Kaleidoscope: Community action programme 1996-1998 to support artistic and cultural activities with a European dimension

The Committee made numerous comments highlighting the shortcomings of the Commission proposal with regard to the possibility of funding transnational touring by artists, whether as individuals, or as participants in an artistic production. The emphasis on innovation or the emblematic nature of projects could unhelpfully inhibit support for good projects that might not necessarily be innovative or emblematic. Innovation could be one criterion for approval of a project but should not be the only one, nor should it override other equally important criteria. There could be more value in funding the continuation or embedding of a project, than in funding an innovative or emblematic project that already received considerable local or national support. The ESC also regretted that the programme did not provide any definition of ‘culture’. Congruent with that omission was the failure to recognise the key role regions and towns played in supporting Europe’s cultural diversity. Finally, the programme should also avoid making assumptions about the homogeneous nature of national culture, thus ignoring the rich diversity of regional cultures within the Member States.