(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2003) 700)(1),

–   having regard to Articles 251(2) and 151(5) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C5-0548/2003),

–   having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport (A5-0148/2004),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend the proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

3.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

(1) Not yet published in OJ.

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 151 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(2),

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty(3),

Whereas:

(1)  Decision No 1419/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999 establishing a Community action for the "European Capital of Culture" event for the years 2005 to 2019(4) is geared towards highlighting the wealth, diversity and shared characteristics of European cultures and towards contributing to improving European citizens" mutual knowledge.

(2)  Annex I of Decision No 1419/1999/EC sets out the chronological order according to which the Member States can submit nominations for this event. The said Annex is limited to the Member States of the European Union at the time the Decision was adopted on 25 May 1999.

(3)  Article 6 of Decision No 1419/1999/EC states that this decision may be revised, in particular with a view to the future enlargement of the European Union.

(4)  In the light of the forthcoming enlargement, it is important to make it possible for the future Member States as well to submit nominations for cities in the context of the "European Capital of Culture" event within a short period of time, without changing the order for the existing Member States so that, from 2009 onwards and until the end of the current Community action, two capitals may be selected each year in the Member States.

(5)  Decision No 1419/1999/EC should therefore be amended,

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Decision No 1419/1999/EC is hereby amended as follows:

(1)  A new Recital 12a is inserted:

(12a) Whereas account should be taken of the financial consequences of this decision in such a way as to ensure that there is adequate and appropriate European Community funding for the designation of two "European Capitals of Culture";

(2)  Article 2(1) is replaced by the following:

1.  Cities in Member States shall be designated as "European Capital of Culture", in turn, as set out in the list appearing in Annex I. Up until 2008 inclusive, the designation shall apply to one city of the Member State appearing on the list. From 2009 onwards, the designation shall apply to one city of each of the Member States appearing on the list. The chronological order set out in Annex I may be altered by mutual agreement between the Member States concerned. Each Member State involved shall submit, in turn, a list nominating at least two cities, or one when a Member State cannot nominate more, to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions. This nomination shall be submitted no later than four years before the event in question is due to begin and may be accompanied by a recommendation from the Member State concerned.

(3)  Article 2(2) is replaced by the following:

2.  From 2010 onwards, the Commission shall each year form a selection panel which shall issue a report on the nominations judged against the periods, objectives and characteristics of this action. The selection panel shall be composed of seven leading independent figures who are experts on the cultural sector, of whom two shall be appointed by the European Parliament, two by the Council, two by the Commission and one by the Committee of the Regions. In each case, the selection panel shall check the quality of the nomination, the European dimension of the programme and the viability of the structures for implementation of the proposed project. The selection panel shall submit its report to the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council.

(4)  Article 2(3) is replaced by the following:

3.  The Council, acting on a recommendation from the Commission, shall officially designate the city in question as "European Capital of Culture" for the year for which it has been nominated. From 2009 onwards, the European Parliament may forward an opinion to the Commission on the nominations not later than three months after receipt of the report. The Council, acting on a recommendation from the Commission drawn up in the light of the opinion of the European Parliament and of the selection panel's report, shall officially designate the cities in question as "European Capital of Culture" for the year for which they have been nominated.

(5)  Article 6 is replaced by the following:

Article 6

Each year the Commission shall produce a report evaluating the results of the previous year's event, including an analysis by the organisers of the latter. This report shall be presented to the European Parliament, the Council and the Committee of the Regions. The Commission shall also in good time make any proposals for revision of this Decision which it judges necessary for the smooth operation of this action and, in particular, with a view to the enlargement of the European Union.

(6)  Annex I is replaced by the text in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from the entry into force of the Accession Treaty of 2003.

Done at , […]

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President The President

Annex

Order of entitlement to nominate a "European Capital of Culture"

(1) OJ C[...], [...], p. [...]. (2) OJ C[...], [...], p. [...]. (3) Position of the European Parliament of 22 April 2004. (4) OJ L 166, 1.7.1999, p. 1. (5) The Culture/Audiovisual Council, at its meeting of 28 May 1998, noted the exchange of positions between Greece and the Netherlands in accordance with Article 2(1) of Decision No 1419/1999/EC.