Michael Moynihan
Question:15. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his priorities during the Irish presidency of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4475/13]
View answerWednesday, 30 January 2013
Questions (15, 34, 42)
Bernard Durkan
Question:34. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht arising from his contacts with the various stakeholders throughout the arts sector, the extent to which he envisages, in the course of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU, the development of the arts sector as a major brand leader throughout the EU and globally and to utilise the medium of the arts in Ireland as a means of promoting the national image and thereby continuing its contribution to national economic recovery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4494/13]
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Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:42. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans to utilize the EU Presidency to promote Arts, Heritage and the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4504/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 34 and 42 together.
During Ireland's EU Presidency, we will focus in the cultural area on two legislative proposals - Creative Europe 2014-2020 and Europe for Citizens 2014-2020 - as well as the European Capitals of Culture 2020-2033 proposal. The Creative Europe proposal is very important for artists and arts organisations across the entire European Union. It is vital that we get agreement on this so that those working in the culture and creative sectors can benefit from the new programme as soon as possible. It should be noted, however, that agreement on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework is essential to ensure that the Creative Europe programme is adopted in time for the sectors to start to benefit from it from the beginning of 2014. The Irish Presidency also considers that Europe for Citizens is an important proposal for progression. This proposal seeks to enhance civic participation at the Union level. A further key element of our Presidency is the timely adoption of the European Capitals of Culture proposal so that the chosen locations can be afforded the necessary lead-in times to bring forward preparations for their period of designation.
I would also like to refer to Ireland's Cultural Programme for the Presidency - Culture Connects - which I launched recently in Dublin with Minister of State Creighton. The Programme aims to showcase Irish culture across Europe, as well as European culture in Ireland, thereby illustrating the shared nature of much of our cultural experiences. The Programme incorporates over 300 projects being undertaken under the management and oversight of my Department - at home and abroad. It will facilitate the engagement of audiences throughout Ireland with European artists, as well as exposing our indigenous artistic community to wider cultural experiences across Europe and further afield, by way of a range of festivals, traditional arts and other specific events. The Culture Connects programme is available on my Department's website and I have also made arrangements to lodge copies in the Oireachtas Library. The EU is culturally diverse, with a rich, shared, European heritage. I firmly believe that it benefits us all to bring our arts and culture to a wider EU audience, whilst also experiencing the cultural offerings of our partner countries.
From the heritage perspective, certain nature conservation issues which come into my area of responsibility will fall to be dealt with under the Environment Council formation. The first of these is an EU Commission proposal in respect of Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization. This is intended to meet the requirements of the Nagoya Protocol within the EU and sets out obligations for users of genetic resources in the Union. The Protocol is aimed at ensuring that there is a reward to countries that are the source of biological materials which may be collected for use in other countries in new and profitable products, such as foods, medicines, or biotech agents. It would protect developing countries from so-called "biopiracy" and is also a key step in meeting the 2020 Global Targets on Biodiversity. Ireland's Presidency aims to make significant progress within the Council with regard to the overall objective of EU ratification of the Nagoya Protocol in early 2014.
A new Directive on Invasive Alien Species is expected to be adopted by the Commission in the near future and the Irish Presidency will commence work on this item, if it is adopted. The Irish Presidency also co-ordinated EU positions for the first plenary meeting of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which took place last week in Bonn, Germany. This was an important meeting to establish this new international body, which will provide scientific advice on biodiversity issues.
Finally, in relation to heritage matters, the Irish Presidency is currently overseeing the formulation of common positions on the proposals to be discussed at the 16th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, next March.
With regard to the Irish language, my Department is a member of the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD), which is a European-wide network working in the field of language policy and planning. During the Irish Presidency of the EU, my colleague, Minister of State McGinley, will launch the NPLD’s European Roadmap for Linguistic Diversity in Brussels. It is envisaged that this will raise awareness at a European level on the vital importance of linguistic diversity.