WRITTEN QUESTION E-1427/01 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Safeguarding Europe's cultural heritage.
Date: 2001-05-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Council of Europe, EU Member State, archaeology, cooperation policy, cultural heritage, heritage protection

C 93 E/10

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

(2002/C 93 E/010)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1405/01

by Robert Sturdy (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 May 2001)

Subject: Geographical classification of Armenia

Would the Commission please inform me as to what geographical region Armenia, a Member of the
Council of Europe, is associated with for the purposes of the work of the European Union? It has been my
understanding that Armenia was considered to be part of Europe, but conflicting sources have suggested
that it is part of south-western Asia.

The source that I refer to is The World Factbook, the US Government’s Complete Geographical Handbook.
Is the Commission aware that certain European insurance underwriters have been using this source to
determine the categorisation of various countries and that
this can have adverse effects for those
Europeans seeking travel insurance and who make the logical assumption that Armenia is included in
Europe?

Should not EU businesses be referring to EU classifications when determining their policies?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(1 October 2001)

The relations between the Union and the Republic of Armenia are defined by the Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement, signed on 22 April 1996 and entered into force on 1 July 1999 (1).

The Union and Community Treaties do not contain any provision with regard to the geographical
determination of limits of Europe.

In its report on ‘Europe and the challenge of enlargement’ presented to the European Council in Lisbon on
26-27 June 1992, the Commission stated that:

The term ‘European’ has not been officially defined. It combines geographical, historical and cultural
elements which all contribute to the European identity. The shared experience of proximity, ideas,
values and historical interaction cannot be condensed into a simple formula, and it is subject to review
by each succeeding generation. The Commission believes that it is neither possible or opportune to
establish new frontiers of the European Union, whose contours will be shaped over many years to
come.

For the purposes of the activities within the Council, issues related to the Republic of Armenia are dealt
with by the Group on Eastern Europe and central Asia.

(1) OJ L 239, 9.9.1999, p. 3.

(2002/C 93 E/011)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1427/01

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Safeguarding Europe’s cultural heritage

(17 May 2001)

On 16 April part of the Aurelian Walls in Rome collapsed. This in itself would be enough to suggest a
degree of responsibility on the part of the authorities in charge of maintaining the ancient structure, since
restoration work, carried out as recently as 1999, did not produce the expected results. Was this the result
of negligence or incompetence on the part of those organising the work? These questions highlight the
problem of insensitivity regarding the upkeep of Italy’s archaeological heritage, which also belongs to
Europe and the whole world and should be protected by means of a policy aimed at taking more effective
measures to safeguard a treasure which is only remembered when disastrous events of this kind take place.

18.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 93 E/11

Can the Commission say whether it financed, via one of its programmes, the restoration of works of

1.
archaeological interest in Rome for the Millennium celebrations?

2.

If it did, did it receive a report on the work actually carried out?

Does it have appropriate instruments for protecting an archaeological treasure which is not only of

3.
national interest from the negligence shown by those responsible for it?

4.
Does it not consider that steps should be taken to create the specific concept of ‘European cultural
heritage’ to cover all the archaeological sites, historic buildings and works of art in the territory of the
Union and their state of conservation, in order to be able to take steps, in conjunction with the Member
States, to safeguard them?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(1 October 2001)

The Commission did not finance any restoration of monuments in Rome for the Millennium

1.
celebrations.

2.

According to Article 151 (ex Article 128) of the EC Treaty, the Community is responsible for:

A encouraging cultural cooperation between Member States;

A supporting and supplementing action by Member States (and providing financial support if necessary)

in the following areas:

(a)

improvement of the knowledge and dissemination of the culture and history of the European
peoples;

(b) conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage of European significance;

(c) non-commercial cultural exchanges;

(d) artistic and literary creation, including in the audiovisual sector.

It is important to note that Article 151 also excludes any ‘harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the
Member States’ (1) in this area.

3. With regard to the possibility of creating a ‘European cultural heritage’, the Commission would like
to draw the Honourable Member’s attention to Parliament’s recent report on the Member States’
application of the Convention for the Protection of the World Heritage, in which it is hoped that Member
States can be encouraged to examine,
the possibility of a
classification system for European heritage based on common definitions and identification criteria. This
would help to identify the cultural, linguistic and natural heritage, the importance of which goes beyond
national
in order to help underline the
diversity and wealth of European heritage and to emphasise the fact that it is shared.

level, and to give this heritage an identifiable European label

together with the Council of Europe,

The Commission would like to draw the Honourable Member’s attention to the fact that listing a site as
‘European cultural heritage’ would not in itself guarantee its protection.

(1) EC Treaty, Article 151(5), first indent.

(2002/C 93 E/012)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1486/01

by Robert Goebbels (PSE) to the Commission

(18 May 2001)

Subject: Identity checks at Charles de Gaulle airport

One of the major steps forward for a People’s Europe was the Schengen Agreement and its incorporation,
through the protocol adopted at the European Council in Amsterdam, into the body of law on the basis of
which the European Union functions. However, one of the essential principles of the free movement of
persons within the Union, that is to say an end to systematic identity checks on Europeans travelling in the