Strasbourg, 11/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted an own initiative report by Greek Socialist Nikolaos Sifunakis, President of the EP's Culture and Education Committee, on protecting European cultural and architectural heritage in rural areas and on islands, which highlights the special nature of cultural and architectural heritage in such regions, threatened by technological progress, modern farming methods, the rural exodus and over-exploitation of economic resources and housing. The report recommends measures specially designed to protect the heritage of such remote regions, including systematic studies, legislation and the granting of funding for restoring local heritage and training heritage management and conservation experts. Given the scarcity of funding for protecting cultural and architectural heritage, the report recommends making use of other sources of EU fu nding, like the LEADER agriculture programme, the URBAN II and INTERREG III programmes and Culture 2007. It also wants to see greater cooperation with the Council of Europe and the launch of a European Cultural Heritage Year.
During the debate, several MEPs highlighted the importance of preserving cultural and architectural heritage in rural areas and on islands in terms of combatting desertification and the rural exodus and protecting jobs. Portuguese EPP-ED MEP Vasco Graca Moura explained that European heritage was also a human and social affair and needed initiatives and resources. Member States, he said, have to maintain dialogue with local populations. Italian non-aligned MEP Luca Romagnoli said that there were fault lines in Europe when it came to the landscape and social affairs. Alongside preserving its heritage, he said, the EU should take measures to combat the rural exodus in mountain areas because otherwise funding invested to preserve the local artitechtural heritage would be wasted. Similar sentiments were expressed by Greek EPP-ED MEP Manolis Mavrommatis. Spanish Socialist María Badía Cutchet ulnone pointed out that agricultural sustainability had to be ensured, along with the protection of landscapes. Funding for human resources was required, in order to make use of expert craftsmen. Italian EPP-ED MEP Giuseppe Castiglione said an overall strategy was required, which should be turned into a transversal approach. Austrian Socialist Christa Prets said awareness needed to be raised and a European Cultural Heritage Year would be a step in the right direction. German Green Helga Trüpel said cultural policy should also protect contemporary art Polish UEN MEP Zdzislaw Zbigniew Podkanski said multi-lingualism had to be protected, a characteristic of cultural identity, and knowledge which is dying out, like that of skilled craftsmen, also needed to be preserved, along with the values of different cultures and landscapes. Ljudmila Novak (EPP-ED, Slovenia) stressed the spread of uniform modern housing es tates across all EU countries to the detriment of old towns and neighbourhoods, whose unique character had to be protected.
Welcoming the very interesting suggestions outlined in the Sifunakis Report, EU Commissioner Franco Frattini, speaking for the European Commission in the absence of EU Culture Commissioner Jan Figel, said all the opportunities available under different EU funding programmes had to be used to protect cultural heritage, which was important for the creation of new jobs and for economic growth, being a way of helping boost the rural economy. The Commission wanted there to be greater awareness among the general population and politicians, and hoped the greater funding earmarked for the Culture 2007 programme would be used to heop preserve European cultural and architectural heritage.