Memo: State aid: future regime for cinema support

European Commissioners Neelie Kroes, and Viviane Reding, responsible respectively for Competition and Information Society and Media, indicated their intention of proposing a three year extension to the current regime for state aid for film support schemes, as laid down in the 2001 Cinema Communication (extended in 2004 and 2007). The Commissioners took into account the fact that the final report of the study on the economic and cultural impact of territorial conditions in film support schemes does not seem to be conclusive about the economic or cultural impact of territorial conditions in film support schemes and underlines the need for further reflection. At the same time, a three year extension of the current regime will allow further reflection on new trends facing the sector which are not covered by the current Cinema Communication, including support for inter alia digital technology and film distribution, as well as competition among some Member States to attract inward investment from large-scale, mainly US, film production companies.