Last Friday (26 April) was the World IP Day. This year’s focus was on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and on finding innovative and creative solutions to rethink how we live, work and play. At the SAA we are doing our part towards new solutions addressing authors’ rights and remuneration in Europe!

Before my (and yours I hope) long Easter weekend, I want to give you an update on the SAA’s activities in March, which were mainly about our annual meeting and the European elections.

For me, February always feels too short (even with one day more) and involves two opposing activities: meetings and networking at the Berlinale on one hand and withdrawing to my office to finalise the last year's activity report and prepare for the upcoming SAA General Assembly meeting on the other hand.

January was very much about preparing our plans for this special year of the EU elections, but let’s start from where we closed 2023: AI!

Before wishing you a well-deserved winter break together with your loved ones, I would like to share a few highlights from a short but busy December.

After a busy (and very rainy) November, I am happy to be writing to you with good news from the international stage and Bulgaria - showing that persistent advocacy and close collaboration with partner organisations are keys to success!

In the month of October, I first travelled north from Brussels to Finland, and later to a less cold Serbia. Now, I am writing to you from France, where I am stopping for a few days rest before I am continuing my travels in early November to Switzerland, Bulgaria and Austria. Let me share a few words about my journeys.

In September, we enjoyed Brussels 'Indian summer'. We welcomed the EU Parliament's clarification on EMFA Article 20, we published the SAA position on AI, discussed the Status of Artist with members, met with our Board of Directors and more. 

After the summer, the SAA will take on where it left of before the summer break. We will continue our work following the development in the EU Parliament with the Artists’ Status, European Media Freedom Act, Artificial Intelligence and the European elections 2024. Read Cécile Despringre digest of SAA’s activities during the month of July.

In June, we proudly expanded our Board of SAA Patrons with 3 new Patrons. Our key activities have been our networking lunch with MEPs that we organised on the occasion of the LUX Audience Award, issuing a statement and inviting authors' perspectives on AI, and joining forces on the European Media Freedom Act. 

Among our many activities in May, we welcomed new Patrons, attended meetings and networked during the Cannes Film Festival and we shared updates about the implementation of SatCab II and the Copyright Directives. 

In April we greeted 4 new SAA Patrons, participated in the European Parliament’s consultations on the implementation report of the Creative Europe programme and the EU framework on artists’ status, as well as its draft report on the European Media Freedom Act. I went to Prague for the European committee of CISAC, and we continued supporting our members with legal advice and EU level data for their national advocacy for authors’ rights.