France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, Georgia, Montenegro, and Poland are the first nine countries to join the new Council of Europe Convention on series co-production, which was signed in Lille yesterday at Series Mania.
This is the first international legal framework intended to support co-productions for TV and streaming, setting clear guidelines to boost cross-border collaboration, support indie producers, and provide transparency and predictability in a volatile sector. At the signing ceremony, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset urged other Council of Europe members to come on board.
“This treaty will better establish the position of independent producers in a market dominated by non-European players, against a backdrop of economic models dictated by algorithms.”
The new convention, he added, represents a “strategic signal for the future resilience of European production—and a reminder that Europe is strongest when policymakers, creators, public service media and industry move together.”
The treaty needs three ratifications, with at least two from Council of Europe member states, to enter into force.
