4 Culture 2007 programme
| (25859)
11572/04
COM(04) 469
+ ADD 1
| Draft Decision establishing the Culture 2007 programme (2007-13)
Commission staff working paper — extended impact assessment
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| Legal base | Article 151(5) EC; co-decision; unanimity
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| Department | Culture, Media and Sport
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| Basis of consideration | Minister's letters of 12 July and 13 October 2005
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 42-xxxiii (2003-04), para 4 (20 October 2004) and HC 42-xxxvi (2003-04), para 3 (10 November 2004)
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| To be discussed in Council | 14 November 2005
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Budgetary provisions not cleared; further information requested
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Background
4.1 The EC currently has three culture programmes: one to give
financial support to cross-border cultural events; one to grant-aid
European Capitals of Culture; and one to grant-aid European cultural
organisations. All three programmes expire at the end of 2006.
4.2 In October 2004, the previous Committee considered
this draft Decision which proposes that the existing programmes
should be succeeded by one new programme — Culture 2007.[8]
The Commission proposed that Culture 2007's total budget for 2007-13
should be €408 million. The money would be used to promote
cross-border mobility of cultural workers; encourage circulation
of cultural works (such as concerts, plays, ballets and art exhibitions);
and encourage exchanges between cultures through, for example,
grants to European Capitals of Culture and European cultural organisations.
The document also provided for the simplification of the grant
and administrative procedures.
4.3 The Government told the previous Committee that
the proposal was broadly in line with the Government's view about
the direction the new programme should take. It welcomed the intention
to simplify the administrative and financial arrangements. But
the Government would be seeking amendments to sharpen the programme's
objectives and to ensure that there are effective procedures for
monitoring and evaluating the programme.
4.4 The Government said that the proposed budget
(€408 million) represents a small increase in real terms
in the cost of the three present programmes. But it would not
be possible to settle the budget until the EU's total budget for
the 2007-13 had been agreed. The Government's external consultations
on the new programme would not be completed until the end of October.
A summary of the responses would be published.
4.5 The previous Committee recognised the benefits
of bringing the present three programmes together into one new
programme with fewer and clearer objectives. It welcomed the intention
to simplify the grant procedures. The draft of the Decision did
not appear to raise issues of subsidiarity or proportionality
and the legal base appeared to be appropriate.
4.6 Our predecessors considered that there was scope
for more than one view about whether the proposed budget was too
small, too large or about right. But that could not be settled
until the negotiations on the next Financial Perspective had been
completed. Meanwhile, the Government was asked for a supplementary
Explanatory Memorandum on the results of the Government's consultations
on the proposal.
4.7 In November 2004, the then Minister of Arts at
the department of Culture, Media and Sport (Estelle Morris) sent
the previous Committee a summary of the responses to her Department's
consultation paper.[9]
Nearly all the respondents welcomed the proposals. They thought
they were an improvement on the current Culture 2000 programme,
especially as the Commission proposed to simplify the application
process. Several respondents expressed concern that the smaller
cultural operators might not be able to participate.
4.8 The previous Committee saw nothing in the summary
of the responses to lead it to depart from the preliminary conclusions
it had reached in October 2004. Our predecessors asked the Minister
for progress reports on the negotiations on the draft Decision
and, meanwhile, we kept the document under scrutiny.
The Minister's letters
4.9 In her letters of 12 July and 13 October 2005,
the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell)
tells us about:
- amendments made to the draft
Decision during the Council's negotiations and about amendments
proposed by the European Parliament's Culture and Education Committee;
and
- the aim of the UK Presidency to seek a "partial
political agreement" on the draft Decision at the Council's
meeting on 14 November.
4.10 The Minister tells us that the proposed amendments
include:
- the addition of a new Recital
(22a) requiring that the procedures for monitoring and evaluating
the programme should make use of objectives and indicators which
are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timed ("SMART");
- drafting changes to ensure that the programme
is open and inclusive and does not target specific cultural sectors;
and
- provision for the "memorials strand"
of the programme to fund projects associated with the commemoration
of Stalinist atrocities as well as projects associated with the
Nazi Holocaust.
4.11 The Minister says that the Council and the Commission
have informally welcomed the amendments proposed by the European
Parliament's Culture and Education Committee. She expects them
to be endorsed by the European Parliament at its plenary session
on 24 October. She will write to us again immediately after the
plenary meeting.
4.12 The Minister tells us that the UK Presidency
wishes to achieve a "partial political agreement" (PPA)
on the non-budgetary provisions of the draft Decision at the Council's
meeting on 14 November. The PPA would, however, provide the opportunity
to re-open consideration of the provisions on the programme's
objectives and actions if the settlement of the EU's overall budget
for 2007-13 results in a budget for Culture 2007 much less than
that proposed by the Commission. The Council will take no decisions
on the financial provisions of the draft Decision until after
agreement has been reached on the EU's overall budget. Accordingly,
she asks us to give partial clearance to the document.
Conclusion
4.13 Recital 3 of the draft of the Decision considered
by the previous Committee in October 2004 proposed that greater
emphasis should be placed on the common cultural values and roots
of the citizens of the European Union "as a key element of
their identity and membership of a society founded on freedom,
equity, democracy, tolerance and solidarity." We note that
the European Parliament's Culture and Education Committee proposes
that "respect for human dignity and integrity" should
be inserted after "democracy" and that "in full
compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European
Union" should be added after "solidarity". We should
be grateful for the Minister's comments on the reasons for the
addition of the reference to the Charter of Rights and her views
on the appropriateness of adding the reference during the period
of reflection on the proposed Constitutional Treaty.
4.14 It is our preliminary view that the other
amendments that Council has agreed so far or that the European
Parliament's Committee has proposed would not change the substance
of the draft Decision; but we shall await the Minister's letter
following the plenary meeting of the European Parliament on 24
October before reaching a final view.
4.15 We can understand why the Government aims
to reach a partial political agreement on the non-budgetary provisions
of the draft Decision at the Council's meeting on 14 November.
We see no need to object to this on the express understanding
that:
- consideration of any provision
of the document can, if necessary, be re-opened in the light of
the settlement of the EU's overall budget for 2007-13;
- the Minister will tell us about the European
Parliament's proposed amendments following its plenary meeting
on 24 October;
- the Minister will provide us with timely
progress reports on the Council's subsequent consideration of
the draft decision; and
- we shall retain the budgetary provisions of
the draft Decision under scrutiny.
8 See HC 42-xxxiii (03-04), para 4 (20 October 2004). Back
9
See HC 42-xxxvi (03-04), para 3 (10 November 2004). Back
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