15/09/2003

The informal meeting of the EU ministers for the audio-visual sector on the theme of TV Without Frontiers ended yesterday in Siracusa. The event was attended by representatives from 25 European countries, made up of the current 15 EU members and the other 10 countries set to join the Union in 2004.

The three-day meeting featured discussions about the protection of minors and human dignity, advertising, new interactive formats, the Media Plus programme and an idea to provide EU support for TV production.

The proposals put forward by the Italian presidency of the EU included a “Resolution on the conservation of audio-visual works in the European Union'' and a commitment to re-launch European cinema, especially in the field of distribution, which is a very sensitive element of the whole system, given that around 70% of the films distributed in Europe are made in the USA.

"It’s a goal we want to reach as soon as possible – said the Italian Communications minister, Maurizio Gasparri, who was present at Siracusa – because one of the main ways to achieve European integration is through a sharing of cultures. In order to reach this aim, the contribution offered by new communication technologies is enormous".

(Translated from Italian)