PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT European Committee C EUROPE FOR CITIZENS Wednesday 2 April 2014 PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS LONDON – THE STATIONERY OFFICE LIMITED £5·00 Members who wish to have copies of the Official Report of Proceedings in General Committees sent to them are requested to give notice to that effect at the Vote Office. No proofs can be supplied. Corrigenda slips may be published with Bound Volume editions. Corrigenda that Members suggest should be clearly marked in a copy of the report—not telephoned—and must be received in the Editor’s Room, House of Commons, not later than Sunday 6 April 2014 STRICT ADHERENCE TO THIS ARRANGEMENT WILL GREATLY FACILITATE THE PROMPT PUBLICATION OF THE BOUND VOLUMES OF PROCEEDINGS IN GENERAL COMMITTEES © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1 European Committee C2 APRIL 2014 Europe for Citizens 2 The Committee consisted of the following Members: Chair: SIR EDWARD LEIGH † Baldwin, Harriett (West Worcestershire) (Con) † Jones, Susan Elan (Clwyd South) (Lab) † Campbell, Mr Ronnie (Blyth Valley) (Lab) † Kelly, Chris (Dudley South) (Con) † Carmichael, Neil (Stroud) (Con) † Macleod, Mary (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con) † Connarty, Michael (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) Shannon, Jim (Strangford) (DUP) (Lab) † Vaizey, Mr Edward (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport) † Crouch, Tracey (Chatham and Aylesford) (Con) † Flynn, Paul (Newport West) (Lab) Anna Dickson, Committee Clerk † Goodman, Helen (Bishop Auckland) (Lab) † Huppert, Dr Julian (Cambridge) (LD) † attended the Committee The following also attended, pursuant to Standing Order No. 119(6): Cash, Mr William (Stone) (Con) 3 European Committee CHOUSE OF COMMONS Europe for Citizens 4 programme is justified and a worthwhile use of public European Committee C funds, and indicate what position he intends to take when the draft regulation returns to the Council of Wednesday 2 April 2014 Ministers for formal approval and adoption. Concerns have been expressed that Government [SIR EDWARD LEIGH in the Chair] delay in scheduling this debate, recommended more than four months ago, has placed in jeopardy funding Europe for Citizens for civil society organisations in the UK planning 8.55 am commemorative events to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the first world war. Whatever view is taken The Chair: Does a member of the European Scrutiny of the appropriateness of using EU funds for events of Committee wish to make a brief opening statement? that nature, the impact of the delay on such organisations is troubling and unsettling. I look forward to hearing Chris Kelly (Dudley South) (Con): It is a great pleasure, why a debate could not have been scheduled much Sir Edward, to serve under your chairmanship. Today’s sooner. debate concerns a draft regulation that establishes funding for the Europe for Citizens programme for 2014 to 2020. The programme draws its inspiration from the 8.59 am provisions on democratic principles in articles 9 to 12 of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, the treaty on European union. Its purpose is to encourage Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey): It is a pleasure to initiatives that make it easier for citizens to engage with serve under your chairmanship. Sir Edward. For the and understand the European Union, including its history benefit of the debate, it will be helpful to set out why we and origins in the aftermath of two world wars. The support this programme. programme has two strands. The first, entitled “Remembrance and European Europe for Citizens is a seven-year programme, which Citizenship”, is concerned with remembrance, including runs until December 2020. It builds on an earlier crimes committed under Nazism and Stalinism, and programme, which covered the period from 2007 to common values associated with European identity 2013. I am pleased to tell the Committee that there have and citizenship. The second, “Democratic Engagement been some crucial improvements to the programme, not and Civic Participation”, seeks to enhance citizens’ least its greater emphasis on commemoration. More understanding of EU institutions and policy making effort will also be put into monitoring it and evaluating processes and encourage greater involvement. The draft the funded projects against published performance regulation is based on article 352 of the treaty on the indicators, as well as boosting the transferability of functioning of the European Union, sometimes referred results to give a better return on investment. To translate to as the flexibility clause, as it authorises the EU to that into English, that means taking the details of take action to achieve a treaty objective in circumstances successful programmes and showing other countries where the necessary powers are lacking under other and organisations how they can benefit from them. treaty provisions. In this case, the Government have The commemoration element of the programme has accepted that article 352 is the correct legal base for been significantly increased. In the previous programme, establishing the Europe for Citizens programme and it amounted to just 4% of the entire budget. It now have taken steps, in accordance with section 8 of the amounts to 20%. In the year in which we begin our European Union Act 2011, to obtain parliamentary commemorations of the great war, I am sure hon. approval by means of an Act of Parliament. The European Members will welcome this increase and encourage Union (Approvals) Act received Royal Assent on 30 January. those who are eligible to benefit to apply for funding The Government broadly support the draft regulation, from the programme. It is important to remember that highlighting synergies with their big society agenda and commemoration goes beyond the great war. It will also the scope for civil society organisations and local authorities include funding to commemorate the second world war, to seek funding to support activities such as town which is particularly relevant with the 70th anniversary twinning. Even before securing a significant reduction of D-day this June, as well as the victims of totalitarian in the budget for the programme—down from ¤229 million regimes including, of course, the holocaust, and victims in the Commission’s original proposal to ¤185 million—the of the Stalinist purges. Government told the European Scrutiny Committee Some 60% of the budget will support measures such that it would have the smallest budget of any of the as twinning. Whatever one’s view of the European spending programmes put forward by the Commission Union, I know that all hon. Members understand the for the 2014 to 2020 funding period. While the figures benefits of twinning and the enjoyment their constituents might appear modest when set against other EU spending gain from it. In my constituency, the beautiful market programmes, they are not insubstantial. The requirement town of Faringdon, a civil war town, is twinned with Le for unanimous agreement in the Council of Ministers Mêle-sur-Sarthe in France and intends to twin with has given the Government considerable leverage to Libcany in the Czech Republic. Wantage, which gives press successfully for a reduction in the programme my constituency its name and is the birthplace of King budget. Alfred, is twinned with Mably in France—we even have Nevertheless, this success should not, in the European a Mably way—and Seesen in Germany. Didcot, a small Scrutiny Committee’s view, blind Ministers to the need village until Brunel brought his railway, is twinned with to scrutinise the justification for every element of EU Planegg in Germany and Meylan in France. Another expenditure with the utmost care. I trust that the Minister example of the kind of programme that is likely to be will explain to us why the Government consider that supported is that championed by the National Council funding for both strands of the Europe for Citizens for Voluntary Organisations. It received ¤100,000 last 5 European Committee C2 APRIL 2014 Europe for Citizens 6 year to support a programme for sharing its experience It is important to allude to the delay that my hon. of how to run voluntary organisations with European Friend mentioned in the opening statement. I want to counterparts. mention the passage of time since the Scrutiny Committee requested a debate on the programme, which is now Like its predecessor, the programme will be implemented taking place. The Government have internal mechanisms through grants based on open calls for proposals and to ensure that all relevant Departments are aware when through service contracts based on calls for tender. It a debate has been recommended. Although these processes will provide for the analysis and dissemination of the can be time-consuming, we take the recommendations results of its activities, supported by regular external very seriously, and seek to schedule debates in a timely and independent evaluation. Priority will be given to manner. Sometimes there are unavoidable delays, but I projects using new working methods or proposing hope we are now coming to the end of a very thorough innovative activities. It is important to stress that this and comprehensive consideration of this important programme has no new impact on UK domestic policies. programme, which, as hon. Members will recall, included These types of activities have been supported since the a full debate during the passage of the European Union programme first began. The 2014 to 2020 Europe for (Approvals) Act earlier this year. Citizens programme will ensure that a source of funding As has already been said, Parliament has now approved at European level will continue to be available to UK these regulations. Once scrutiny is lifted, the UK will civil society organisations.