Brussels, 05/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - Meeting in the morning of 5 November under the chairmanship of the Belgian Minister for Arts, Literature and the Audiovisual, Richard Miller, the EU's Audiovisual Council saw important breakthroughs regarding the cinema sector, and other services like the Internet and television. European Commissioner Viviane Reding presented two communications, eagerly awaited by professionals in the sector: one on the cinema (which is in two parts, on national cinema backing schemes, and on ways of improving the conservation of the European cinema heritage and on the distribution of films: see EUROPE OF 29 September, p.13); - the other on the financing of public broadcasting services (which enhances the sector's legal security: see EUROPE of 19 October, p.16).
The Council also adopted the resolution put forward by the Belgian Presidency on developing the audiovisual sector. "This resolution will possibly mark a turning point in the development of the European cinema, as it demonstrates a genuine desire to broach problems from a cultural, competitive and industrial point of view, and to develop European cinema notably faced with American competition", Richard Miller commented at a press conference, adding that the resolution also demonstrated "a very strong commitment on the part of European Commissioners to a European cinema with a clearly established legal foundation", and the need to reconcile the economic and cultural dimensions of film production. He then concluded: "While preserving the fundamental criteria of cultural specificity, we must not let author-based cinema, which marks European diversity, be contained in a cultural ghetto".
Recalling the progress made at the ministerial meeting of 5 and 6 October in Mons regarding the cinema (consolidation of State aid, importance of the EIB for the audiovisual sector: see EUROPE of 12 October, pp. 17/18), Viviane Reding considered that this Council had "officially consolidated the European audiovisual sector". She then added, "We are defending this rationale both inside Europe and outside. Let's be clear, in Doha we shall not place into question our national aid to the European audiovisual sector". Regarding the funding of public broadcasting services, Ms. Reding recalled that "it is the first time, in the Commission's history, that a Commissioner for competition and a Commissioner for culture have worked hand in hand to support the strengthening of our cultural diversity", while confirming that "it is up to Member States, on the basis of Treaty rules, to determine how to help their public service, which certainly cannot be aligned". "Governments will decide on the contents of their public service, by defining the tasks and choose how these should be financed (…) Finally, the public service will be monitored by an independent Institution or Authority, that States will set up", she concluded, considering that "the ball is now in the court of national governments".
Developing the audiovisual sector: the resolution places emphasis on financial means
By adopting this Belgian Presidency resolution, the Council in particular calls on: 1) the Commission and Member States to: - study, in the cinema and audiovisual field, how to develop a complementary relationship between financial means from the EU, the private sector, Member States and local and regional entities; - encourage the use of banking and financial institutions and analyse the impact of tax schemes on the development of the audiovisual sector; - pursue the dialogue on issues linked to State aid to cinema and television production; 2) the Commission to: - step up its contribution to the development of the audiovisual sector, basing itself on an approach integrating the cultural, competitive and industrial dimensions; - look at the role of public aid; - study means to provide the European audiovisual sector with a large position at world level, while respecting cultural diversity; 3) Member States to: - ensure that financial incentives to audiovisual production and co-production are of special benefit to works with real interest for the European audiovisual sector.