Culture 2000 programme for the period 2000-2004

The committee adopted all amendments submitted by rapporteur Vasco GRAÇA MOURA (PPE/ED, P) in the draft recommendation for a second reading (codecision procedure), thus largely confirming its previous position. In response to the Council's common position maintaining the budget laid down in the initial proposal, it insisted that a framework programme worthy of the name could not implement its objectives with a budget of a mere EUR 167 million. It considered that EUR 250 million was the necessary minimum. The committee also expressed fears that the Council's policy of giving priority to major cultural networks and the formation of very strong concentrations of networks would adversely affect small and medium sized networks and make monitoring more difficult. In its view, small and medium-sized activities had the best chance of reaching citizens.