)s position of 29 April 1997. On the subject of financial cooperation, the Presidency is making every
effort  to  unblock  the  Financial  Regulation  for  Turkey  and  to  facilitate  full  implementation  of  the  bilateral
indicative programme for Turkey in the framework of MEDA.

(98/C 304/107)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0307/98

by Luis Campoy Zueco (PPE) to the Commission

(5 February 1998)

Subject: Aid for music

DG X has recently launched a support programme for culture which includes a section devoted to music. This
initiative is to be welcomed. Can the Commission say whether there is any other cultural aid programme which
might serve as a framework for grants for musical projects?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(17 March 1998)

The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member that promoting musical creation and bringing it to the
people  are  and  must  remain  indispensable  features  of  Community  cultural  action.  The  cultural  framework
programme  2000-2005  will  pay  special  attention  to  music  as  specified  in  the  conclusions  of  the  Council  of
18 December 1997 on music in Europe (1). Moreover, the Commission would recall that among recent work by
the European institutions relating to music, Parliament held a hearing on 18 June 1997. On that occasion the
Commission handed out, by way of information, a list showing how the Community had supported music and in
addition to current Community programmes, a large number of Community programmes which in one way or
another  had  supported  music.  It  should  be  emphasised  that  these  other  programmes  do  not  give  priority  to
culture.  This  list  showed  that  most  Community  funds  for  music  came  from  the  Structural  Funds.  By  way  of
guidance, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) granted roughly ECU 38.33 million between 1989
and 1997. The Community allocated ECU 13.22 million to cultural events between 1991 and 1996. Under the
Kaleidoscope programme (Decision No 719/96/EC); (2) funds have been given each year to cooperation projects
in  music.  In  addition,  in  1998,  the  call  for  proposals  entitled  (cid:145)Community  support  for  cultural  development
projects(cid:146) (3)  provides  in  Action1  that  music  will  be  given  special  emphasis.  This  information  on  the  entire
cultural  sector  can  also  be  found  in  the  (cid:145)First  report  on  the  consideration  of  cultural  aspects  in  European
Community action(cid:146) (4).

(1)  OJ C 1, 3.1.1998.
(2)  OJ L 99, 20.4.1996.
(3)  OJ C 6, 10.1.1998.
(4)  COM(96) 160 final.