Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-04-Speech-4-054"
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"en.20030904.4.4-054"2
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".
Mr President, it has been a great pleasure to work closely with Mrs Zorba on this important 'own initiative' report. I am pleased that the final report, as adopted in the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport, incorporated the more important elements of my Committee's contribution. I refer in particular to the emphasis on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.
I have a long involvement with cultural industries in Ireland, in particular local industries which promote the Irish language, traditional music and culture of my own region in the West of Ireland.
SMEs in the field of culture are clearly more vulnerable compared with similar sized companies in other spheres. These SMEs frequently produce, what are in effect, public goods. In other words, their products offer benefits to society as a whole above and beyond any commercial value. Such SMEs frequently face difficulties in assessing finance, particularly in the start-up phase.
If you combine the uniqueness of the cultural sector with the fact that such industries are often located in peripheral and rural regions, it is clear that the question of providing adequate finance must be addressed.
The Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy would like Member States to look at what policy instruments could be used to promote cultural industries. Parliament has previously stressed the need to reduce the legislative and administrative burden on SMEs, simplifying the collection of data for tax collection and reducing unnecessary red tape, especially for the self-employed and small businesses.
One point of Mrs Zorba's report that I particularly welcome is the call for a revision of the 'De Minimis' rules on State Aid. Such a review would take into account the unique situation pertaining to SMEs in the cultural sector, particularly those in peripheral regions.
In conclusion, I would like to make one particular plea in relation to the policy on the information society. Priority must be given to the development of broadband Internet access to rural and peripheral regions. This, would help create a more level playing field for the many cultural related SMEs based in these regions"@en1
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"Draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy"1
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