19/03/2012 - Concerned parties are invited to submit observations by June 14, 2012

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on suggested criteria to evaluate member state aid to films and the audiovisual sector. These criteria are presented in a draft Communication to which all concerned parties are invited to add their observations by June 14, 2012. The final Communication will have to be adopted by the Commission during the second semester of 2012.

This will be the second and last consultation organised as part of the re-evaluation of current evaluation criteria for state aid to the sector, due to expire at the latest on December 31, 2012. The communication project aims to give state members equal footing and to encourage trans-border productions, by making the best of internal market regulations. It should ensure that European audiences are able to choose from a diverse pool of audiovisual works.

Three great changes are suggested in the draft Communication:

1. to broaden the scope of activities covered by the Communication to include all stages of an audiovisual work’s creation, from concept to broadcasting. Existing regulations are only for aid to production;

2. to limit the part of the budget that has to be spent in the territory handing out the financial aid to no more than 100% of this amount;

3. to impose that, in the systems that calculate the amount of financial aid according to production expenses in a certain territory, such as tax incentives for cinema, this include all production expenses inside the European Economic Area (EEA).

The consultation paper on state aid for cinema and audiovisual works, and other relevant information are available here.

Comments must be sent in before June 14, 2012, to the following email address: Stateaidgreffe@ec.europa.eu

(Translated from French)