WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2859/98 by Concepció FERRER to the Commission. Regional cultural development
21. 5. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 142/49 (1999/C 142/058) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2857/98 by Angela Sierra González (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (28 September 1998) Subject: Inclusion of representatives from local and regional authorities in EU national delegations The Spanish Government has stated its view that representatives of the autonomous communities cannot be included within the governmental delegations which attend meetings of the EU Council of Ministers dealing with matters exclusively within the competence of the regions. This view rules out the possibility of the closer involvement of local and regional authorities in EU decision-making, which should be achieved by enhancing the role of all local administrations in the EU in all decision-making at Community level. Furthermore, this is tantamount to ignoring the principle of subsidiarity and stalling progress towards a new policy of transparency, both of which are vital to improving the Union’s decision-making procedure. Is the Commission aware of the view expressed by the Spanish Government? Does it believe that the opportunity exists to promote the involvement of the various regional authorities in intergovernmental decision-making in the Council and in the other Community bodies? Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (1 December 1998) The Commission takes the view that it has no jurisdiction in this matter. It feels that the question ought to be put to the Council. (1999/C 142/059) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2859/98 by Concepció Ferrer (PPE) to the Commission (28 September 1998) Subject: Regional cultural development Measures in the field of culture help promote awareness of European cultural identity and instil a sense of European citizenship. Furthermore, they are a factor in endogenous regional development, which can play a prominent role in job creation. Few resources are allocated to purely cultural programmes (at the end of 1997 the figure was a mere 8 % of all resources) or to Community initiatives to promote regional cultural development. That being so, does the Commission not think that the budgets devoted to fostering and preserving European culture and to stepping up Community initiatives to promote regional cultural development should be increased? Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (7 December 1998) The Commission undertakes cultural activities under a variety of heads. It has been using specifically cultural programmes to support cultural projects with a European dimension for several years. Although the budgetary allocation for ongoing cultural programmes is small, as the Honourable Member points out,