16/12/2005

The 25 EFAD members (European Film Agencies Directors) draw attention on the importance of the MEDIA programme as European budget is under negotiations.

1/ MEDIA programme is the only European support programme dedicated to cinema and audiovisual. It therefore plays a crucial role in sustaining the development of the cinema and audiovisual industry in Europe, all the more as it notably aims at increasing circulation of European works across member countries. It therefore very concretely contributes to the promotion of cultural diversity in the audiovisual and cinema sector.

2/ As of 2007, after it has already been decided by Member states that MEDIA programme should incorporate new provisions that were found to be necessary by the industry representatives, especially in the key are of digital cinema. The possibility to implement these strategic measures hardly depends on new financial resources for the MEDIA program.

3/ The Commission itself has expressed the need for a significantly higher budget for this programme in the framework of its initial proposal to fully address these challenges.

4/ Within the context of the negotiation of the European budget for 2007-2013, EFAD therefore draw the attention of national governments an of member of the European Parliament to the necessity
- to fully taking into account the importance of the MEDIA programme - to assessing the need to implement new measures as of 2007, for example in the digital area
- to consequently giving the programme appropriate financial means in this respect. (i.e regarding the enlargement of the EU)."

EFAD : European Film Agencies Directors
Filmförderungsanstalt (Germany)
Österreichisches Filminstitut (Austria)
Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté française (Belgium)
Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (Belgium)
Cultural Services of The Ministery of Education and Culture(Cyprus)
Danish Film Institute (Denmark)
Estonian Film Foundation (Estonia)
Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes Audiovisuales (Spagna)
Finnish Film Foundation (Finland)
Centre National de la Cinématographie (France)
Greek Film Center (Grece)
National Film Office (Hungaria)
Irish Film Board (Ireland)
Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Direzione Generale per il Cinema (Italy)
National Film Center (Latvia)
Cinema Departement of the Ministery of Culture (Lithuania)
Film Fund Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Maltese Film Commission (Malta)
Nederlands Fonds v.d. Film (Netherlands)
Cinema Departement of the Ministery of Culture (Poland)
Instituto do Cinema, Audiovisual e Multimedia (Portugal)
Uk Film Council (UK)
Cinema Departement of the Ministery of Culture (Slovakia)
National Film Foundation (Slovenia)
Swedish Film Institute (Sweden)
Czech Film Chamber (Czech Republic)