WRITTEN QUESTION E-0012/02 by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Council. MEDA funding and culture.
Date: 2002-01-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Union for the Mediterranean, cooperation in the field of education, cultural cooperation, cultural heritage, cultural pluralism, cultural policy, heritage protection

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/57

When retiring, staff are reminded of these principles in the Vade Mecum associated with the pension
scheme, which specifically requires permanent officials and other servants not to accept any position or
task which would be incompatible with the interests of the Union. If, within the first three years after
departure from employment, a retired permanent official or other servant has any doubts about whether a
planned activity conforms with these rules,
they must notify the Commission accordingly. Such
notifications are considered on a case by case basis and the process for doing that includes consideration
by the Legal Service, the Secretariat-General and the relevant Directorates-General, particularly the one in
which the official/other servant in question last worked. The Commission only approves of a former
official or other servant undertaking an activity if it concludes that the activity planned by the person will
not conflict with the interests of the Commission.

In the context of its proposed Reform of the Staff Regulations the Commission has concluded that the
present system is not always easy to apply in practice and that, accordingly, Article 16 of the Staff
Regulations needs substantial revision. On 20 December 2001 the Commission adopted a draft proposal
includes modifications to
for a Council Regulation amending the Staff Regulations and the proposal
Article 16 (1). That proposal would require the creation of a general obligation to inform the Institution
about the activity or occupation that the official proposes to take up after leaving the service, and the
development of criteria for determining whether the proposed activity could involve a conflict of interest.

As required by law, the Commission transmitted its draft proposal on 1 February 2002 to the Inter-
institutional Staff Regulations Committee requesting the Committee’s opinion before the end of March
2002. The Commission will take due account of the opinion before formally transmitting its proposal, in
revised form if necessary, to the Council and to the Parliament.

(1) The text is available on the Commission’s reform site (http://www.cc.cec/home/admref/en/index.html).

(2002/C 205 E/060)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0012/02

by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Council

(23 January 2002)

Subject: MEDA funding and culture

The MEDA I and MEDA II regulations make express provision for the promotion of cultural cooperation
as part of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. To date this policy has been implemented through the
Heritage programme, which primarily focuses on the partners’ cultural heritage and architectural traditions.

In view of the current political situation, which makes mutual comprehension and the strengthening of
relations between the peoples of the European Union and the partner countries a necessity, does the
Council believe that a new programme for cultural cooperation should be designed and implemented,
dealing with the dissemination of art, history, philosophy and religion? If so, does the Council think that
new structures and opportunities should be created to enable Euro-Mediterranean cross-cultural dialogue
and cooperation to gain renewed impetus and drive and to become a factor contributing to
rapprochement, trust and stability in the region?

Reply

(13 May 2002)

The Council fully supports the Honourable Member’s suggestions. Indeed, at the Euro-Mediterranean
1.
ministerial meeting in Brussels on 5 and 6 November 2001, the Ministers acknowledged the importance of
the Barcelona Process as a relevant and recognised instrument for promoting a dialogue of equals between
cultures and civilisations. They agreed to continue to combat all forms of racism, religious prejudice and
stereotyping and to work on deepening the existing dialogue between cultures and civilisations, focusing
on youth, education and the media.

C 205 E/58

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

Regarding the Heritage programme specifically, the Ministers noted the progress made and the launching
of the second phase of the programme at the beginning of 2001. Accordingly, at the end of December
2001 eight projects totalling around EUR 17 million were signed, and are shortly to be implemented.
Those projects involve a very wide range of activities such as, for instance, development of the cultural
heritage,
the common musical
heritage, the cultural legacy, including prehistory, and the promotion and awareness of the single heritage
and the introduction of new information and communication techniques.

the common cultural memory, exploitation of know-how networks,

2.
Cultural cooperation is one of the priorities of the Spanish Presidency, which is intending to submit a
framework programme to encourage a dialogue between cultures and civilisation centred on youth,
education and the media, for adoption by the Valencia Ministerial Conference.

In particular:

@ regarding youth,

the Commission’s efforts to launch the second stage of

the regional Youth

programme will be supported;

@ regarding education, there will be enhanced cooperation between universities on both sides of the
Mediterranean, via extension of the Tempus programme to the Mediterranean partners, help in
updating university syllabuses and encouragement in the training and exchange of lecturers;

To that end, a Euro-Mediterranean Foundation should be created covering mainly primary and
secondary education, with an independent structure geared particularly towards promoting the use of
new technology;

@ regarding the media, a regional information and communication programme will be lauched to raise

the profile of the Process.

Lastly, a seminar is to be organised in Vienna on 3 June 2002, on the role of the Euro-Mediterranean
media, in order to analyse the perceptions that partners have of one another and to suggest possible paths
of action for inclusion in the future regional communication and information programme.

(2002/C 205 E/061)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0014/02

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Council

(22 January 2002)

Subject: Events in Genoa

Further to the Council’s reply to Written Questions E-2379/01 and E-2454/01 (1), why does the Council
deny responsibility for the application of Article 6(1) and (2) TEU?

(1) OJ C 81 E, 4.4.2002, p. 165.

Reply

(13 May 2002)

Article 6 TEU refers to a number of principles on which the Union is founded. Responsibility for the
application of these principles lies primarily with the Member States, without prejudice to the role
attributed to the Council under the procedures set out in Article 7 TEU.