Dear fellow citizens,

As filmmakers and their representative organisations, we understand the power of storytelling to inspire change and shape the world we live in. However, there is another powerful tool to make a difference and impact change: our vote.

The European Parliament prepares new laws and take decisions that shape our daily life and that of many others. European legislation, and the work by Members of the European Parliament, make a real difference for the rights of authors. 

Did you know?

• Thanks to the Parliament’s efforts, the principle of fair and proportionate remuneration was enshrined in the 2019 EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. As a result, several countries improved the legal protection of audiovisual authors.
• The Parliament actively defended the recovery of the cultural sectors following the COVID-19 pandemic and brought attention to the economic insecurity and working conditions of authors and artists. 
• The Parliament raised creators’ concerns against big tech companies, when negotiating the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. Members of the Parliament held big tech accountable for respecting EU copyright law and providing transparency on the content used to train their A.I. models.

Films and culture are not a luxury or forms of entertainment only. They are an essential part of our lives, of telling our stories, our sense of identity and belonging. They foster social cohesion and community. Films and culture are our artistic voices, experiences, and creative productions.

Europe can be proud of its rich cultural production. In 2022, 1 739 feature films were produced in EU countries and 49 000 EU-produced films were screened; 23% of all films available on video-on-demand services were EU films, and 36% of all content broadcasted in the EU was from within the Union. In total, the EU audiovisual market was worth around EUR 95 bn (EAO).  

In the upcoming European elections, your voice matters. In 2019, only half of EU citizens turn up to vote. The global state of democracy is for the first time declining and there are more autocracies than democracies in the world. We can only change this narrative by showing up for a democratic Europe that celebrates its cultural diversity. So, let’s change the turnout and bring our family and friends along in casting our votes.

On 6-9 June, we will vote, and we hope that you will too!

First signatories

SAA Members (European collective management organisations)

• AIPA (Slovenia)
• ALCS (UK)
• Copyswede (Sweden)
• DACIN SARA (Romania)
• DAMA (Spain)
• DeAuteurs, (Belgium)
• DHFR (Croatia)
• DILIA (Czech Republic)
• EAAL (Estonia)
• Filmautor (Bulgaria)
• FilmJus (Hungary)
• FMAA (Albania)
• Kopiosto (Finland)
• La Scam (France)
• LATGA (Lithuania)
• LITA (Slovakia)
• SABAM (Belgium)
• SACD (France)
• SGAE (Spain)
• SPA (Portugal)
• Suissimage (Switzerland)
• VdFS (Austria)
• VG Bild-Kunst (Germany)
• VG WORT (Germany)
• ZAPA (Poland)

 SAA Patrons (European screenwriters and directors)

• Reinhold Bilgeri (Austria)
• Werner Boote (Austria)
• Stijn Coninx (Belgium)
• László Czető Bernát (Hungary)
• Jochen Greve (Germany)
• Ivana Sujová (Slovakia)
• Katarzyna Klimkiewicz (Poland)
• Esmé Lammers (Netherlands)
• Urša Menart (Slovenia)
• Barbara Miller (Switzerland)
• Peter Payer (Austria)
• Paul Powell (UK)
• Volker Schlöndorff (Germany)