WRITTEN QUESTION E-0078/00 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. European initiatives to celebrate the work of the writer Giovannino Guareschi.
C 280 E/172 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 3. 10. 2000 (2000/C 280 E/195) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0078/00 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (24 January 2000) Subject: European initiatives to celebrate the work of the writer Giovannino Guareschi The books of the writer, journalist, illustrator and humorist Giovannino Guareschi, which include Favola di Nataleí ( Christmas Storyí), written while he was held in a Nazi concentration camp in December 1944, and the Don Camillo stories, written after the war, have been translated into almost all of the official languages of the European Union, as well as into Icelandic, Serbo-Croat, Vietnamese, Arabic and Lithuanian. Guareschiís books, writings, cartoons and other works, all of which seek to uphold individual freedoms and human dignity and to combat totalitarianism in all its forms (from Nazism and Fascism to Stalinist Communism), form a vital part of Europeís cultural heritage. In recent years, in places such as Roncole Verdi (Parma), Brescello (Reggio Emilia) and Fontanelle (Parma), private citizens and public bodies have set up museums, permanent exhibitions and trails to guide tourists around the Little Worldí ü the Lower Emilia area of the Po Valley, where Guareschi set his stories. How does the Commission view the idea of funding cultural projects involving town twinning arrange- ments and other initiatives between various European countries, aimed at bringing Giovannino Guareschi and his work to the attention of a new audience? What are its views on the establishment of a Giovannino Guareschi European Prizeí, sponsored by the European Union and aimed at artists and humorists whose work makes use of Guareschiís traditional tools of humour and satire to promote freedom of thought and uphold human dignity? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (28 February 2000) The Commission may grant support for cultural initiatives only within the framework and according to the criteria of its existing programmes. The Commission wishes to draw the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that, in the course of March 2000, a call for proposals relating to the first Culture 2000í framework programme will be published in the Official Journal, with Internet consultation also possible. In the context of the Culture 2000í programme, funding earmarked for the field of books, reading and translation will probably account for around 11 % of the annual budget. Cultural operators hoping to obtain financial support will thus have an opportunity to present projects in line with the programmeís conditions and criteria. As far as a prize is concerned, the Honourable Member is advised that, as provided for by the programme, the Commission will give due consideration to this idea and others, in the course of the year, with a view to establishing a coherent policy for European cultural prizesí. (2000/C 280 E/196) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0080/00 by Mary Banotti (PPE-DE) to the Commission (18 January 2000) Subject: European Medicinal Evaluation Agency (EMEA) Given that áearly access programmesí for new medicinal products are at present subject to national legislation, which results in serious delays as fifteen different authorities negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, compared to the USA, where one central authority, the FDA, grants such access and that this