WRITTEN QUESTION E-1900/99 by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission. MEDIA II Programme ‐ development and distribution (1996-2000).
Date: 1999-10-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing arrangements, EU programme, European audiovisual area, eligibility criteria

18.7.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 203 E/83

(2000/C 203 E/102)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1900/99

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 October 1999)

Subject: MEDIA II Programme (cid:129) development and distribution (1996-2000)

Will the Commission state what agencies (public or private),
institutions, companies, cooperatives and
individuals have been allocated funding (specifying whether payments have already been made) under the
MEDIA II programme for the development and distribution of European audiovisual works (1996-2000)
(budget (cid:129) ECU 265 million, equal to approx. LIT 513 billion) and how much each of them has been
granted?

Has it checked how the amounts have actually been used and whether the proposed measures have been
successfully implemented?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(30 November 1999)

The Commission will forward directly to the Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat-General a
table containing the list of production and distribution companies which have been allocated funding
under the MEDIA II (cid:129) Development and distribution programme from 1996, which was the first year the
programme was implemented, until the first half of 1999.

The Honourable Member should also consult the (cid:145)Commission report on the results obtained under the
MEDIA II (1996-2000) programme from 1 January 1996 to 30 June 1998(cid:146) (1).

As the programme is intended for production and distribution companies, the companies which receive
funding from this programme are essentially private companies whose eligibility is specified in the
guidelines of the calls for proposals. Notices of calls for proposals are published in the Official Journal.
With regard to the selection and monitoring of beneficiaries, allocation of funding is governed by the text
of Council Decision 95/563/EC of 10 July 1995 on the implementation of a programme encouraging the
development and distribution of European audiovisual works (MEDIA II (cid:129) Development and distribution)
(1996-2000) (2). Funding is allocated mainly in the form of repayable loans. Calls for proposals are
published in the Official Journal. The different eligibility and selection criteria which are applicable to the
different support mechanisms in development and distribution are specified by guidelines.

The selection of beneficiaries is carried out by the Commission, with assistance, in accordance with the
methods provided for by the Council Decision: 6 In implementing the programme,
in particular the
technical selection of projects, monitoring and evaluation of projects benefiting from the programme(cid:146)s
funding and actions for networking, the Commission will ensure that it obtains the expertise of acknowl-
edged specialists in the field of the development and distribution of cinema and television works. To this
end,
it can if necessary involve intermediary organisations which, on the basis of their professional
expertise, will provide technical assistance and will formulate proposals for the choice of the beneficiaries,
without prejudice to other selection methods.

Following calls for proposals, the Commission selected four intermediary organisations to provide it with
the necessary technical assistance.

Moreover, the Commission avails itself of panels of independent experts for the process of selecting
beneficiaries. These are recognised professionals in the sector.

Use of funding allocated is determined by the contractual arrangements between the Commission and each
of the beneficiaries. Monitoring is carried out mainly by the Commission, with technical assistance from
the sectoral intermediary organisations which monitor performance of the contracts, and with technical
assistance from the (cid:145)horizontal(cid:146) intermediary organisation which monitors payment/collection; it is also
assisted by random independent audits of the beneficiaries.

With regard to evaluation of the results,
Honourable Member should consult the above report (1).

in terms of the success of the initiatives implemented, the

(1) COM(1999) 91 final.
(2) OJ L 321, 30.12.1995.