Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-05-Speech-2-252"
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission is pleased with the report drawn up by Mr Veltroni and the draftsman of the committee’s opinion, and I would like to thank the chair of the competent committee and its members for the pleasing unanimity they have managed to create within their committee on this draft report.
At the same time, with regard to cinema, we can see a significant increase in the number of European successes. So we must not stop, ladies and gentlemen, and I know that I have your support in this, but I need money to be able to carry out the new MEDIA plus programme. This is the great danger that will affect the final decision on this project. I hope that in the interests of European cinema in all our Member States, we will obtain good results in this area at the forthcoming ‘Culture’ Councils.
I would also like to draw the attention of those who are not here now but who have expressed criticism, saying that MEDIA and MEDIA plus only work at European level in addition to national systems that invest in production. The MEDIA plus programme invests in promotion, distribution and digital training.
It is not, therefore, redundant, it is not something superfluous, but something that is absolutely necessary if we want our European films to circulate beyond the borders of their country of production.
With regard to certain proposals contained in Parliament's report on the cinema, the Commission has announced in its communication that it intends to draw up a communication dedicated specifically to the cinematographic sector, which will deal with questions such as the definition of European works, and although Mrs Fraisse is no longer here now, I would nonetheless like to say to her that this will not be easy and that if she wants to give us a hand, it would be very welcome. The Commission communication will also consider State aid to cinematographic production, an issue that concerns us all.
Furthermore, this communication could also assess the need for intervention in this field at Community level and the opportunity to develop financial engineering mechanisms in favour of cinematographic productions. One of today’s speakers has already referred to this. You are well aware – I have said this to you several times – that discussions are underway with the European Investment Bank to create a capital risk fund in the autumn, if appropriate, with the intention of remedying the under-financing of our industry.
At this stage, the Commission takes note of Parliament's comments, but is not yet able to provide any further details. But it must be clearly understood that we fully recognise the importance of public financing for audiovisual production and the need to provide for specific treatment in this area. I would like to emphasise this last statement, as it is of primary importance for our whole political future.
Now, you all know that public service broadcasting is a very sensitive and highly complex issue, and the Commission has clearly explained its position many times, in particular in this communication. Ladies and gentlemen, I agree that public service broadcasting plays a fundamental cultural and social role in our Member States and must therefore be safeguarded and authorised to play its role. In light of technological developments and changes in the market, this role could change, but this subject must be debated in the Member States since, as the Amsterdam Protocol clearly specifies, it is up to the Member States to define the public service broadcasting mandate and decide on its financing system.
The Commission does not intervene in this area and the text on transparency is clear on this point. By virtue of the Treaty, nonetheless, the Commission has a duty to ensure that the financing system does not affect trading conditions and competition in the Community to the detriment of the common good. For the Commission to be able to do its job and in order to assess whether the advantages granted to the businesses in question correspond to the public service goals which are their responsibility, these goals must be defined by the Member State and their financing must be transparent. Any commercial activity practised by these businesses must not, directly or indirectly, benefit from funds intended for public service. Transparency requires this, and I believe that the recent texts issued by the Commission contribute to making these principles understandable, clear and transparent to all.
On this topic, the informal ‘Culture and audiovisual’ Council, which was held in Lille on 20 and 21 July this year, debated the future of public service broadcasting. Certain ministers considered that a new additional stage of the Amsterdam Protocol was necessary, given the rapid technological development in this sector, and I have stated my readiness to discuss this issue with you and with those Ministers in the near future.
It should also be noted that the Commission recently adopted a revised version of the directive on transparency, as I have already mentioned. This directive, most importantly, does not apply to public service broadcasting companies that do not practise any commercial activity. Therefore, the public services defined by the State, with public financing clearly contained in the definition of public service, are not affected by the directive on transparency.
As you know, the Council also supported the Commission's approach in the conclusions approved at its meeting of 16 May this year, which makes for pleasing unanimity. For once, the three institutions seem to be on the same wavelength and in perfect agreement, which makes me very happy.
The concept of universal service is mentioned in the report. In this respect, it should be noted that universal service is a concept borrowed from the telecommunications service, which in my opinion cannot be automatically transposed to the audiovisual sector. Guaranteed access for citizens to certain broadcasting services and certain types of content is a question of defining the public service broadcasting mandate and, in accordance with the Amsterdam Protocol, is therefore the responsibility of the Member States.
The call for a European forum for discussing matters concerning all types of audiovisual content is an interesting proposal which the Commission will consider and study with the interested parties in its examination of the “Television without Frontiers” Directive. It should be noted that, within the framework of the current directive, a contact committee has been created to examine all aspects of audiovisual policy linked to the directive.
With regard to international commercial negotiations in the audiovisual sector, I can tell you that there have been no developments. The Commission has clarified its position many times. It should retain its freedom, acquired during the Uruguay round, to draw up and implement financial and regulatory provisions in the audiovisual sector with a view in particular to safeguarding cultural diversity. In its conclusions of 26 October 1999, the Council gave the Commission to undertake the forthcoming negotiations on services and I can frankly assure you that my colleague, Commissioner Lamy, is in full agreement with this direction. We can be sure that he will safeguard and assist the European audiovisual sector in the way we want, the way you want, and if each person carries out the task assigned to him or her, we will all succeed in future in safeguarding and strengthening our audiovisual service, which is crucial to creating jobs and maintaining cultural pluralism.
In particular, the Commission welcomes Parliament's support on the regulatory principle described in the communication. As you are aware, the Commission is to carry out a series of studies on the audiovisual sector and an extensive consultation with all the interested parties before proposing any revisions of the “Television without Frontiers” Directive, if the analyses suggest a need for this. At this stage, before the research and consultations have been carried out, it would be extremely imprudent to speculate on any changes that might be decided by the experts and politicians.
The Commission takes note of Parliament's comments on this directive and will take due account of them in carrying out the examination planned for the end of 2002. Just one detail, Mr Veltroni; in the Commission’s communication, it did not state that legislation on advertising needed to be revised in order to take account of the new digital technology. It only said that it would carry out a study of this technology in order to verify whether or not a revision was necessary. They will all decide together, however, whether or not a revision is necessary. The Commission also agrees with Parliament that the principle of a clear demarcation between editorial content and advertising should be maintained in all forms of media.
With regard to the comments on the draft report concerning the pluralism of the media, it should be noted here that digital technology and in particular the Internet presents unprecedented possibilities for creating and developing a pluralist society. For example, digital technology allows for a colossal increase in the number of channels, thereby reducing barriers to access for content producers. This – and another speaker has said this – would mean ensuring that access does not end at borders, be they hypothetical or real.
The Internet also, at least potentially, allows each citizen to become a content producer themselves and creates the opportunity for a world-wide forum in which anyone can take part, with the advantages and dangers that that implies. I think that one day we will have to discuss in depth what this advantage may also imply. All of this changes the issue of pluralism, however, and makes it more complex. The obstacles to pluralism in the digital world include poverty and a lack of education and training. This issue was also raised by some Members and is something that prevents the general public from fully participating in the digital age.
The issue of the
digital divide has been raised. It is clear that we should all make a great effort to ensure that the gap between the information rich and the information poor, between those who participate and those who do not, is not too great. I also agree with Mrs Junker when she says that we need to think, but also to propose plans of action to learn to read the media. This is something that is very dear to me, and also to Jacques Lang with whom I have already discussed the possibility of developing this approach. We will succeed, Mrs Junker, because we think that it is very important, not only to know how to read, write and add up, but also to know how to read images. That is something we do not teach our little darlings.
With regard to the operators of digital media, the application of competition law currently seems to constitute an effective means of ensuring pluralism. Nonetheless, other measures could, obviously, also be adopted, in the light of experience of the digital age and in response to Parliament's questions, the Commission will carry out consultations on these issues during its examination of the “Television without Frontiers” Directive.
I would also like to warmly welcome the quasi-unanimity on the MEDIA programme. The digital revolution will open up many new ways of exploiting audiovisual works: video on demand via the Internet, for example. The European industry must be able to make the most of these opportunities. Nonetheless, we know that the European industry is still fragmented and weak in comparison with its American competitor. Progress has already been made, however, in the past ten years. For example, in almost all the Member States now, the most successful television programmes are national productions and not American productions. A change has therefore already taken place."@en1
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