14/12/2005

"The European Producers Associations Alliance would like to express its indignation regarding the UK EU Presidency's budget proposal for the European Union. In this proposal the part of the budget dedicated to Culture has been drastically reduced. The amount of expenses proposed for the sectors of Culture, Youth, Audiovisual and Public Health (Consumer Protection) has been set at 520 Million Euros. This amount is less than half of what had been proposed by the Commission, after a first compromise. This would mean that the Media Programme would be reduced in real terms. The current MEDIA Programme has a budget of 513 Million Euros over 6 years (2001-2006) and 15 countries. The Commission has budgeted 1055 Million Euros for the next MEDIA Programme for 7 years (2007-2013) and 25/27 countries. It is less, per year, than the budget of one big US film.

At Cannes 2005, the European Producers Associations Alliance, the European Producers Club, the EFEA (European Film Exporters Association) and FIAD (International Federation of Film Distributors Associations) have made new, detailed and ambitious Proposals for Media to efficiently increase the circulation of European films, which is so essential to the construction of our European identity. These proposals are barely achievable in the framework of the budget proposed by the Commission. The European Producers Associations Alliance believes in the pursuit of building a strong Europe. In the past years, the MEDIA Programme has highly demonstrated its effectiveness for the audiovisual industry. The "No" at the French and Dutch referendum, as well as the disagreements on major European issues between countries, reveal an identity crisis in Europe. We all do believe in the pursuit of building a strong Europe and, keeping this in mind, we truly think that we cannot throw away one of the most efficient and recognised programmes that helps to reinforce the European citizenship.
In the very next days the Heads of States will decide the fate of European Films in Europe. It is essential that they support the Commission in its original proposal, which we already consider barely adequate".

Signatories:
Association of Austrian Film Producers - AAFP (Austria)
Satel Fernesh - und Filmproduktions Ges.m.b.h
Fachverband der Audiovisions und Filmindustrie Osterreichs (Austria)
Vlaamse Producentenbond (Belgium)
Eurocinema (Belgium)
Union des Producteurs de Films Francophones - UPFF (Belgium)
Association of Estonian Film Producers (Estonia)
The Association of Independant Producers in Finland (Finland)
Filmakari - Central Organisation of Finnish Film Producers (Finland)
Union des Producteurs de Films - UPF (France)
Syndicat des Producteurs Indépendants - SPI (France)
Chambre Syndicale des Producteurs de Films (France)
Comité des Industries Cinématographiques des Communautés Européennes et de l'Europe extracommunautaire - CICCE (France)
Association des Producteurs Indépendants - API (France)
Neue Arbeitsgemeischaft Deutscher Spielfilm Produzenten (Germany)
Film 20 (Germany)
SAPOE Union of Greek Producers (Greece)
Association of Hungarian Producers (Hungary)
Hungarian Independent Producers Association (Hungary)
Association of Icelandic Film Producers - SIK (Iceland)
Screen Producers Ireland (Ireland)
ANICA (Italy)
Lithuanian Producers Association (Lithuania)
ULPA (Luxembourg)
Nederlandse Vereniging van Speelfilmproducenten - NVS (Netherlands)
Polish Audiovisual Producers Chamber of Commerce - KIPA (Poland)
Associaçao de Produtores de Cinema - APC (Portugal)
Unionea Producatorilor de Film si Audiovizual din Romania (Romania)
Slovak Film Institute (Slovak Republic)
Association of Slovak Audiovisual Producers (Slovakia)
FAPAE (Spain)