The Zamora Public Prosecutor's Office has now opened an inquiry into this act of cultural vandalism, to determine whether an offence has been committed and to identify those responsible.

Can the Commission, independently of the action taken at Member State level, intervene to establish those responsible for this act of cultural vandalism?

Irrespective of the measures being carried out in the Member State concerned, and taking into account the harm done to the Commission's image by a project receiving European funding being executed in a manner contrary to that intended, does the Commission intend to impose any kind of sanction on those responsible for this aggression against the cultural heritage, once it has been established who they are?

Preamble The European Union and the countries of the Andean Community, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela: - conscious of the common cultural heritage and the historical, political and economic ties that bind them; - agreeing to follow democratic values and stressing that the respect for human rights, for individual freedoms and for the principle of the constitutional State, which is the cornerstone of the democratic society, governs the domestic and foreign policy of the countries of the European Union and of the Andean Community, and forms the basis of their common project; - considering their support for the rules and principles of international law; - manifesting their interest in regional integration as an instrument for ...[+++] the promotion of a sustainable and harmonious development of peoples, based on the principles of social progress and solidarity among their members; - basing themselves on the relations established by the Cooperation Agreement signed by the European Community and the countries of the Andean Community; - supporting the present level of technical and financial cooperation between the European Union and the countries of the Andean Community; - taking into account the level reached by the dialogue and the instruments of cooperation between the European Union and the Andean countries on the fight against drugs, have decided to impart a lasting and far-reaching perspective to mutual relations.

Mr João de Deus Pinheiro wishes to express his indignation and profound sadness at the bomb attack in the heart of Florence, which killed men, women and children and destroyed for ever a number of masterpieces forming an important part of Europe's, and indeed the world's cultural heritage.

The Commission will provide humanitarian aid for the victims and their families right away, as a symbolic gesture, as well as emergency aid to help pay for the restoration of some of the irreplaceable works which were so brutally damaged and which constitute such an important part of Europe's culture.