The subsidies came to light in question submitted by London Tory MEP Marina
Yannakoudakis, who branded the grants as “wasteful.”
“The fact that the EU is funding both the EU Chamber Orchestra and the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe is inappropriate at best,” she said.
“These costs fly in the face of common sense. Spending millions of pounds
every year on orchestras which are used to trumpet the achievements of the
EU is an outrage. A thriving cultural sector can produce economic expansion
but the EU is misusing culture to promote a European identity.”
EU culture and education commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said, “Orchestras
operating at EU level can be supported through the culture programme under
the category ‘ambassadors’ which also covers choirs, theatre groups and
dance companies whose activities have a European dimension. Applications for
funding are evaluated on the basis of quality.”
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