30/10/2003

The European bodies responsible for the allocation of finances to cinema and audiovisual works from the member states of the European Union, have had a meeting to send an appeal to Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, making a formal request for the European Commission not to make any changes to the current support mechanisms.
The petition urges the European Commission not to re-examine the whole funding system of the European countries for the year 2004. According to the European film agencies, these forms of help are necessary for the development of cultural politics, since they are designed to be adaptable to the continual evolution of the sectors and the development of an ambitious European cinema. The short timescale of the authorisations would deprive these systems of the necessary stability and legal security.
In addition, the letter also refers to the future EU enlargement , with the 10 new countries joining the union in 2004. The situation for national cinema and European cinema in these countries is particularly precarious. The agencies believe that this change doesn’t alter the indispensable need to continue the national support schemes, and they are urging the Commission to look at creating the conditions to support the efforts of the new EU countries.

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(Translated from French)