The opposite to standardisation. European cinema, the price of books and architectural quality: these three "hot" areas in current cultural policy have been the object of three resolutions by the Council, published in the Official Journal N°c/73 of 6 March. These resolutions - which had been politically approved by the Culture Council as of last 23 November - indicate a few paths for an effective action by the Union in the field of culture, sensitive to us all. Sensitise because the actions by the institutions must move in the opposite direction to that of unification and standardisation: if, in the economic field, the aim is to remove the barriers between the States, to draft standard rules and, in certain cases, common policies, in the cultural field, the EU must on the contrary contribute towards safeguarding the differences, the traditions and the languages that form the wealth of Europe.
For "national" and non Community films. The resolution on film and audiovisual, in starting from the realisation that national aid to these sectors constitutes one of the main ways in which to ensure cultural diversity, puts forward three principals: a) the Member States are set to lead national policies to support creation; b) national aid can contribute towards the emergence of a European audiovisual market; c) it is necessary to increase the legal security of the national aid system, through a dialogue between the Commission and the Member States. These guidelines are significant as, in the past, before it was a question of EU action in the cultural field, the Commission's competition services tended to subordinate the authorisation of aid to the film industry to the "European" nature of the films to be supported: joint productions were necessary, with capital and artists of at least three nationalities… Obviously it is the opposite that must be done: support national schools that produce and have produced most of the artistic value, the vitality and the glory of European film. Then the Commission changed heading, though certain misunderstanding have only been overcome in the final months of last year. The competition services intended to set, for the intensity of aid to the film industry, percentage ceilings of the cost of the film concerned, which was absurd for very small budget films that could only have benefited from minimal subsidies compared to big budget films. With such rules, for example, Belgium was unable to produce the film that won, two years ago, the 'Palme d'or" in Cannes. Thus, the Culture Commissioner, Mrs Reding, was able to announced that, thanks to the understanding of Competition Commissioner, Mr Monti, the intensity of aids could exceed the normal percentage in favour of "difficult and small budget" films, or those from regions with a limited linguistic or cultural influence. The Council resolution enshrines the change in the two fold concern to protect the national specificities and to tackle the American dominance which, in this field, can be highly destructive. Authorised national aids are logically added to the support brought by the Media Plus programme to the production and especially the distribution of European films and other audiovisual works.
To each his rules on the price of books. The Council resolution does not rule between the fixed and free price of books: each Member State may maintain or chose the system which suits it. The Council invites the Commission not to forget, when assessing the national systems, the two fold nature of the book, which is both an economic good and a incomparable cultural medium. The rules governing competition and the free movement of goods apply to books, but the Commission must duly take into account the cultural aspects, in particular the risk of bypassing, and the consequences of the development of electronic commerce.
Busts of Jacques Delors? The resolution on the architectural quality of cities and rural areas is at first glance artless. It is not the administrative texts that have made, make and will make the beauty of Europe, but the genius of architects, the surrounding civilisation and the wisdom and good taste of the authorities. Though the EU can effectively have an influence: the Structural Funds finance projects, the research programme foresees a specific action, the agricultural policy has a crucial influence on the safeguarding of countryside. The Commission services had previously envisaged the possibility that, in the public procurement of works, there is foreseen a small financial reserve aimed at embellishing the works built. Do you know how the British press had caricatured this initiative? By writing that the EU wants to build, on the roads and bridges of the United Kingdom, statutes or busts of Jacques Delors and other European figures, at the taxpayers expense! In the light of this precedent, we understand the careful words of the Council resolution, but now a few guidelines do exist. (F.R.)