10.3.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 63[1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) DECISION No 508/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 14 February 2000 establishing the Culture 2000 programme THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the first indent of Article 151(5) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty, in the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 9 December 1999 (3), Whereas: (1)  Culture has an important intrinsic value to all people in Europe, is an essential element of European integration and contributes to the affirmation and vitality of the European model of society and to the Community's influence on the international scene. (2)  Culture is both an economic factor and a factor in social integration and citizenship; for that reason, it has an important role to play in meeting the new challenges facing the Community, such as globalisation, the infor- mation society, social cohesion and the creation of employment. (3)  With a view to meeting the needs of the cultural dimen- sion in the European Union, the Community has to take cultural aspects into account in its action under provi- sions of the Treaty other than Article 151, in particular in order to respect and to promote the diversity of its cultures; in this context, the Commission should encourage the dissemination of information about the opportunities for the cultural industries in the Structural Funds, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provi- sions on the Structural Funds (*, and undertake studies to that end. () O] C 211, 7.7.1998, p. 18. () O] C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 68. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 5 November 1998 (O] C 359, 23.11.1998, p. 28), Council Common Position of 28 June 1999 (O] C 232, 13.8.1999, p. 25) and Decision of the European Parliament of 28 October 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Council Decision of 24 January 2000 and Decision of the European Parliament of 3 February 2000. () O] L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 1. 4 In view of the growing importance of culture for Euro- pean society and the challenges facing the Community at the dawn of the 21st century, it is important to increase the effectiveness and consistency of Community measures in the cultural field by proposing a single guidance and programming framework for the period 2000 to 2004, bearing in mind the need for the Community policies concerned to take greater account of culture; in this respect, the Council Decision of 22 September 1997 regarding the future of European cultural action (°) calls on the Commission to make proposals with a view to establishing a single instrument for programming and financing aimed at the imple- mentation of Article 151 of the Treaty. (5)  If citizens give their full support to, and participate fully in, European integration, greater emphasis should be placed on their common cultural values and roots as a key element of their identity and their membership of a society founded on freedom, democracy, tolerance and solidarity; a better balance should be achieved between the economic and cultural aspects of the Community, so that these aspects can complement and sustain each other. (6)  The Treaty confers responsibility on the European Union for creating and ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe and for contributing to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity and at the same time bringing the common cultural heritage to the fore; special attention should be devoted to safeguarding the position of Europe's small cultures and less widely- spoken languages. (7 The Community is consequently committed to working towards the development of a cultural area common to the European people, which is open, varied and founded on the principle of subsidiarity, cooperation between all those involved in the cultural sector, the promotion of a legislative framework conducive to cultural activities and ensuring respect for cultural diversity, and the integra- tion of the cultural dimension into Community policies as provided for in Article 151(4) of the Treaty. () O] C 305, 7.10.1997, p. 1.