Culture 2000 programme: extention to 2006

PURPOSE : to amend Decision 508/2000/EC and extend the "Culture 2000" programme. CONTENT : the "Culture 2000" programme, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in February 2000 with an overall budget of EUR 167 million over five years, will expire on 31 December 2004. In the three years of its existence, the programme has enabled over 700 cooperation projects to be supported in performing arts, visual arts, literature and cultural heritage. It has also financed the translation of 250 works and supported events organised as part of "European Capitals of Culture", "European Heritage Days", etc. Overall, this represents thousands of cultural operators involved in events reaching hundreds of thousands of citizens a year. The programme will come to an end at a time of changes of major significance for the future of the EU. This includes enlargement, an IGC based on the work of the Convention on the Future of Europe, the election of the European Parliament and the appointment of a new Commission. These changes will be felt in the cultural sector as well, but it is difficult at present to see the changes that will be necessary. Nevertheless, continued Community support is absolutely essential to avoid any disruption of the Community's cultural activities as provided for by the Treaty, which involve very many cultural operators in Europe. The European Commission therefore proposes to extend the "Culture 2000" programme unchanged for 2005 and 2006. In order to extend the programme, a legal basis for financing the 2005 projects will have to be adopted in early 2004 and a call for proposals published by the end of the first half of 2004. At the same time, through preparatory actions, the Commission will explore future avenues for Community action in the cultural sphere: new ways of supporting cooperation projects between operators, increased cooperation between Member States and vis-à-vis third countries, support for cultural industries, linking culture/education/training. The experience gained, along with the conclusions drawn from the mid-term evaluation of the "Culture 2000" programme (required by Article 8 of Decision 508/2000/EC) will be used to develop a new approach for a future programme of cultural action and cooperation. On this basis, the European Commission intends to put forward proposals for a new European Community framework programme for culture by the end of 2003, to commence in 2007. The Commission therefore proposes: - to extend the Programme for the years 2005 and 2006; - to set the overall budget for the extended "Culture 2000" programme at EUR 236.5 million.�