§ Dr. Liam FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans his Department has for the United Kingdom's forthcoming presidency of Audiovisual Eureka.
§ Mr. BrookeThe United Kingdom presidency of Audiovisual Eureka will run from 1 July 1994 to 30 June 1995.
Our objectives for the presidency will be to enhance and give priority to those aspects of Audiovisual Eureka which complement other European initiatives aimed at strengthening the European audiovisual industry. We shall place particular emphasis on those which foster practical co-operation between western European countries and the countries of central and eastern Europe. We shall also aim to promote the use of new technologies for the production of films and programmes; and we shall seek to promote audiovisual technology transfer between east and west.
A central part of the United Kingdom presidency work programme will be to oversee an independent evaluation of Audiovisual Eureka as part of a thorough review of its effectiveness, and to ensure that any recommendations arising from the review are implemented.
I shall be inviting Ministers of the 32 participating countries, as well as the European Commission and Council of Europe, to attend a meeting in London on 16 June 1995 to mark the culmination of our presidency.