Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. European film in the digital era. Bridging cultural diversity and competitiveness

The audiovisual sector has substantial cultural, social and economic significance. It shapes identities, projects values and can be a driver of European integration by contributing to our shared European identity. The sector contributes to growth and jobs in Europe and is a driver for innovation. The audiovisual sector is also noteworthy for being more regulated than other creative sectors and heavily reliant on public funding.

Europe’s film industry is diverse and creative. Its film heritage draws worldwide praise and has inspired several generations of filmmakers and their works. However, while Europe is good at producing a high number of diverse feature films, most European films do not reach all their potential audience in Europe and even less so in the global market. For the most part, films stay on national markets but, even there, some never reach the cinema screen or fail to secure any other distribution channels. This is a missed opportunity for spreading the diversity of European cultures worldwide, for improving competitiveness and for addressing the existing trade deficit with third countries, in particular with the United States.

The digital revolution offers more possibilities and flexibility for distribution and is having a fundamental impact on audience behaviour. It is essential therefore to adapt to the digital era and use its potential to keep existing audiences and reach new ones, and to build bridges between cultural diversity and competitiveness. This comes with challenges: for the industry, in testing new business models and audience development strategies; and for public policies at regional, national and European levels. Transnational policy cooperation and a structured dialogue with the sector at European level are therefore crucial.

This Communication is embedded within the strategic framework presented in the Commission’s Communication on promoting cultural and creative sectors for growth and jobs in the EU and is in line with the Digital Agenda for Europe. The Communication provides a stocktaking of recent developments in the film sector and identifies current challenges in public policies impacting the film sector. It also highlights existing EU instruments that could contribute to the process of adaptation to these challenges.

In all the areas covered, the Communication aims at improving the complementarity between the Member States and the Union policies. It promotes common directions to better embrace the opportunities and address the challenges related to the digital shift while taking account of cultural and linguistic diversity and the varieties of the national audiovisual landscapes, stressing the need for a joint effort to strengthen the global efficiency of existing funding tools for the competitiveness and diversity of the European film sector.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: New European film strategy aims to boost cultural diversity and competitiveness in digital era http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-new-european-film-strategy-aims-to-boost-cultural-diversity-and-competitiveness-in-digital-era/

EUR-Lex: COM(2014)272: Follow the progress of this communication through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2014:272:FIN

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