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Resolution 782 (1982)
Craftsmanship
The Assembly,
1. Having considered the report of its Committee on Culture and Education on craftsmanship (Doc. 4938) ;
2. Emphasising the need to preserve certain craft trades which have lain at the root of our cultural heritage and our civilisation, and still perform an irreplaceable function in the social and cultural life of our society ;
3. Considering that it is desirable in particular to protect the traditions and manufacturing and production techniques of manual trades producing works of art ;
4. Considering that the presence of certain crafts is a significant factor in community life ;
5. Conscious of the threats which technological development and social change pose to craftsmanship in general, with some craft trades being in danger of vanishing unless urgent steps are taken to ensure their survival ;
6. Considering it necessary to encourage or intensify an innovatory approach in craft industries, in order to adapt them better to prevailing economic conditions ;
7. Considering that encouragement must also be given to the technical, economic and commercial training of craftsmen ;
8. Believing, however, that such training will not truly attain its goals unless the value of manual work is properly restored and acknowledged by present-day society ;
9. Underlining, in this connection, the exemplary role of the "European Centre for the Training of Craftsmen in the Conservation of the Architectural Heritage", set up in Venice at the instigation of the Council of Europe, and calling, along the lines of Recommendation 849, on governments and private organisations to create, in particular by endowing scholarships, more opportunities for craftsmen to study at the Centre ;
10. Welcoming the possibility of using video tapes of craftwork in order to interest schoolchildren and also provide a record of the special skills involved in such work ;
11. Supporting the activities of the Steering Committee for Urban Policies and the Architectural Heritage in the field of craftsmanship ;
12. Welcoming the work of the Steering Committee for Social Affairs which was at the origin of Recommendation No. R (81) 13 of the Committee of Ministers on "action in aid of certain declining craft trades in the context of craft activity" ;
13. Considering that these activities cannot really bear tangible fruit unless member states are prepared to set up and develop genuine policies to promote urban and rural craftsmanship ;
14. Calling for fiscal incentives in support of craftsmanship, such as the abolition of VAT on rehabilitation and restoration work,
15. Expresses the wish that existing parliamentary heritage groups, the setting up of which was advocated in its Resolution 667 (1977), call attention to the importance of this matter ;
16. Invites the parliaments of member states to see to it that national policies on craftsmanship take their inspiration from the principles laid down in Recommendation No. R (81) 13 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.