Société des Auteurs Audiovisuels
Society of Audiovisual Authors

The Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA) along with nine other creators’ organisations that include the European Council of Artists (ECA), European Visual Artists (EVA), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), European Writers’ Council (EWC), Federation of European Film Directors (FERA), International Federation of Actors (FIA), International Federation of Musicians (FIM), Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE), and UNI MEI – Global Union for Media, Entertainment and Arts have been actively supporting MEP Gallo’s report.

The adoption of the Gallo report is very important for the European cultural  sector because it represents a good compromise between the different political views and advocates a balanced and fair approach to illegal file sharing, with an emphasis on educational and awareness raising measures rather than repressive provisions, as it has been often inaccurately reported. SAA fully acknowledges the need to create a favourable environment enabling consumers to access creative and in-copyright works of high quality. SAA looks forward to further initiatives promoting better remuneration for creators in the sector, employment and the value of intellectual property as a tool to sustain cultural diversity in Europe.

Other signatory organisations include the European Council of Artists (ECA), European Visual Artists (EVA), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), European Writers’ Council (EWC), Federation of European Film Directors (FERA), International Federation of Actors (FIA), International Federation of Musicians (FIM), Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE), and UNI MEI – Global Union for Media, Entertainment and Arts. The report, drafted by French Conservative Marielle Gallo, was adopted by the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on 1st June, and will be voted on during the week of 20th September in the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg.

The objective of this consultation is to gather views on various issues impacting the cultural and creative industries in Europe - including the audiovisual sector, from business environment to the need to open up a common European space for culture, from capacity building to skills development and worldwide promotion of European creators.

The debate was screen on European Parliament's official channel, Europarl TV, and it is available in all official EU languages.

The SAA Board of Patrons, a body comprised of renowned European audiovisual authors such as Jaco Van Dormael, Notting Hill director Roger Michell and the critically-acclaimed filmmaking duo Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, gave its  full support to Gallo’s report in a letter addressed to all MEPs.  Other patrons of SAA who gave their backing include the multi-award winning Bertrand Tavernier, Marco Tullio Giordana, Agnès Jaoui, Fred Breinersdorfer, Radu Mihăileanu, Carlo Lizzani and other distinguished scriptwriters and film and TV directors.

The report, drafted by French Conservative Marielle Gallo, was adopted by the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on 1^st June, and will be debated and voted this week in the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg. The SAA Board of Patrons believes that Mrs Gallo’s report is a balanced one, which encompasses compromises between different political approaches on crucial provisions. They welcomed the view that copyright is an enabler, “helping creators earn a living and disseminating their works”.

The SAA Board of Patrons urged European decision-makers “not to be taken hostages of a fruitless and ideological debate on whether piracy should be treated differently from counterfeiting” and called on the European Parliament to secure fair remuneration for all the creators, especially if a European online market of quality and culturally diverse content is to be achieved.

Members of the film industry press also covered the launch of the new organisation, namely publications such as Cineuropa, Le Film Français and Sonovision.

Members of the SAA Board of Patrons spoke at the launch event. Marco Tullio Giordana, writer and director of The Best of Youth, recipient of the prestigious Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes Film Festival and Roger Michell, director of Notting Hill, spoke about his own experience as a director of a highly successful film. Luigi Berlinguer, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs warmly welcomed the establishment of the new organisation.