92002E2596

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2596/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(18 September 2002)

Subject: Destruction of ancient Greek and Roman monuments in Turkey

The Turkish press reports that extensive cracks have appeared in the ancient theatre of Ephesus in Asia Minor after a number of rock concerts were held there by permission of the Turkish authorities. Furthermore, camel fights (!!) have been held in the ancient stadium of Ephesus which has damaged the monuments and, needless to say, is an affront to its history.

This is not the first time that monuments have been damaged in Turkey, while something similar is happening to the ancient Greek and Christian monuments in northern Cyprus, which is occupied by the Turkish army.

Is the Commission aware of the damage to the monuments at Ephesus? What is its view of the events held there? On how many occasions (and which specifically) has the Commission officially taken up the subject of the destruction of monuments in Turkey with Turkish officials (monuments which were created by other peoples and only happen to be situated on the territory of present-day Turkey) and how many times (and on which specific occasions) did the Turkish officials give adequate and satisfactory explanations?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(17 October 2002)

The Commission is not aware of the specific facts mentioned by the Honourable Member. It is well known that the Ephesus theatre hosts events connected to theatre and music festivals during the summer. Some of these events have great political significance. On 30 August 2002, for the first time, the antique theatre in Ephesus hosted a concert of songs in Armenian, Kurdish and Greek.

The Commission attaches great importance to the protection of archaeological heritage. There are, however, no specific provisions in the Community acquis related to the protection of ancient monuments. The Culture 2000 Community programme, established for the period 2000-2004, contributes to the promotion of good practices concerning the conservation and safeguarding of the common cultural heritage of European significance and it supports projects of co-operation in the field. Seventy-five heritage projects were funded for the year 2000 through this programme.

Although Turkey does not currently participate in the programme, the Commission is willing to facilitate its involvement in the future.

In 2001 the Community committed EUR 11,5 million to protect Turkey's cultural heritage in the southeastern part of the country. Implementation of this project will be spread over the coming three to four years. Given the availability of funds, the Commission does not at this stage foresee other projects devoted to cultural heritage in Turkey.