8. 11. 97 Official Journal of the European Communities L 305/31 DECISION No 2228/97/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 October 1997 establishing a Community action programme in the field of cultural heritage (the Raphael programme) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 128 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (*), in the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 2 July 1997, (1) Whereas in reality, the most tangible and influential aspect of Europe as a whole is not merely its geo- graphical, political, economic and social features but also its culture; (2) Whereas, pursuant to Title IX of the Treaty, which is devoted specifically to culture, the Community is to contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore; (3) Whereas Article 128 of the Treaty identifies cultural heritage as a specific field of action and whereas that cultural heritage is the expression of national and regional identities and the links between peoples; whereas it must be preserved and made more easily accessible to members of the public (including those who face particular problems of access) in order to contribute to greater mutual understanding and respect; (4) Whereas Community action can contribute to better preservation of the cultural heritage by promoting the exchange of experiences and expertise and encouraging operational synergies and partnership; July 1996 (O] C 264, 11. 9. 1996, p. 69), Decision of the European Parliament of 22 October 1996 (O] C 347, 18. 11. 1996, p. 29), Decision of the European Parliament of 16 Sep- tember 1997 (OJ C 304, 6. 10. 1997) and Council Decision of 24 July 1997. (5) Whereas, because of its socioeconomic dimension, the preservation of the cultural heritage is an element in a design for society and can contribute significantly to job creation, the promotion of cultural tourism, to regional development and to improving the quality of life and the day-to-day en- vironment of ordinary people; whereas contemporary creative work can play an important role in this respect; (6) Whereas culture is an important area for action in the context of the information society, as highlighted in the Commission communication entitled ‘Europe’s way to the information society: an action plan’; (7) Whereas research must be carried out at Community level on the preservation of the cultural heritage; whereas Community action in research, techno- logical development and demonstration is under- taken in accordance with the technological research and development framework programme (%), which could be of benefit to this programme; (8) Whereas the Commission has gained experience through the activities undertaken to date in par- ticular in the field of architectural heritage and the results of the consultations it has held with all the parties concerned; (%) Whereas the European Parliament attaches import- ance to Community action in favour of heritage, and in particular to training, research, raising the aware- ness of young people and adolescents, cooperation with non-member countries and the Council of Europe and links with other Community policies, particularly as regards training and regional develop- ment (%); (%) Decision No 1110/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 April 1994 concerning the fourth frame- work programme of the European Community activities in the field of research and technological development and de- monstration (1994 to 1998) (O] L 126, 18. 5. 1994, p. 1). (%) Buropean Parliament resolution on measures to protect the European cultural heritage (O] C 62, 30. 5. 1974, p. 5). European Parliament resolution on the protection OF the ar- chitectural and archaeological heritage (OJ C 267, 11. 10. 1982, p. 25). European Parliament resolution on the conservation of the Community’s architectural and archaeological heritage (O] C 309, 5. 12. 1988, p. 423). European Parliament resolution on preserving the architec- tural heritage and protecting cultural assets (OJ C 72, 15. 3. 1993, p. 160).