92003E0938

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0938/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(26 March 2003)

Subject: Funding for setting up a vintage vehicle museum

A few months ago, the Rome-based cultural association Archetipo submitted a project for the setting-up of a museum of vintage civil, military and commercial vehicles.

The project includes the creation of a three-level museum complex with three halls: two for the exhibition of vehicles and one for the restoration of engines and coachwork. The association has one of the largest collections of agricultural and industrial machinery in Italy, dating from the early days to the 1960s. It owns 200 vintage motorcycles, sidecars, military motorcycles, commercial three-wheelers dating from the 1930s to the 1950s, wooden horse-drawn vehicles, hundreds of items of agricultural and industrial equipment dating from the 1800s to the late 1960s, such as ploughs, harrows, ploughshares and lathes, ten military aircraft, many tools and implements dating from the 1800s to the present and a host of documentary and bibliographical material of great cultural value.

Besides putting these exhibits on display, the association intends to open the history of vintage vehicles up to the public by setting up a document library, and to create jobs by way of highly specialised training courses for young restorers, since many of its vehicles need to be restored and require continual maintenance. Since the dissemination and promotion of art and culture with a view

to improving access to and participation in it for as many persons as possible is one of the priorities of Agenda 2000, it is important that this unique collection should be protected and not be dispersed.

Could the Commission indicate:

1. what actions or programmes are currently available for financing initiatives and events of this type;

2. whether similar projects have already been submitted by other Member States?

Answer given by Ms Reding on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2003)

1. The Commission may support initiatives in the area of culture, but only within the framework and according to the selection criteria of the Culture 2000 programme, which is the Union's sole instrument for financing and planning cultural cooperation.

This programme is designed to support projects that are jointly run and financed by at least three operators from at least three countries taking part in the programme.

The Honourable Member may find further information at the following site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/c2000.

The Commission is not aware of the submission of any projects of this type by other Member States.