Establishment of a Cultural Fund of the Council of Europe
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- This Recommendation was adopted by the Assembly at its 6th Sitting, on 7th July, 1955 (see Doc. 354, draft Recommendation of the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions and Explanatory Memorandum by Mr. Hollis, Rapporteur).
The Assembly,
Recalling that Article 1 of the European Cultural Convention requires that each Member State of the Council of Europe shall take appropriate measures to safeguard and to encourage the development of its national contribution to the common cultural heritage of Europe ;
Believing that the interest of the citizens of Europe in the cause of European unity would be stimulated if they were given the opportunity of contributing personally to certain of the measures taken to further that cause,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers should set up, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, a Cultural Fund, constituted and administered in the manner described hereunder.
Purposes
1. To enable the Council of Europe to give its effective support to cultural and scientific activities which exceed the national framework.
2. To facilitate, through the medium of the Council of Europe, the establishment of special Foundations and the maintenance of European cultural and scientific institutions.
3. To conclude agreements with other special Foundations concerned with European cultural activities, both in respect of the use of available credits and the distribution or coordination of the cultural tasks to be undertaken.
4. To facilitate cultural and scientific exchange between Member States and between those States and other countries and regions of the world.
Contributions
5. The Fund shall be financed by contributions from commercial and industrial organisations, public or private institutions, associations or bodies, private individuals, trade unions, governments and municipalities.
6. The list of subscribers shall each year be published and donations formally acknowledged by the Consultative Assembly. The Committee of Administration mentioned in paragraph 15 may decide on any measure designed to meet the special wishes expressed by the donors.
7. The collection of contributions shall be made under the auspices of the Council of Europe.
8. A national Committee shall be set up in each country which has agreed to take part in the establishment of the Fund ; this Committee shall be composed of at least three Representatives appointed by the Consultative Assembly who shall co-opt other eminent persons.
9. This National Committee shall be responsible for planning and carrying out measures to obtain support for the Fund.
10. The subscription campaign shall be conducted in accordance with the customary methods of appealing for public subscriptions in the country concerned. The National Committees may request the assistance of non-governmental organisations and may seek the advice of experts with a special knowledge of such methods. The Governments may give their official support to the campaign.
11. The National Committee shall periodically report to the Assembly.
Legal and Fiscal Measures
12. The Cultural Fund shall constitute an asset of the Council of Europe ; it shall be distinct from the other assets and property of the Council of Europe and shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 15 to 20 below.
13. The Member Governments shall as far as possible apply to the contributions to the Cultural Fund the same privileges and exemptions as are in force in their respective countries in respect of social, cultural, scientific and other activities of a charitable or non-profit-making character.
Expenditure
14. The sums contributed to the Fund shall, in accordance with the aims set forth in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above, be applied to any cultural and scientific activities approved by the Committee of Administration of the Fund.
Administration
15. The administration of the Fund shall be entrusted to a Committee of Administration whose membership shall include at least one representative of each country which takes part in the Fund. The membership of the Committee shall be established in three stages. In the first stage, the Committee of Ministers shall nominate three representatives of the Committee of Cultural Experts to be members of the Committee. In the second stage, the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions of the Consultative Assembly shall elect three of its members to be members of the Committee. Finally, the remaining members of the Committee shall be selected by the Committee of Ministers from a list of persons eminent in the cultural and scientific fields, drawn up by the six members of the Committee appointed as indicated above, in such a way as to ensure as far as possible an equitable geographical distribution and after consultation of the National Committees of the countries concerned. The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe shall be ex-officio a member of the Committee.
16. The Committee of Administration shall draw up its own rules of procedure.
17. The administration of the Fund shall be sufficiently flexible for the Fund to fulfil its purposes with the minimum of administrative formalities.
18. The annual report and accounts of the Fund, after audit by the same procedure as for the Budget of the Council of Europe, shall be submitted to the Committee of Ministers and to the Assembly (cf. Financial Regulations, Article 10).
19. The Committee of Ministers shall approve the said report and accounts after recommendation by the Assembly.
20. The costs of the secretarial services connected with the administration of the Fund shall be borne by the Council of Europe and inserted in its Budget on the proposal of the Committee of Administration, in accordance with the procedure laid down for the establishment of the said Budget.
Date of the etablishment of the Fund
21. The Cultural Fund shall be regarded as established as soon as five member countries have decided to accede to it.
