European cultural co-operation
Recommendation 995
(1984)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 2 and 3 October 1984 (18th, 19th and 20th Sittings) (see Doc. 5288, report of the Committee on Culture and Education). Text adopted by the Assembly on 3 October 1984 (20th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Having noted the report by its Committee on Culture and Education on European cultural cooperation 1982-84 (
Doc. 5288) ;
3. Concerned at the lack of constructive action by the Committee of Ministers to strengthen the Council of Europe's role in cultural co-operation, despite the positive assurances made in October 1979 in reply to
Recommendation 850 (1979) and in November 1981 at the 69th Session of the Committee of Ministers ;
On the European Cultural Convention
4. Reasserting its view that the European Cultural Convention is the primary basis for European cultural co-operation in its widest possible sense, including education ;
5. Believing that cultural co-operation based on the European Cultural Convention should remain as open and flexible as it is at present, in order to allow for developments and improvement, and that no definitive pattern should be imposed on such co-operation,
6. Welcomes the proposal made by the European Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs in Berlin to consider ways of associating the European Communities with the convention, and recommends that the Committee of Ministers consider the possibility of arranging for the European Communities a status under the convention similar to that of existing members ;
7. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers also consider inviting other countries to participate in European cultural co-operation on the basis of the convention ;
On the European Declaration on Cultural Objectives
8. Welcomes the European Declaration on Cultural Objectives adopted by the Cultural Ministers in Berlin as a statement of cultural objectives which can be taken into account in all fields of government policies and so contribute to greater awareness of the importance of cultural values ;
9. Supports its transmission to national parliaments, to the European Parliament and to other bodies such as the Nordic Council and the Benelux Assembly ;
10. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers consider publication and distribution of the text (and accompanying memorandum) in the light of the priorities for the dissemination of information on the ongoing work of the Council of Europe ;
On the specialised ministers and their relations with the Committee of Ministers
11. Recalling its support for the role of the Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education as an overview body on European cooperation in that field (
Resolution 807, paragraph 14),
12. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers give consideration to inviting all ministerial conferences in the cultural field :
a to include all states party to the European Cultural Convention ;
b to act as overview bodies for all European activity in each specific sector ;
c to ensure co-ordination between the various specialised conferences themselves ;
d to follow more closely the activities of the organisations working in the cultural field, in particular through increased co-ordination at national level of representation in these organisations from the specialised ministries and from the ministries of foreign affairs ;
13. Recommends that, to this end, the Committee of Ministers itself :
a seek fuller and more specific guidance from specialised ministries for questions in the cultural field ;
b consider inviting representatives from all parties to the European Cultural Convention when discussing questions in this field, in particular at the level of the Ministers' Deputies ;
On the medium-term plan
14. Believing that the preparation of the next Council of Europe medium-term plan 1987-92 provides an occasion for a thorough review of the structures and priorities of Council of Europe intergovernmental activities in the cultural field,
15. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers organise the cultural field under the following sectors :
cultural heritage (art exhibitions, museums, art objects, architecture, archaeology),
media,
compulsory and further education,
research and scientific co-operation,
cultural development,
social groups,
sport ;
On increasing the impact of Council of Europe work
16. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers, in order to increase the impact of the Council of Europe's work in the cultural field :
a give priority to the preparation and dissemination of serious publications on current work in this field, if practicable through commercial publishers ;
b provide the necessary budgetary resources for the maintenance of contact networks in member countries ;
c arrange for more working meetings to be held in member countries rather than in Strasbourg ;
On relations with the European Communities
17. Resolving to continue to pursue, as far as is practicable, collaboration with the European Parliament and other Community bodies working in the cultural and educational fields ;
18. Noting the significant development of Community activity in the cultural field, and in particular :
a the specific emphasis given to cultural cooperation in declarations of the European Council at Stuttgart (1983) and Fontainebleau (1984) ;
b the institution at Community level of meetings of Ministers of Education and Culture ;
c the increasing budgetary allocations for Community action in the fields of education and culture ;
d the coverage of the whole field in texts adopted by the first directly-elected European Parliament ;
19. Recalling its view expressed in
Resolution 805, paragraph 8, that "in the cultural field and in certain other areas of technical co-operation, it is helpful to distinguish the role of the Council of Europe in encouraging close co-operation from the objectives of other bodies concerned with European unification or political union" ;
20. Noting also that the increasing disparity in resources makes joint exercises on any equal basis between the Council of Europe and the European Communities increasingly difficult,
21. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the European Communities to be represented in the specialised conferences and in its own deliberations on cultural questions with a status similar to that of other participating states.
