WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3332/98 by Roberto MEZZAROMA Culture
Date: 1998-11-10
Institutions: European Parliament, MEZZAROMA
Subjects: EU Member State, EU programme, European Union, book trade, cultural cooperation, cultural policy, cultural transmission, dissemination of information, literature, translation

C 289/38

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.10.1999

Candidate country governments, with many pressing pre-accession requirements, are at different stages in
tackling the information challenges from their side. However, the Commission, through its delegations in the
Central and Eastern European countries, aims at strengthening links and offering co-operation to the candidate
governments’ own information efforts, at whatever level is appropriate. Such efforts, on both sides, do,
however, require a certain degree of stability and predictability in their future funding perspectives.

(1999/C 289/050)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3332/98

by Roberto Mezzaroma (PPE) to the Commission

(10 November 1998)

Subject: Culture

It is common knowledge that there is a world of difference between political and economic Europe and
cultural Europe, which is still characterized by the free trade in translations.

In the cultural sector we need to get beyond the free market in translations and introduce a system of
conditions for a European public.

This was the proposal made at the 50th Book Fair in Frankfurt by the publisher Laterza, which, in order to
safeguard and maintain the identity of small and medium-sized publishing companies, proposes the creation
of a European university press, as the lynchpin for research and the distribution of ideas targeted at young
people, to be based at the European University Institute in Florence, in order to check the scientific validity of
texts.

The only contribution required from the European Union would be to finance the translations, whilst
publishers and the individual Member States would accept the business risk of the publications.

Can the Commission say to what extent this proposal is feasible, how the various stages would be structured
and what the operational timescale for it would be?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(7 January 1999)

The Commission can give support to cultural initiatives only under existing programmes, and in particular, as
regards books, reading and translation, to projects covered by the Ariane programme. The purposes of this
programme are to promote cooperation between Member States in relation to books and reading, to support
and amplify their activities in this field by contributing to the flowering of their cultures while respecting their
national and regional diversity, and to improve the knowledge and dissemination of the literature and history
of the European peoples and their access thereto, notably through assistance for translation of literary,
dramatic and reference works, support for partnership-based cooperation projects and further training for
professionals working in this field;

By the Decision establishing it (Decision 2085/97/EC (1)) the programme should have expired in 1998.
Last September the Commission, wishing to ensure continuity in Community activities in relation to books
and reading pending the entry into force of the Culture 2000 programme scheduled for 1 January 2000,
proposed to Parliament and the Council that Ariane be renewed for 1999. This was agreed, with the same
budget as for 1998, by Parliament on 9 October 1998 and by the Council on 17 November 1998.

A new call for applications for the Ariane programme should be published in the Official Journal in January
1999. It will thus be possible for professionals in the participating countries to present their projects within the
deadline, scheduled for May.

If the project is selected following evaluation of the full range of proposals presented, it could begin running
from the second half of 1999.

(1) OJ L 291, 24.10.1997.