It is essential to promote cooperation and cultural exchanges in order to respect and promote the diversity of cultures and languages in Europe and improve knowledge among European citizens of European cultures other than their own, while at the same time heightening their awareness of the common European cultural heritage they share. Promoting cultural and linguistic cooperation and diversity thus helps to make European citizenship a tangible reality by encouraging direct participation by European citizens in the integration process.

An active cultural policy aimed at the preservation of European cultural diversity and the promotion of its common cultural elements and cultural heritage can contribute to improving the external visibility of the European Union.

For citizens to give their full support to, and participate fully in, European integration, greater emphasis should be placed on their common cultural values and roots as a key element of their identity and their membership of a society founded on freedom, equity, democracy, respect for human dignity and integrity, tolerance and solidarity, in full compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

It is essential that the cultural sector contribute to, and play a role in, broader European political developments. The cultural sector is an important employer in its own right and there is, in addition, a clear link between investment in culture and economic development, hence the importance of reinforcing cultural policies at regional, national and European level. Accordingly, the place of cultural industries in the developments taking place under the Lisbon Strategy should be strengthened, as these industries are making an increasingly large contribution to the European economy.

It is also necessary to promote active citizenship and strengthen the fight against exclusion in all its forms, including racism and xenophobia. Improving access to culture for as many as possible can be a means of combating social exclusion.

Article 3 of the Treaty stipulates that, in all the activities referred to in that Article, the Community is to aim at eliminating inequalities, and at promoting equality, between men and women.

The Kaleidoscope, Ariane, Raphaël and Culture 2000 cultural programmes, set out respectively in Decisions Nos 719/96/EC3, 2085/97/EC4, 2228/97/EC5 and 508/2000/EC6, marked positive stages in the implementation of Community action on culture. Considerable experience has thus been acquired, particularly through the evaluation of these cultural programmes. It is at present worthwhile to rationalise and strengthen Community cultural action on the basis of the results of these evaluations, the results of consultation with all interested parties and recent work by the European institutions. It is therefore appropriate to establish a programme to this end.

The European institutions have themselves spoken out on many occasions on subjects relating to Community cultural action and the challenges of cultural cooperation, in particular in Council Resolutions of 25 June 2002 on a new work plan on European cooperation in the field of culture7 and of 19 December 2002 implementing the work plan for European cooperation in the field of culture8, resolutions of the European Parliament of 5 September 2001 on cultural cooperation in the European Union9, of 28 February 2002 on the implementation of the Culture 2000 Programme10, of 22 October 2002 on the importance and dynamism of the theatre and the performing arts in an enlarged Europe11, and of 4 September 2003 on Cultural Industries12, and the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 9 October 2003 on the extension of the Culture 2000 Programme.

The Council, in its abovementioned resolutions, has stressed the need to adopt a more coherent approach at Community level with regard to culture, and that European added value is an essential and determining concept in the context of European cultural cooperation, and a general condition for Community measures in the field of culture.

In order to make this common cultural area for the peoples of Europe a reality, it is important to promote the transnational mobility of cultural players and the transnational circulation of artistic and cultural works and products, and to encourage dialogue and cultural exchanges.

The Council, in its conclusions of 16 November 2004 relating to the work plan on culture (2005-2006), the European Parliament in its resolution of 4 September 2003 on Cultural Industries, and the European Economic and Social Committee in its opinion of 28 January 2004 on cultural industries in Europe, have expressed their views on the need to take greater account of the specific economic and social features of non-audiovisual cultural industries. Moreover, the preparatory actions for cooperation on cultural matters promoted between 2002-2004 should be taken into account in the new programme.

In this context, there is a case for promoting increased cooperation between cultural players by encouraging them to form multi-annual cooperation projects, thus enabling them to develop common activities, to provide support for more targeted measures with a real European added value, to support symbolic cultural events, to support European cultural cooperation organisations and to encourage analyses on chosen themes of European interest, as well as the collection and dissemination of information and activities aimed at maximising the impact of projects in the field of European cultural cooperation and European cultural policy development.

Under Decision No 1622/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing a Community action for the European Capital of Culture event for the years 2007 to 201913 significant funding should be given to this event, which has a high profile among Europeans and helps to strengthen the feeling of belonging to a common cultural area. In the context of this event, the accent should be on trans-European cultural cooperation.

Support should be given to the operation of organisations working for European cultural cooperation and thus playing the role of ambassadors of European culture, based on the experience acquired by the European Union in the context of Decision No 792/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 establishing a Community action programme to promote bodies active at European level in the field of culture14.

It is necessary for the Programme, in compliance with the principle of freedom of expression, to contribute to the European Union's efforts to promote sustainable development and to combat all forms of discrimination.

The European Union candidate countries and EFTA countries which are members of the EEA Agreement should be recognised as potential participants in Community programmes in accordance with the agreements concluded with those countries.

The European Council of 19 and 20 June 2003 adopted the ‘Thessaloniki Agenda for the Western Balkans: moving towards European integration’, laying down that Community programmes should be open to the countries in the Stabilisation and Association Process on the basis of framework agreements to be signed between the Community and those countries. If they wish, those countries should be able, depending on budgetary considerations or political priorities, to take part in the Programme or benefit from a more limited formula for cooperation, on the basis of supplementary appropriations and specific procedures to be agreed between the parties concerned.

The Programme should also be open to cooperation with other third countries which have signed agreements with the Community containing a cultural strand, in accordance with procedures to be defined.

It is necessary, in order to increase the added value of the Community action, to ensure coherence and complementarity between actions carried out within the framework of this Decision and other relevant Community policies, actions and instruments, in compliance with Article 151(4) of the Treaty. Particular attention should be paid to the interface of Community measures in the fields of culture and education and to actions which promote exchanges of best practice and closer cooperation at European level.

With regard to the implementation of Community support, the specific nature of the cultural sector in Europe should be taken into account, and particular care should be taken to ensure that administrative and financial procedures are simplified as much as possible and adapted to the objectives pursued as well as to practices and developments in the cultural sector.

The Commission, Member States and the cultural contact points should work to encourage the participation of smaller operators in the multi-annual cooperation projects and the organisation of activities aimed at bringing together potential project partners.

The Programme should bring together the specific qualities and expertise of cultural operators from throughout Europe. Where necessary, the Commission and Member States should take measures to address low participation rates of cultural operators in any Member State or participating country.

It is worthwhile ensuring, within the framework of cooperation between the Commission and Member States, ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Programme in order to enable readjustments, particularly within the priorities for the implementation of measures. The evaluation should include an external evaluation to be conducted by independent, impartial bodies.

The procedures for monitoring and evaluating the Programme should make use of objectives and indicators which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timed.

Suitable measures should be implemented to prevent irregularities and fraud and to recover funds which have been lost or transferred or used improperly.

It is appropriate to establish a single financing and programming instrument for cultural cooperation, entitled the ‘Culture Programme’, for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013.

This Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the Programme, a financial envelope constituting the prime reference, within the meaning of point 37 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management15.

The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission16.

The measures necessary for the financial implementation of this Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities17 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Financial Regulation’), and with Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/200218.

Community action is complementary to national or regional action in the field of cultural cooperation. Since the objectives of this Decision, namely to enhance the European cultural area based on common cultural heritage (transnational mobility of cultural players in Europe, transnational circulation of works of art and cultural and artistic products and intercultural dialogue) cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States owing to their transnational character, and can therefore, by reason of the scale or effects of the action, be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Decision does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

There should be transitional provisions in order to ensure a smooth transition between the programmes drawn up by Decisions No 508/2000/EC and No 792/2004/EC on the one hand and, on the other, the Programme established by this Decision,