1. Cinema was born in Europe and throughout its history, and later that
of television, audiovisual works have played an important cultural, social
and economic role. Today, audiovisual production is one of the most powerful
means for the transmission and shaping of values and attitudes in society
and one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The economic and
political stakes are therefore enormous and European institutions should pay
special attention to the cultural implications.
2. In Europe, the audiovisual sector remains in a precarious and unstable
state and has not been able to take full advantage of the steady growth in
production over the last decade and the rise in cinema admissions. European
audiovisual works may be successful at national level but it is still
difficult for them to cross European borders. For that reason, even if
Europe in terms of consumers is a larger potential market than that of the
United States, most European audiovisual works have budgets which are
insignificant compared to the American “majors”.
3. The Parliamentary Assembly is concerned at the economic implications
for Europe of its ever-growing trade deficit in audiovisual products
vis-ŕ-vis the United States and at the cultural implications of the
dominance of American productions on cinema and television screens in
Europe. Competition in the audiovisual sector is also growing with other
parts of the world, namely Asia and Latin America. The Assembly is also
alarmed that many cinema theatres, especially in town centres, are closing
owing to lack of funds and increased competition from multiplexes.
4. The Assembly has followed the evolution of this question from its
earlier
Recommendation 862 (1979) on
cinema and the state,
Resolution 887
(1987) on European Cinema and Television Year, and
Recommendation 1067 (1987) on the cultural dimension of
broadcasting in Europe. Many of the concerns remain valid today.
5. The difficulties of achieving a truly European dimension for national
audiovisual works lie in the small size of most markets and the cultural and
linguistic differences between European countries. Most local producers and
distributors are small and have modest resources. There are insufficient
funds and structures to establish control over the entire “value chain” of
products – from idea and project development to worldwide distribution in
cinemas and on television – and to develop optimally the successive
exploitation of one and the same product in different formats (known as
“distribution windows”).
6. Many European governments have long realised that the national market
alone will not provide for adequate funding of their film production and
have instituted a number of public support schemes. While vital for
sustaining national film production, these schemes have little or no impact
on the circulation of audiovisual works at the continental level.
7. The real challenge facing the European audiovisual sector at present
is to combine the artistic creativity and cultural diversity of European
works with a truly European dimension, in terms of the cultural values that
these represent and in terms of their market reach. The Assembly welcomes
the efforts in this direction of the two major European programmes,
Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s fund for the co-production, distribution
and exhibition of European cinematographic works, and the MEDIA Plus
programme of the European Union.
8. Co-production plays a special role in that respect as it not only
expands the European dimension of film-making but also increases the chances
of cross-border distribution. The Assembly deplores the lack of funds to
that effect Europe-wide. The MEDIA Plus programme focuses on pre- and
post-production, leaving the financing of production to national schemes
according to the subsidiarity principle. Eurimages remains the only
pan-European scheme for co-production but its annual budget is far from
meeting even the modest demands of the European film industry.
9. The Assembly welcomes provisions in audiovisual legislation and
regulations stemming from Article 10 of the Council of Europe Convention on
Transfrontier Television (ETS No. 132) and Article 4 of the European Union
“Television without Frontiers” Directive, which establish the requirement
for member states to maintain “where practicable” a majority proportion of
transmission time for European works on television. The cinema and
television industry in member countries, in particular the distribution
sector and especially in eastern Europe, need further political and
financial backing in order to abide by this rule.
10. Attempts of countries, especially those with low production capacity
or a restricted linguistic area, to join forces and create regional blocks
for the promotion of national production, should be encouraged. The annual
European Film Awards, the Felix awards, deserve far greater publicity by the
media. Stronger support should also be given to various initiatives which
promote a higher proportion of European films in cinemas – such as the
Europa Cinemas network – and “counter-stream” cultural programming in
cinemas – cinémas d’art et essai in France, AIACE in Italy,
kommunale Kinos in Germany or Folkets Hus Bio in Sweden.
11. The new technologies in
screening and distribution, for instance when cinema theatres download their
programmes electronically and images and sound are received via broadband or
satellite, open new opportunities for wide-reaching dissemination of
audiovisual works. Electronic distribution, however, when
not properly regulated, can easily create unfair competition.
12. The Assembly deplores the
persistent and growing threats to the integrity and special value of culture
in a commercial environment. Audiovisual works, because of their cultural
value, must not be regarded as a simple commodity and treated like any other
service in the framework of the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization.
13. The Assembly therefore
recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
i. regard the development of a
high-quality, culturally diverse and economically competitive European
audiovisual sector as a priority of the cultural policy of the Council of
Europe;
ii. consequently, reinforce the
mandate of the cultural sector and ensure more effective co-ordination
between existing structures, in order not only to observe developments in
the audiovisual sector but also to formulate recommendations and take
appropriate decisions at the political level in the Council of Europe, in
co-operation with the European Union;
iii. engage in a political
initiative vis-ŕ-vis its member states to increase their funding for
Eurimages, along the lines of Assembly
Recommendation 1138 (1990)
on Eurimages;
iv. invite the European Union to
co-operate on increasing funding of pan-European film production, either
by the European Commission participating in Eurimages as a member or by
the EU making use of the capacities and competence of Eurimages in the
administration of an EU-financed production support fund;
v. continue to insist on cultural
diversity as a political justification for maintaining national support
systems for film and audiovisual creation, in line with the aims of the
European Cultural Convention, in order to enable each culture to express
itself and contribute to the rich European cultural heritage;
vi. support the work currently
being carried out to establish an international instrument for the
protection of cultural diversity under the auspices of Unesco and develop
related instruments more appropriate to the European context.
1. Text adopted by the Standing
Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 7 September 2004 (see
Doc. 10253, report of the Committee on Culture, Science and
Education, rapporteur: Ms Milotinova).
