European channels have met their obligations for TV quotas
Most Member States have devoted more transmission time to European works than they are required to by the Commission in the 'television without frontiers' directive, a report recently adopted by the Commission has shown. Most Member States have introduced more rigorous legislation than laid down by the directive, and the fourth report on its implementation shows that during the period 1997 to 1998 the aim of ensuring a majority of air-time is European in nature has been met. The directive states that at least 50 per cent of transmission time must be reserved for European works with at least 10 per cent of time or 10 per cent of programming budget reserved for independent producers. The report found an increase in broadcasting of European works during the period 1997/98 compared with the preceding period. The average percentage transmission of European works by the major channels was between 50 and 80 per cent with the exception of Portugal, where the proportion was 43 per cent. The main German, French and Italian channels have broadcast approximately 70 per cent of European works. The number of television channels available in Europe is also increasing - from 220 in 1996 to 360 at the end of 1998 - allowing most channels to meet the provisions of the directive regarding independent productions. The channels that failed to achieve the quotas attributed it to the new nature of some channels and their resulting financial weakness leading them to choose non-European programmes, and the difficulty of finding or producing European works for special-interest channels. The Commission expects the gap between Portugal and the other Member States with regard to the broadcasting of European works to close in the figures for 1999. This gap, attributable to private-sector television, is explained by the fragility of the Portuguese production industry in the face of competition from works produced in Brazil. The Commission will re-examine all the provisions of the 'television without frontiers' directive in 2002, in consultation with all interested parties.