Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the implementation of a programme of support for the European audiovisual sector (MEDIA 2007)’
Date: 2005-02-23
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU financing, European audiovisual area, audiovisual communications policy, audiovisual industry

C 164/76

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

5.7.2005

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Proposal for a decision of the European Parlia-
ment and of the Council concerning the implementation of a programme of support for the Euro-
pean audiovisual sector (MEDIA 2007)’

(2005/C 164/09)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

Having regard to the Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the
implementation of a programme of support for the European audiovisual sector (COM(2004) 470 final —
2004/0151 (COD),

Having regard to the decision of the Council of 9 September 2004 to consult it on this subject, under the
first paragraph of Article 265(1) of the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to the decision of its Bureau of 27 January 2004 to instruct its Commission for Culture and
Education to draw up an opinion on this subject,

Having regard to its draft opinion CdR 303/2004 rev. 1 adopted on 7 December 2004 by its Commission
for Culture and Education (rapporteur: Mr Theodóros Georgákis, Mayor of Ilioúpoli (EL/PES)),

adopted the following opinion at its 58th plenary session on 23/24 February 2005 (meeting of
23 February)

1. The Committee of the Regions' views

medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which in practice form the
backbone of the European market;

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

endorses the unification of

1.1
training, development,
distribution and promotion activities under the umbrella of the
new MEDIA 2007 Programme, as this will guarantee and
strengthen continuity in organised action aimed at developing
and strengthening the European audio-visual area;

1.2 welcomes the proposed budget for implementing the
programme, which amounts to €1,055 billion, pointing out the
need for this to be maintained at high levels in order to cover
the greater needs of the 27 countries (25 Member States plus
Bulgaria and Romania) participating in the programme. The
markets concerned are essentially ‘three-speed’ markets with
considerable disparities as regards the development of
the
audiovisual sector, which can vary from a high level to none at
all. The increase in the said budget is a further acknowledge-
ment of the important role of the audiovisual sector as a
vehicle for the spread of cultural values in the building of a
common European identity and awareness on the part of Euro-
pean citizens;

1.3
endorses the establishment of the principle of ‘positive
discrimination’ in favour of countries with a small capacity for
audiovisual production and/or a limited geographical and
linguistic range, with a view to levelling out the inequalities
and imbalances in comparison with countries having a high
production capacity. The idea of encouraging ‘audiovisually
weak’ countries, such as the new Member States and other
countries whose market has limited dynamism, such as Greece
or Portugal, must inspire the whole MEDIA 2007 Programme.
This policy will contribute to maintaining cultural diversity and
inter-cultural dialogue at European level;

1.4
recognises the need to increase the competitiveness of
the fragmented European audiovisual sector and at the same
time to strengthen the productive structures of small and

1.5
shares the Commission's view that there is an urgent
need to simplify the bureaucratic procedures and mechanisms
for submitting proposals and creating cooperative links in the
European audiovisual sector. Also of particular importance is
transparency in the procedures for selecting candidates. Assess-
ment of the candidatures submitted must always be accompa-
nied by a justification to ensure such transparency;

1.6
endorses the encouragement of mobility on the part of
students and professionals working in the European audiovisual
field to enable them to exchange valuable experience and to
benefit from the knowledge and training of countries which are
advanced in the communications field. Such mobility has
special importance for the new Member States of the EU, but
also for countries with a limited linguistic and geographical
range where the audiovisual sector is not particularly devel-
oped;

1.7
agrees with the support for dubbing, sub-titling and the
creation of multilingual copies of European audiovisual works
with the aim of defending cultural diversity. The digitalisation
of those works is also very important.

2. The Committee of the Regions' recommendations

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

2.1
points out the need for greater emphasis to be placed
on the role played by local and regional communities in
creating the European identity. In the specific field of audiovi-
sual work, regions throughout Europe can, with the proper
support, constitute a driving force for original creation and
maintenance of cultural diversity, and do their bit to help the
competitiveness of the European market;

5.7.2005

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 164/77

calls for Article 6 of

2.2
the programme, concerning
promotion of audiovisual works, to include a specific reference
to the particular role which the regions and local communities
are called upon to play with their special programmes and
activities in the effort to increase the competitiveness of the
European market. It would also be useful to assist and update
the ‘media desks’ which operate at regional level and which are
particularly useful for informing European citizens about devel-
opments in the audiovisual sector;

support

financial

recommends

2.3
for, and organised
communications promotion of, regional and local audiovisual
festivals, which play their own important role in creating and
developing the European identity, enriching its composition
and character with the unique cultural, historical and linguistic
features of local communities and societies. Another step in
this direction could be providing incentives for the making of
more films in small towns and regions of Europe;

2.4
emphasises the need for realisation of the measures
mainly aimed at young people, who are essentially the future
of
the
the European audiovisual sector. The promotion of
works of new European creative artists and the support for
festivals for a young public envisaged in the programme are
steps in this direction, but are not enough. Among the
proposed measures are encouraging mobility of young people
in Member States to enable them to get to know the European
market, and informing and training them on the basis of the
current reality and objective needs of this market;

underlines

the need for

implementation of

2.5
the
measures intended to improve training in the professions of the
audiovisual sector, particularly in countries and regions with a
low audiovisual output and/or with a limited geographical and
linguistic range.
In the countries in question this sector is
barely developed and the need for up-to-date training remains
considerable. Apart from distance learning and the encourage-
it would be worthwhile to refund travel
ment of exchanges,
in training
and participation costs for students taking part

Brussels, 23 February 2005.

programmes and conferences organised in countries which
have an audiovisual tradition;

recommends incentives to promote business coopera-
2.6
tion between companies operating in the European but also in
the global audiovisual area, not only in the production sector
but particularly in that of distribution. As has become clear
from relevant studies as well from actual conditions, the weak-
ness of the distribution system constitutes the basic obstacle to
the circulation of European films on the international market.
According to the results of the recent research carried out by
MEDIA Salles, covering all the films distributed in America and
Canada from 2001 to 2003, films originating from western
European countries were doing worse and worse at the box
office. By contrast, European co-productions showed a steady
increase year by year — the same box-office trend as with
American co-productions — where Americans are the main
producers — with European countries;

appreciates

that Community support,

2.7
from
providing incentives for development of the audiovisual sector
in the stages preceding and following production, must ensure
transparency at all stages of the procedure and must lay down
rules to guarantee the quality of the works produced;

apart

2.8
takes the view that, in the context of the new strategic
objective laid down in Lisbon, emphasis must be placed on
social cohesion, encouraging the contribution of audiovisual
media to combating social exclusion and discrimination, to the
social integration of specific population groups and economic
migrants, and to questions of gender equality;

2.9
believes that encouragement must also be given to
special measures and the production of works directed towards
sensitive groups of citizens such as those with disabilities and
elderly people, and questions relating to the re-integration of
people who have found themselves on the margin of society
for various reasons.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Peter STRAUB