91997E3612

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3612/97 by María Izquierdo Rojo (PSE) to the Council (7 November 1997)

Subject: European cultural capitals

On Tuesday 28 October 1997 the press in Granada published a report to the effect that the Spanish Government will submit applications from four Spanish cities for selection as cultural capitals of Europe, saying 'this government decision has been adopted after the meeting on 23 October between the Minister for Education and Culture, Esperanza Aguirre, and the Luxembourg Minister for Culture, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, as President-in-Office of the Council of Ministers for Culture and the Media of the European Union. The position of the European Commission regarding the criteria to be used to select the European cities of culture was also taken into account'.

In the interests of the need for transparency and information and the participation of the European Institutions, can the Council supply accurate and comprehensive information on the subject?

Answer (26 January 1998)

Pending the adoption and implementation of the Commission's recent proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision establishing a Community initiative for 'The European City of Culture' event, the matter is dealt with on an intergovernmental basis, and the selection of the European City of Culture for 2001 has to follow established practice.

As things stand, it is the Ministers 'meeting within the Council' who decide on the selection criteria and who have selected the European Cities of Culture since 1985 and until 2000.

The Spanish authorities wrote to the President-in-Office of the Council to inform her that four Spanish cities were candidates for the event (Valencia for 2001, Salamanca for 2002, Granada for 2003 and Barcelona for 2004) and in doing so they followed long-standing practice.

In the interests of transparency the Presidency organized a seminar at Bourglinster on 7 and 8 November 1997, which was attended by representatives of the European Parliament (the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Culture took part in the proceedings) and representatives of the cities competing for the 2001 event, the Member States and the Commission.

The discussions which took place at that seminar should facilitate the Ministers' choice.

The European Parliament will soon be able to play its role to the full, when it debates the new proposal for a Decision tabled by the Commission.