madam president i would like to thank the honourable members for the number of points that they have raised
i will certainly forward your points and the concerns that you have expressed to commissioner <unk>
i would however like to express some general points and reactions
mrs pack spoke about the harmonising of rules at european level and how this impacts on regional diversity
i would like to point out that having harmonisation at european level is necessary in order to ensure a level playing field across the european union so that its citizens can fully benefit from the single internal market
this would not however mean that such harmonisation leads to less cultural diversity
in fact this was also the outcome of the european year on intercultural dialogue
furthermore the commission through its regional policy promotes cultural diversity and invests in culture both directly and indirectly indeed by involving regional authorities and stakeholders
in a number of policy areas the commission seeks to promote diversity and take account of regional specificities across the european union
concerning the point raised on the issue of culture and the economic crisis and the overall contribution to growth and jobs let me just recall that the commission is undertaking a study this year to analyse how the cultural dimension has been integrated into the regional development strategies for two thousand and seven twenty thirteen
the results of the study will highlight the value of investing in the cultural sector including cultural and creative industries and will underline the links between such investment the specific regional development objectives and the lisbon agenda
on the green paper i would like to inform you as i said at the outset that this policy document is due in the first quarter of twenty ten and its aim is to launch an open consultation process
it has three main policy objectives
firstly to advance a more strategic approach
secondly to unlock the potential of european cultural and creative industries and thirdly to contribute to the development of strategies aimed at encouraging better linkages between cultural and creative industries and other sectors of the economy and thus to connect culture and creativity with innovation and the wider economy
the regional dimension will of course be fully taken into account in this context
i would like to conclude by referring to the statement made by mr posselt that culture is often destroyed by nationalisms
certainly not by the european union it firmly believes in and upholds unity and diversity
