EuroFIA Meeting in Ljubljana

The last meeting of the European group of FIA (EuroFIA) was hosted by GLOSA/ZDUS and took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on November 24-25, 2006. The agenda of the meeting reflected the EU legislative programme with a focus on three main pieces of legislation – the Green Paper on Labour Law, the “Audiovisual Media Services” Directive and the announced Recommendation on private copying remuneration systems.

On labour law, the group decided to concentrate on the definition of worker and operate for an extension of the “employment status” of performers also to include "atypical" work in the sector - usually performers working under short time or part-time contracts with multiple employers, generally referred to as "freelance" in many of the member States.

EuroFIA pledged to work for the establishment of a minimum social protection for genuine self-employed performers and to cooperate with the European institutions for a more coherent definition of this contractual category.

On the draft “Audiovisual Media Services” directive - recently handed back by the European Parliament (first reading) to the Commission – the group criticised the weak extension to non-linear on-demand services of clear obligations fostering the production and distribution of European and independent works. However, EuroFIA deemed the amendments voted by the Parliament an encouraging step forward, e.g. the endorsement (unfortunately only in the recitals of the directive) of voluntary measures for the promotion of European works by the non-linear audiovisual media services, the strict characterization and regulation of product placement, the improved regulation of advertising breaks and the more focused definition of "independent producer".

Future lobbying on this issue will continue to be based on: the rejection of more flexible rules for advertising; the rejection of product integration and the call for a strict regulation of product placement; the full extension of the scope of the Directive to the online audiovisual services, including rules for the promotion of European content and independent productions in the online environment – beyond simple declarations of principles in the recitals.

EuroFIA also discussed the EU Commission’s intention to phase out private copying levies in Europe. The group continues to uphold the importance of the private copying remuneration for performers and disagrees with any alternative that may jeopardize this legitimate source of income in the digital world.

EuroFIA joined forces with other European organizations in the creative industry, under the banner ‘Culture First’, to counter the efforts of equipment and blank media manufacturers and safeguard these levies. The Coalition successfully stalled the process and prevented DG Internal market from releasing a Recommendation to the EU member States that might have wiped out private copying remuneration schemes, to the sole benefit of these corporations.

The group also discussed gender equality, the mobility of dancers and the EuroFIA Dance Passport scheme. EuroFIA is envisaging a project with EU financial support, which would focus on the qualitative dimension of gender discrimination, aiming at promoting a different and positive image of women in theatre, television and cinema, with a specific focus on mature actresses. The Dance passport was extended to FIA affiliates in the new EU member States and work started on a collection of information on performers’ pension and career-transition schemes.

The next EuroFIA meeting will take place in Bucharest, Romania, on 1-2 June 2007.

Resolution against the discrimination of performers and other cultural workers in Slovenia
Resolution for the promotion of the status of the artist in Portugal