WRITTEN QUESTION E-1862/99 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. The establishment of a European human rights network.
18. 7. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 203 E/73 (2000/C 203 E/089) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1859/99 by Emmanouil Mastorakis (PSE) to the Commission (14 October 1999) Subject: Map of the European Union The Official Publications Office has published a brochure (Luxembourg, 1999) entitled The customs policy of the European Unioní in several languages. I have seen the English, French and Greek editions. On page five of the brochure, there is a colour map of Europe showing the Member States of the European Union in yellow and the applicant countries in brown. Included among the áapplicantí countries is Turkey. Will the Commission monitor the procedure for officially providing such information and will it withdraw the brochure concerned immediately? Answer given Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (8 December 1999) The map shows all the countries which have applied for Community membership. Turkeyís application was submitted on 14 April 1987. The Commission does not, therefore, consider that withdrawal of the brochure is necessary. (2000/C 203 E/090) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1862/99 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission (14 October 1999) Subject: The establishment of a European human rights network In December 1998 an inter-ministerial meeting at Vienna decided that the European Union would issue an annual human rights report. Does the Commission consider that the establishment of a European NGO human rights network would provide a useful channel of communication between NGOs working on human rights issues and the European Commission? Will it support a feasibility study to examine how such a network would operate? Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission (8 November 1999) The Commission attaches a great deal of importance to the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the field of human rights and their considerable contributions to safeguarding and promoting human rights. In the declaration it adopted in Vienna on 10 December last year, the Union undertook to consider organising a regular human rights forum involving the EU institutions and representatives of academic institutions and NGOs. The Forum organised by the Presidency on 30 November, bringing together representatives of the institutions, NGOs and academia, will represent the first stage of an in-depth dialogue. The Commission also welcomes the setting-up in 1997 (on the initiative of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation of Human Rights) of a contact group for the free exchange of views on human rights issues between NGOs, parliamentarians, the Commission, the Council and C 203 E/74 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 7. 2000 Member States. This group, which has the makings of an NGO human rights network, could be developed along the lines of other initiatives that have proven fruitful in this area, such as the General Assembly of development NGOs. The Commission intends to present a communication on human rights next year. The NGOs will be consulted during its preparation. Among other topics, the communication will address the issue of how best to access the added value that NGOs can bring to the Commissionís human rights work, and the possible establishment of a human rights network. (2000/C 203 E/091) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1865/99 by Robert Evans (PSE) to the Commission (14 October 1999) Subject: European Union funding for culture With reference to the allocation of European Union funding for culture can the Commission indicate how much money is distributed to subsidise and promote the arts within and outside the EU borders and from which budget sources? What is the national breakdown of monies received for cultural projects within each of the EU Member States? Is Title IX, Article 128 of the Treaty the only legal base for funding cultural projects/programmes? How much of the budget for culture is dedicated, as is stated in Article 128, to ábringing the common cultural heritage to the foreí? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (23 November 1999) The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that support for purely cultural projects is based on Article 151 (ex-Article 128) of the EC Treaty. During the last financial exercise of 1998, support was provided from the posts B3. 2000, B3. 2001, B3. 2003 of the budget. It is under these posts that the Commission supported projects under the Raphael programme (B3. 2000), under the Kaleidoscope programme (B3. 2001), under the Ariane programme (B3. 2002) and cultural co-operation projects (B3. 2003) within and outside the Community borders. For 1998 there were supported 84 projects under Raphael with a total budgetary allocation of approximately € 10 million; 147 projects under Kaleidoscope with a total budgetary allocation of approximately € 10 million; 292 projects under Ariane with a total budgetary allocation of € 2,9 million, and over 70 projects under the post B3. 2003 for cultural co-operation with a total budgetary allocation of approximately € 6 million. Each project concerned a network with the involvement of at least three partners from three different Member States or countries eligible for participation in the cultural programme (European Economic Area and Central and eastern European countries). In this sense, Community funding is given to encourage European co-operation, as it is clearly stated in Article 151 of the EC Treaty and it cannot, therefore, be broken down as monies received for cultural projects within each of the Member States. Article 151 of the EC Treaty is the only legal basis for funding purely cultural projects. However, paragraph 4 of the article provides also the basis for the consideration of projects with cultural aspects from other Community policies and programmes. One of the priority areas of Article 151 referred to as ábringing the Common cultural heritage to the foreí is covered by the Raphael programme