Brussels, 18/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament's committee on culture and education this week unanimously adopted an own initiative report by Marie-Hélène Descamps (PPE-DE, France) on the creation of a digital library. The report supports the European Commission project, the aim of which is to create a point of direct access to the entirety of the European cultural heritage (not only books, but audiovisual content as well). The MEPs stressed the importance of achieving a multilingual interface to enable direct access to the contents, in all the languages of the EU. They also think that the project should be put in place gradually, starting from existing initiatives which currently enable national libraries to be connected and access to the European Library's collections. In terms of funding, the MEPs are in favour of developing new ways to finance the project, including partnerships with the private sector. The vote on the report in plenary is planned for September. (il)