Regional seminar in Central and Eastern Europe

Following the success of our first regional seminar in Belgrade (2023), AIPA, ZAPA and the SAA, in partnership with AZAS, are co-organising a second gathering, in Skopje. The focus is on empowering collective management organisations (CMOs) in Central and Eastern Europe so that screenwriters and directors can receive fair remuneration for the use of their works.

Authors first: Copyright as the cornerstone of creativity and culture in the audiovisual sector

Venue: Skopje Marriott Hotel

18 Nov I Authors, rights and the power of a system

13:30-14:00 I Registration and welcome coffee

14:00-14:30 I Opening remarks: framing the stakes and hope

Barbara Hayes, SAA Chair (video greeting)
Michele Woods, Director, WIPO Copyright Law Division (video greeting)
Orhan Murtezani, Minister for EU Affairs, North Macedonia
Christophe Le Rigoleur, the French Ambassador
Gregor Presker, the Slovenian Ambassador

14:30-15:30 I What happens when copyright works - and when it doesn’t?

Teona Strugar Mitevska, screenwriter and director (North Macedonia) via video link
Jana Vozárová, LITA Director (Slovakia)
Kiril Gjozev, AZAS Secretary General (North Macedonia)
Ricardo Gómez Cabaleiro, DAMA Secretary General (Spain)

Moderator: Gregor Štibernik, AIPA Managing Director (Slovenia)

15:30-16:00 I Refreshment Break

16:00-17:00 I The author’s journey - from script to payment: the copyright infrastructure

Srđan Dragojević, screenwriter and director (Serbia)
Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo, screenwriter and director (Estonia)
Cécile Despringre, SAA Secretary General

Moderator: Dejan Iliev, film producer (North Macedonia)

17:00-18:00 I Recent developments in collective rights management: good practices and specific challenges in the region

Stefan Gelineo, UFUS-AFA Director (Serbia)
Gregor Štibernik, AIPA Managing Director (Slovenia)
Kristina Hristova Nikolova, screenwriter (North Macedonia)
Danko Stefanović, DHFA Managing Director (Croatia)

Moderator: Dominik Skoczek, ZAPA Managing Director (Poland)

19 Nov I Building an ecosystem for the region

09:00 - 09:30 I Welcome coffee

9:30-10:30 I What is a sustainable audiovisual environment?

Sylwia Biadun, ZAPA Deputy Director (Poland)
Hrvoje Hribar, screenwriter and director (Croatia)
Klemen Dvornik, director (Slovenia)

Moderator: Cécile Despringre, SAA Secretary General

10:30-11:30 I Building an ecosystem in the Western Balkans

Kiril Gjozev, AZAS Secretary General (North Macedonia)
Andjela Đurković, A-PRAVA Legal Counsel (Montenegro)
Evien Dako, FAAD Managing Director (Albania)
Lirak Celaj, VAPIK Managing Director (Kosovo)

Moderator: Uroš Rožič, AIPA Deputy Managing Director and Head of Legal (Slovenia)

11:30-12:00 I Refreshment Break

12:00-13:00 I Closing remarks: “Skopje call - a joint declaration”

Followed by lunch

The SAA plays a key role in the region fostering exchanges between the CMOs, Intellectual Property Offices, national, European and international institutions. We provide a forum for learning, advancing best practices, and building the networks that strengthen authors' rights across borders.

The conference is hosted by AZAS, the organisation for the collective management of copyright and related film rights in the audiovisual sector in North Macedonia. Its mission is to protect North Macedonian authors, producers, and performers, and to ensure a fair, efficient, and transparent application and distribution of their collective rights.