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Culture is Democracy, Democracy is Culture – FERA and FSE communication to MEPs
15 July 2024
On 12 July, FERA and FSE, the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe, published a joint communication to Members of the European Parliament, following the elections in June 2024, to congratulate them for their (re)election and to outline the priorities of screen directors and screenwriters for the 2019-2024 term.
The 8-page leaflet, titled “Culture is Democracy, Democracy is Culture”, shines a light on the three main priorities of audiovisual creators:
1) Cultural Diversity and Freedom of Expression: The future of Public Service Broadcasting is faced with political and cultural uncertainties across a number of EU Member States, in which the control of the media and state funding of the arts is seen as electorally advantageous. This poses a serious threat to the freedom of expression, including artistic expression, which is the bedrock of European cultural production.
2) Artificial Intelligence, the AI act and the future of European creation: Although a welcome development, the adoption of the European AI Act, still leaves many open questions. Transparency, consent and remuneration for the use of screenwriters’ and directors’ works remain unsolved and need to be addressed.
3) Ensuring Fair remuneration and Collective Representation for European Screenwriters and Directors: Most audiovisual authors and creators have little access to social benefits and often lack effective collective representation. Their incomes are often low and unstable, which prevents them from building sustainable careers. Title IV Chapter 3 of the 2019 Copyright Directive, intended to protect European authors and performers, and improved by the European Parliament, needs to be effectively implemented into industry practice.
The document continues to highlight policy developments that can be expected in the next five years, such as a potential review of the 2018 Geo-blocking regulation or a new edition of the Creative Europe MEDIA programme as of 2028. Moreover, it contains a number of pointers of how MEPs can support the audiovisual sector and authors.
Find the full document here.
For additional information, see the Cineuropa article here.