Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-04-Speech-2-358"
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"en.20060404.25.2-358"2
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"Mr President, needless to say I totally disagree with the previous speaker, with all respect. I wish to congratulate Mrs Prets on a thorough and carefully set out report. It is universally recognised that the programme of the European City of Culture, or European Capital of Culture as it was later renamed, is a well-tried and very useful concept and much credit must be given to those who set it up back in the mid-1980s, especially to the then Greek Culture Minister, Melina Mercouri. She was indeed an inspirational and talented woman who, in her stormy life, fought courageously for democracy and for the promotion of European unity through culture.
Programmes such as the one we are discussing tonight indisputably help bring European citizens closer together and strengthen the bonds between them. They help promote understanding amongst our people and increase the appreciation of and respect for each others’ diverse but unifying cultural history.
Over the years some problematic areas have been identified and this Commission proposal, which will eventually be amended by Parliament, will no doubt improve and enhance the programme further. Hopefully, in speaking in what is for me a foreign language – English – I am assisting in unifying our European aspiration to have a common language of communication some time in the future.
On the basis of the experience gained in the 20 years that the programme has been in operation, and due to changes necessitated by the recent enlargement, a review is now urgently needed. Two of the main alterations necessary are improvements in the selection procedure to be followed and putting a system in place that will ensure that once a city is chosen, a well-planned programme will be carried out successfully.
I would like to highlight the wisdom of two innovations of the proposal: the pairing-up system and the prize. I do not have time to go into detail. I once again congratulate the rapporteur on her excellent report."@en1
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