Activites

• 2000/03/10 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Decision 2000/508
  • OJ L 063 10.03.2000, p. 0001
• 2000/02/14 Final act signed
• 2000/02/14 End of procedure in Parliament
• 2000/02/03 Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading
  • T5-0035/2000 summary

    The European Parliament approves the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee regarding the Culture 2000 Programme.�

• 2000/02/02 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• #2240
• 2000/01/24 Council Meeting
• 2000/01/21 Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading
  • A5-0009/2000
• 1999/12/23 Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs
  • 3638/1999
• 1999/12/09 Formal meeting of Conciliation Committee
• #2221
• 1999/11/23 Council Meeting
  • 2221
• #2220
• 1999/11/22 Council Meeting
• 1999/10/28 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T5-0079/1999 summary

    In adopting the recommendation for the second reading drafted by Mr. Vasco GRACE MOURA (EPP/ED, P) on the "Culture 2000" programme, the European Parliament broadly confirms its previous position by resubmitting a significant number of amendments approved in its first reading, in particular : - the title of the programme : "Culture 2000" should relate explicitly to European cultural policy rather than cultural cooperation; - the financial framework : EUR 250 million instead of Eur 167 million which was proposed by the Council (this amount may be revised, by not more than 20%, in the context of the annual budgetary conciliation procedure); - the report : the drawing up of the report no later than 31.12.2002 on the results of the programme emphasising the socio-economic consequences of the Community's financial support. In addition, the European Parliament emphasises that the programme allows the wider public to participate in culture and not only those active in the cultural sector. It also includes amendments on comitology. The Parliament made a certain number of amendments to the annexes of the proposal which aim to emphasise the following points : - the annual Community support of projects carried out in partnership or in the form of a network must involve operators from at least three Member States; - the support for bringing together and the common work of cultural organisations in view of implementing important quality projects with a European dimension should involve at least five Member States; - the cultural cooperation agreement for the co-production of of cultural events (exhibitions, festivals), promotion cultural sites, study and research projects will cover a maximum period of three years. The European Parliament introduces technical provisions to implement these cultural cooperation agreements. It specifies, in particular, that the financing of these multiannual cultural cooperation agreements receiving Community support for more than one year must submit to the Committee at the end of each year a summary of activities undertaken and of the expenditure on each activity, in order for the Community support to be carried over a period of the project. The annual financing may not be more than EUR 250 million a year. Other details are set out in the annexes, notably those concerning European prizes in the various cultural spheres, such as literature, translation, architecture etc., or support for projects safeguarding cultural heritage which can be described as 'European heritage laboratories'. Lastly, the European Parliament introduces amendments regarding the share-out in percentages of the funds allocated to different activities.�

• 1999/10/27 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 1999/10/12 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A5-0026/1999
• 1999/07/23 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2195
• 1999/06/28 Council Meeting
• 1999/04/23 Council position published
  • 13328/2/1998 summary

    In its common position, the Council accepted 11 of the 31 amendments adopted by the European Parliament in its first reading. These relate to: - underlining the European nature of the programme and its benefits for European integration, - promoting creativity and professionalism in the cutural sector, - ensuring the coherence and the complementarity of the programme with other Community actions that have a cultural impact, - favouring the vertical approach (a single cultural field per action) or the horizontal approach of certain actions (associating several cultural fields). Among the Parliament's amendments not taken up by the Council were those relating to access and public participation in the programme, comitology aspects, programme evaluation and monitoring, and the European cultural poles approach. The common position maintains the budget at 167 million euros, as proposed by the Commission in its initial proposal. It also introduces a new division of the budget between the different actions of the programme (already suggested by the European Parliament), as follows: - 40% for specific actions, - 40% for integrated actions, - 10% for special cultural events, and - 10% for other expenditure related to the implementation of the programme. It states that Community support for special cultural events (other than European cultural capitals and the European cultural month) should not be less than 150,000 EUR and not more than 300,000 EUR per year. Lastly, it changed the type of committee to implement the programme proposed by the Commission to a management committee (or type IIb Committee).�

• #2134
• 1998/11/17 Council Meeting
• 1998/11/16 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1998)0673 summary

    The Commission's amended proposal on establishing a single financing and programming instrument for cultural cooperation incorporates, entirely, in part or in spirit, those of the European Parliament's 31 amendments considered to have improved the drafting of the proposal, or to have added new elements which strengthen it, notably in the following areas : - underlining the importance of the establishment of the cultural dimension as a positive force for European and social integration; - stressing the need to safeguard Europe's small cultures and minority languages; - taking account of the extent of success of previous E.U. cultural programmes ; - pointing out the need for a complementary legal framework to reduce cultural obstacles which hinder cultural development ; - promoting the exchange of information among those working in the cultural sector, their creativity, and the dissemination of their work to the public ; - ensuring the coherence and complementarity of this programme with other Community policies which impact on the cultural sector, and with national cultural initiatives ; - defining types of cultural acion as either vertical (affecting only one cultural sector) or horizontal (affecting many cultural sectors) ; However, the Commission rejects 14 amendments, notably relating to the following areas: - references to cultural policy and the single market for culture, as these go beyond cooperation between Member States and cultural operators to create a common European cultural area, as envisaged by the EC Treaty; - reference to asserting the European cultural identity towards third countries, preferring the notion of intercultural dialogue; - specific reference under Article 4 "Implementation" to cooperation with Member States, which the Commission feels is unnecessary; - reference to consultation of the Economic and Social Committee in following up the programme, which the Treaty does not require in the cultural sector. Furthermore, the Commission rejects amendments in four other areas : 1) types of activities: attributing percentages of the budget to different cultural sectors could risk lowering the quality of eligible projects, and making the programme too inflexible and difficult to manage ; 2) the budget: the figure of 167 MECU corresponds to the budgetary arrangements agreed by the institutions; 3) comitology; 4) application procedure : this is usually published in the OJ, for the practical use of cultural operators, and for this programme has been approached by the Commission with a view to ensuring transparency and high quality when selecting projects.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/', 'title': 'Education and Culture'}],
• 1998/11/05 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0638/1998 summary

    The first framework programme for culture (2000-2004) ought to be more transparent and effective, and greater importance should be attached to small projects. These are two of the key ideas in the report by Mrs Nana MOUSKOURI (PPE, GR) on establishing a single financing and programming instrument for cultural cooperation (Culture 2000 programme), which was adopted by Parliament. In order to achieve this, Members substantially amended the Commission proposal, and proposed that the budget should be increased from EUR 167 m to EUR 250 m. In Parliament's view, the fundamental objective of the framework programme was to enshrine the cultural dimension as the heart and driving force of the process of European integration. In order to render the programme more effective, the European Parliament proposed a sectoral approach, taking account of the various needs of each field of culture. Six vertical measures were laid down, indicating the approximate share of the financial package to be allocated to each sector: performing arts (theatre and dance) (9%), music (16%), plastic, applied and visual arts (7%), cultural heritage (35%), literature (books, reading and translation) (9%), and other forms of artistic expression (4%). In parallel with this verticalisation of the promotion of culture, three horizontal measures were proposed, likewise with an indicative breakdown of funding: synergies (trans-sectoral activities) (5%), joint activities with other Community programmes (5%), activity in support of major projects and/or projects of symbolic importance (10%). Correcting the balance of the programme in this way would make it possible to impart greater Community added value to small projects and not just to large ones. Parliament also amended the provisions concerning the implementation of the programme. In particular it made provision for closer association of operators and organisations responsible for culture and defined more precisely the cooperation to be entered into with Member States. It altered the commitology arrangements and bolstered the aspects of the programme concerning consistency and complementarity with other Community initiatives. It stressed external cultural cooperation under the programme. Parliament provided for the setting-up of 'European cultural contact points' to ensure the widest possible dissemination of the programme at national and regional level so as to promote small- scale actions directly involving citizens, to ensure constant interaction with the various national and Community institutions providing support and facilitate access to the programme. In order better to meet the needs for transparency and efficiency, the framework programme will be monitored and evaluated in a very detailed manner (interim and final evaluation reports are to be drawn up). As regards the annexes to 'Culture 2000', specifying details of the measures to implement the programme, Parliament completely altered the approach on the basis of its sectoral breakdown of the programme. The objectives of the various actions are to be attained by means of two types of measures. One is support for integrated projects covered by cultural cooperation agreements. These are major projects of symbolic importance (e.g. coproduction of cultural events) involving at least five of the States participating in the programme. This cooperation may be multiannual, in which case a summary of activities undertaken must be submitted annually. Community support must not exceed 60% of the budget for the cultural cooperation agreement, nor may it exceed ECU 200 000 per annum. The second type of measure is annual support for specific projects which must involve operators from at least three of the participating States. These may, for example, have the aim of improving access to culture and increasing participation in it by citizens in all their social and regional diversity, including disadvantaged sections of the population and the young. Parliament laid down details of the selection criteria for access to the programme, particularly stressing the viability of actions. Out of a concern to defend the arts as a whole, Parliament called for a study of fiscal aspects of culture and intellectual property.�

• 1998/11/04 Debate in Parliament
• 1998/10/13 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0370/1998
• 1998/06/15 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• #2100
• 1998/05/28 Council Meeting
  • 2100
• 1998/05/06 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1998)0266 summary

    OBJECTIVE: establish the first European Community Framework Programme in support of culture (2000-2004). SUBSTANCE: the 'Culture 2000' programme seeks to rationalize and improve the effectiveness of cultural cooperation initiatives through a single financing and programming instrument replacing the three current programmes, KALEIDOSCOPE, ARIANE and RAPHAEL (the first two expiring on 31 December 1998). The total budget of the programme is ECU 167 m for a five year period (from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2004). The programme seeks to encourage cooperation between creative artists, cultural operators and cultural institutions in the Member States with a view to achieving the following specific objectives: - the mutual knowledge of the cultural history of the European people thus revealing their common cultural heritage and encouraging cultural dialogue; - encouraging creativity, the international dissemination and greater movement of artists and their creations; - the promotion of cultural diversity and the development of new forms of cultural expression, - the contribution of culture to socioeconomic development; - highlighting the European importance of the cultural heritage; - encouraging European cultures in third countries and dialogues with other cultures around the world. In accordance with these objectives, the Commission will regularly define the necessary priorities. The type of cultural actions eligible for support are: 1) integrated projects covered by structured multiannual cultural cooperation agreements involving several Member States (for example, co-productions and other large scale cultural events, measures to develop further training and mobility for those engaged in the cultural professions, measures involving several different cultural disciplines, measures to improve knowledge of our common cultural heritage; 2) major projects with a European and/or international dimension (for example, the European City of Culture, the creation of a European Union Cultural Festival, the performing arts in the country holding the Presidency of the Union, the cross-border television broadcasting of cultural events, measures to promote cultural dialogue, etc.); 3) Specific innovative and/or experimental projects within the Community and/or in non-member countries (for example, measures to encourage the emergence of new forms of cultural expression such as peace or nature, measures to encourage wider cultural participation by the people of Europe, the creation of multimedia tools to make artistic creation more accessible, measures to promote the profile of European cultures in third countries, etc.). These measures are implemented by the Commission assisted by an advisory committee. 'Culture 2000' is open to participation by the countries of the European Economic Area, Cyprus, the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe and other countries which have included cooperation agreements containing cultural clauses. It also promotes joint action with UNESCO or the Council of Europe. The programme should be coordinated with and complementary to other Community instruments in the cultural sector (tourism, education, employment, external relations etc.). Measures are being envisaged to give a higher profile to the Community dimension of the measures taken. In addition, the contact points will be set up in the Member States in order to improve communications with the professional experts concerned regarding 'Culture 2000'. An interim report (2002) and a final report (2004) will be drawn up to assess the results of the programme. The reports will be forwarded to the Council and European Parliament. �

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/', 'title': 'Education and Culture'}],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1998)0266
• Debate in Council: 2100
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0370/1998
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0638/1998
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1998)0673
• Council position published: 13328/2/1998
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A5-0026/1999
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T5-0079/1999
• Debate in Council: 2221
• Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs: 3638/1999
• Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading: A5-0009/2000
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading: T5-0035/2000
• : Decision 2000/508
• : OJ L 063 10.03.2000, p. 0001

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)