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

At second reading, the Committee on Culture adopted the draft recommendation and proposed: - restoring the advisory committee initially proposed by the Commission and thus doing away with consultation of a management committee for projects over ECU 10 000; - increasing the programme to five years and the budget to ECU 68 million. The report by Mr AUGIAS (PSE, I) proposed: - that under Action 1, priority be given to "networks which promote access to culture for the least-favoured sectors of the population"; - that under the specific measures (Action 5), reference be made to greater involvement of professionals in the cultural sector, particularly those living in less-favoured, remote, mountainous or island regions. According to the rapporteur, Mr AUGIAS, giving consideration to the objectives of economic and social cohesion did not undermine the cultural aims of the programme. He again included the specific measures relating to training. He also proposed that Europe Day on 9 May be reinstated as a cultural event and thus eligible for support, and removed from the scope of the Kaleidoscope programme all references to the European city of culture and European cultural month. Mr AUGIAS felt that such a far-reaching initiative should be the subject of a specific Community programme. For projects under Action 2, he did not accept the additional condition imposed by the Council stipulating that eligible projects should involve at least five Member States rather than three. �