OPUS
National legislations promoting European audiovisual works across Europe

National legislations promoting European audiovisual works across Europe

Welcome to our database dedicated to national legislation concerning the promotion of European audiovisual works across Europe.

Please refer to our European works table if you want to access the database in an Excel format. It offers a full comparison between the countries.

Alternatively, get an export for one specific country:
What are we talking about ?

This database provides a comprehensive overview of how EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK have transposed key articles of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), specifically Articles 13 (1 , 2, and 6), 16 , and 17 on the promotion of European and independent works.

Directive 2018 - Chapter IV - Article 13

1. Member States shall ensure that media service providers of on-demand audiovisual media services under their jurisdiction secure at least a 30% share of European works in their catalogues and ensure prominence of these works.

2. Where Member States require media service providers under their jurisdiction to contribute financially to the production of European works, including via direct investment in content and contribution to national funds, they may also require media service providers targeting audiences in their territories, but established in other Member States to make such financial contributions, which shall be proportionate and non-discriminatory.

6. The obligation imposed pursuant to paragraph 1 and the requirement on media service providers targeting audiences in other Member States set out in paragraph 2 shall not apply to media service providers with a low turnover or a low audience. Member States may also waive such obligations or requirements where they would be impracticable or unjustified by reason of the nature or theme of the audiovisual media services.

Directive 2018 - Chapter VI - Article 16

1. Member States shall ensure, where practicable and by appropriate means, that broadcasters reserve for European works a majority proportion of their transmission time, excluding the time allotted to news, sports events, games, advertising, teletext services and teleshopping. This proportion, having regard to the broadcaster’s informational, educational, cultural and entertainment responsibilities to its viewing public, should be achieved progressively, on the basis of suitable criteria.

2. Where the proportion laid down in paragraph 1 cannot be attained, it must not be lower than the average for 1988 in the Member State concerned.
However, in respect of Greece and Portugal, the year 1988 shall be replaced by the year 1990.

3. Member States shall provide the Commission every 2 years, starting from 3 October 1991, with a report on the application of this Article and Article 17.
That report shall in particular include a statistical statement on the achievement of the proportion referred to in this Article and Article 17 for each of the television programmes falling within the jurisdiction of the Member State concerned, the reasons, in each case, for the failure to attain that proportion and the measures adopted or envisaged in order to achieve it.
The Commission shall inform the other Member States and the European Parliament of the reports, which shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by an opinion. The Commission shall ensure the application of this Article and Article 17 in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The Commission may take account in its opinion, in particular, of progress achieved in relation to previous years, the share of first broadcast works in the programming, the particular circumstances of new television broadcasters and the specific situation of countries with a low audiovisual production capacity or restricted language area.

Directive 2018 - Chapter VI - Article 17 Promotion of European works – quota for independent producers

Member States shall ensure, where practicable and by appropriate means, that broadcasters reserve at least 10 % of their transmission time, excluding the time allotted to news, sports events, games, advertising, teletext services and teleshopping, or alternately, at the discretion of the Member State, at least 10 % of their programming budget, for European works created by producers who are independent of broadcasters. This proportion, having regard to the broadcaster’s informational, educational, cultural and entertainment responsibilities to its viewing public, should be achieved progressively, on the basis of suitable criteria. It must be achieved by earmarking an adequate proportion for recent works, that is to say works transmitted within 5 years of their production.

How to use this website ?

Our user-friendly interface allows you to explore two main sections for each country:

  1. Indicators: Discover the quotas and financial obligations that countries require audiovisual media services to meet.
  2. Transpositions: View the implementation of these requirements in national legislation.
  3. Export results: Download the complete overview of the state of the art in each country in an editable excel file.

Additional resources

For the full text of the AVMSD and its national transpositions, please refer to our AVMSDatabase, supported by the MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

Last update: 30 September 2024


List of countries covered:
Austria, Belgium (German-speaking community), Belgium (Flemish community), Belgium (French community), Belgium (Brussels), Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom.