Culture Community programmes: participation of Bulgaria in Ariane, Kaleidoscope and Raphaël

OBJECTIVE: in the framework of the pre-accession strategy, opening of the Community cultural programmes to Bulgaria (Ariane, Kaleidoscope, Raphael) for the years 1998-2000. SUBSTANCE: this proposal for a decision of the EC-Bulgaria Association Council sets the conditions and arrangements for the participation of this country in the three Community programmes in the field of culture. In particular, Bulgaria will: - participate in all actions derived from these programmes under the same terms as the Member States and in accordance with the objectives, criteria and procedures laid down by these programmes; - apply the same conditions and arrangements for submission, assessment and selection of applications as those prevailing for the Member States; - ensure a minimum number of partners from the Member States for all the transnational actions and projects proposed; - make a financial contribution to the Community budget in relation to its participation in these three programmes. This financial contribution will cover financial support to Bulgarian participants in the context of their participation in the three programmes and the supplementary costs of an administrative nature related to the management of the programmes by the Commission. This contribution will vary depending on the programme and is paid annually. It can also cover one or more years (e.g. participation in Ariane and Kaleidoscope is restricted to 1998). The Community will pay part of this contribution by taking the sums needed from the annual funding for Phare/Bulgaria. The Phare contribution will not, however, cover the equivalent of the administrative sums relating to the management of the programmes by the Commission, which will remain entirely the responsibility of the Bulgarian national budget. In total this financial contribution will amount to ECU 267 249 for the three years under consideration (of which ECU 230 209.5 under Phare). Bulgaria will be associated with the monitoring of its participation in the cultural programmes in preparation for the Community decision-making process on accession (in particular by participation in the coordination meetings prior to the meetings of the programme committees and by being informed about the results). The participation of Bulgaria will be valid for the duration of the programmes (i.e. until 31 December 2000). �