The European Union’s engagement in the audiovisual sector
includes two aspects, one bound to the market and especially
to crossborder television regulations, the other bound to financial
support supplied by the Media Program.
TELEVISION WITHOUT FRONTIERS
The 1989 “Television without Frontiers” directive
(89/552/EEC), revised in 1997 (97/36/EC), installed a legal
framework for the free circulation of television services within
the European Union. Member States must assure freedom of reception
and must not obstruct the retransmission of programs from other
Member States on their territory. The directive also aims to
ensure pluralism, cultural diversity, access to important events,
protection of intellectual property rights, protection of minors
and consumers, control of the maximum volume of advertisements,
right of correction, and promotions of European films and programs.
In December 2005 the Commission adopted a new directive proposal
in this matter, in order to adapt the existing regulations to
the sector’s technological developments. The proposal’s
most relevant changes regard the field of application, the jurisdiction
of the country of origin of transmissions, the simplification
of advertising laws and the access to European works.
Italy, which participates together with the other Member States
in the recently started discussions under the Austrian Presidency,
looks with interest to the efforts to simplify the regulation
framework and bring it up to date. Among the various problems
that have arisen, the one regarding the directive’s field
of application definitely needs to be examined and resolved,
beginning with the proposed basic distinction between “linear”
services, which include traditional television services already
governed by the TV Without Frontiers directive, and the so-called
“non-linear” services, where the spectator can autonomously
choose the contents offered and the times of use thanks to the
availability of new technologies.
MEDIA 2007 PROGRAM
The proposal for the Media 2007 program for the support of
the European audiovisual sector has its origin in the present
Media Training and Media Plus programs, and foresees a financial
endowment of 1.055 million Euro for the 2007–2013 period.
The objectives of the new program are the following:
1) To defend and promote European cultural diversity and its
audiovisual and film wealth by favoring intercultural dialogue;
2) To increase the circulation of European works both inside
and outside the Union;
3) To strengthen the competitiveness of the European film industry.
Italy, which recognizes the strategic importance of the European
audiovisual sector, is in favor of a rapid approval of the decision
for the institution of the program. Also, seeing the particular
importance of such a financial instrument for the Italian audiovisual
industry, Italy favors the maintaining of an adequate financial
endowment for the program for the 2007-2013 period.
