WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1028/98 by Hilde HAWLICEK to the Commission. Increased spending on the arts
Date: 1998-04-06
Institutions: European Parliament, HAWLICEK
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, budgetary resources, cultural cooperation, cultural policy, general budget (EU), implementation of the budget, programme budgeting

C 50/6

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.2.1999

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(2 June 1998)

On the basis of the information received by the Italian authorities, it appears that Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June
1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (1) is not
applicable to the specific case of the American military airbase in Aviano, since Article 1 paragraph 4 of the
above mentioned directive states that (cid:145)projects serving national defence purposes are not covered by this
directive(cid:146).

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.

(1999/C 50/008)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1028/98

by Hilde Hawlicek (PSE) to the Commission

(6 April 1998)

Subject: Increased spending on the arts

The EU cultural forum on the future of European cultural programmes (29 and 30 January 1998 in the Borschette
Centre) featured a discussion with the Ministers of Culture from the UK, Luxembourg and France and the
Cultural Affairs Commissioner Marcelino Oreja,at which Commissioner Oreja announced that, to his way of
thinking, spending on the arts should represent at least one thousandth of the total budget.

In reply to my last question to the Commission concerning the growth in the proportion of the total budget
devoted to spending on the arts, the Commission mentioned a share of 0,033 % devoted to the arts for the 1998
financial year › i.e. a third of a thousandth. Since 1990 the proportion devoted to the arts has gradually been
increased by an average of 0,002 %. Continuing the existing policy will mean that the target of one thousandth of
the total budget referred to by Commission Oreja will be reached in approximately 20 years(cid:146) time.

In the light of the foregoing: What specific action is Commissioner Oreja taking to achieve during the remaining
portion of his term of office the stated target of one thousandth of the total budget being devoted to culture? How
often has he discussed this problem with the Culture and Finance Ministers of the Member States since the
commencement of his term of office? At how many Commission meetings since the beginning of 1995 was this
issue on the agenda or was it raised?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(24 June 1998)

The Commission would like to inform the Honourable Member that it shares her concern as to the limited
resources allocated for the Community(cid:146)s cultural programmes. However, as the Honourable Member is aware, on
the basis of Article 128 § 4 of the EC Treaty, other Community programmes and actions have and continue to take
increasing consideration of the cultural dimension of projects eligible for funding within the framework of their
objectives. In this sense, total funding for culture is considerably higher than that represented by the budgetary
resources allocated to the present cultural programmes, as has been clearly demonstrated in the first report on the
consideration of cultural aspects in the European Community action (1) presented by the Commission in April
1996. Furthermore, this point will be further reinforced in the updated report that the Commission will soon
present and which will concern the years 1996 and 1997.

The Commission would also like to remind the Honourable Member that it recently adopted its proposal for a
Parliament and Council decision establishing a cultural framework programme for the years 2000-2004 with a
proposed budgetary allocation of ECU 167 million in line with the ranking of priorities set in Agenda 2000. The
final allocation of resources devoted to culture depends on the result of the co-decision procedure to adopt the
above-mentioned framework programme.

(1) COM(96) 160 final, completed by SEC(96) 686.