Audiovisual industry: development, distribution and promotion of works, MEDIA-Plus 2001-2005

PURPOSE: to reinforce the European audiovisual industry through its development, distribution, and promotion. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Decision 2000/821/EC on the implementation of a programme to encourage the development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works (MEDIA Plus - Development, Distribution and Promotion) (2001-2005). CONTENT: The main objectives of the Programme are as follows: - an improvement in the competitiveness of the European audiovisual sector - including small and medium-sized enterprises - on the European and international markets, by supporting the development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works, taking account of the development of new technologies; - strengthening the sectors which help improve the transnational movement of European works; - respect for and promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe; - enhancing the European audiovisual heritage, in particular by digitisation and networking; - development of the audiovisual sector in countries or regions with a low audiovisual production capacity and/or a restricted linguistic or geographical area and strengthening networking and transnational cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises; - the dissemination of new types of audiovisual content using new technologies. Specific objectives of the Programme in the development field include the following: - to promote, by providing financial support, the development of production projects (dramas for cinema or television, creative documentaries, animated films for television or cinema, works exploiting the audiovisual and cinematographic heritage) submitted by independent enterprises, in particular small and medium-sized, and aimed at the European and international markets; - to promote, by providing financial support, the development of production projects that make use of the new creation, production and dissemination technologies. Specific objectives of the Programme in the fields of distribution and dissemination include: - to strengthen the European distribution sector in the field of cinema by encouraging distributors to invest in the production, acquisition, marketing and promotion of distribution rights and promotion of non-domestic European cinema films; - to foster the wider transnational dissemination of non-domestic European films, on the European and international markets, through initiatives to stimulate their distribution and their screening in cinemas, inter alia by encouraging coordinated marketing strategies; - to strengthen the distribution sector for European works on media intended for private use, by encouraging distributors to invest in digital technology and in the promotion of non-domestic European works; - to promote the movement, in the Community and outside it, of European television programmes produced by independentcompanies by encouraging cooperation between broadcasters, on the one hand, and independent European distributors and producers, on the other hand; - to encourage the creation of catalogues of European works in digital format intended for exploitation on new media; - to support the linguistic diversity of European audiovisual and cinematographic works. Specific objectives of the Programme in the field of promotion and market access include the following: - facilitate and encourage the promotion of European audiovisual and cinematographic works at trade shows, fairs and audiovisual festivals in Europe and around the globe, insofar as such events may play an important role in the promotion of European works and the networking of professionals; - encourage the networking of European operators, by supporting joint activities on the European and international markets by national public or private promotion bodies. As regards financial provisions, beneficiaries of Community support shall provide a substantial proportion of funding, which may include any other public funding. Community funding shall not exceed 50% of the cost of operations. However, in the cases expressly provided for in the Annex, this proportion may reach as much as 60% of the cost of operatons. In conclusion, the financial reference amount for implementation of the Programme for the period 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2005 shall be EUR 350 million. �