Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 4 Nov 1993

Vol. 435 No. 5

Written Answers. - Maastricht Treaty Article on Culture.

John Connor

Question:

22 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht his policies in relation to the article in the Maastricht Treaty entitled Culture, Article 128; and his policies, if any, in relation to the commitments on action set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article.

Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. M. Higgins)

I welcome the inclusion of a specific Article on Culture in the Maastricht Treaty, since this, for the first time, gives the Community a firm legal basis for action in the cultural sphere.

The Deputy will be aware that the Maastricht Treaty only came into force in the Community on Monday last, 1 November. Because of the delays experienced by some member states in acceding to the Treaty, attention has been deflected from the component parts of the Treaty for some time and the European Commission has yet to furnish member states with its Interpretation of Article 128 on Culture and the prospects it offers for future cross-Community initiatives in the cultural sphere.

I am happy to inform the Deputy, however, that I warmly subscribe to the sentiments expressed throughout Article 128 of the Maastricht Treaty, including paragraphs 1 and 2 of that Article. Now that the Treaty has been adopted, I will be working closely with the other member states, through the Community's culture committee, to devise new policies reflecting the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 and, indeed, all aspects of the Article. In this context, I regard the provisions of paragraph 4 of the Article — which states that "the Community shall take cultural aspects into account in its action under other provisions of this Treaty"— as being particularly attractive, in that it will provide me with an opportunity to ensure that cultural policy considerations are integrated, where appropriate, with the wide range of Community interventions envisaged under the Maastricht Treaty.