Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-01-Speech-1-088"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20020701.7.1-088"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is with some emotion that I am taking the floor today, although I had naturally hoped for a better turnout. It is indeed the last time that I will be delivering a speech in this Parliament, because, as of 1 September, I will be heading the foundation concerned with granting funding in order to improve Flemish cinema. And this is ultimately the object of the work I have been doing here for these three years. This is also what the European Commission is trying to do, namely what I will be trying to do in Flanders and also at European level.
Needless to say, the Commission communication on which my report is based proved to be a very positive step in the right direction. The main merit of the communication – and I make reference to this in my report – is precisely that things will at last become more transparent, mainly in the legal field, and that an attempt has been made to inject some clarity into the ambiguities surrounding what was, and was not, acceptable in the area of state support to the audiovisual sector. We can only applaud this.
However, if we view the communication from a different angle, then it is regrettable that the European Commission seems always to be weighed down by a lack of ambition where audiovisual policy is concerned. A great deal of importance is being attached to compliance with the competitive rules. As if the audiovisual sector in Europe were facing competition. It is extremely remarkable that Europe should invest so much time looking at the situations in the different Member States, while these Member States are being completely crushed by a competitor who is not, however, an EU Member, fortunately. I am talking about the United States, whose film production accounts for 80% to 85% of the cinema visits in most European countries. This is naturally a staggering statistic. In the light of such a disastrous situation, one can only hope that the European Commission will finally succeed in taking a realistic initiative which is of a standard that befits the European Union. After all, it is not set in stone that Europe should lag behind the American film industry.
It is clear, however – and the European Parliament has referred to this in previous reports – that the Member States are having to contend with various handicaps. It is therefore high time that the European Commission showed not only that it is aware of this, which is obviously the case, but also that it is also willing to commit funding.
It remains a crying shame – and the example has been given so many times that it has become a little stale – it remains so illustrative that Europe spends 10 times more on support measures for the tobacco industry than on the media programme. You are better off being an olive grower than a filmmaker in Europe. In this respect, Europe has a clear-cut, outspoken policy. However, in the case of one of the most ambitious sectors is involved where the prospects are most appealing, also in terms of employment, Europe fails to produce the goods. No, I am exaggerating, Europe is present but in an extremely modest way.
As my final appeal in the European Parliament, I would urge the European Parliament to continue to press the European Commission and the Member States hard so that maybe one day, a real European policy will be adopted which will be able to give the European citizens what they are entitled to, namely their own high-quality audiovisual industry."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples