“The European Audiovisual Observatory was established in December 1992 as the result of a joint initiative of the 33 Member States of Audiovisual Eureka, the leading European professional organisations in the audiovisual sector, the Council of Europe and the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture).
Entrusted with the task of enhancing the transfer of information and promoting the transparency of the market, the Observatory was affiliated to the Council of Europe through a so-called “partial and enlarged agreement”. Its headquarters are in Strasbourg, France. Its activities supplement the Council of Europe’s work in the media field, particularly that of the Media Division and Eurimages.
The Observatory’s membership currently comprises 36 European States and the European Community, which is represented by the European Commission. It is partly funded by direct contributions from its members and partly through profits from the sale of its products and services.
The audiovisual sector is one of the fastest growing areas of the European economy and a leading global market. The internationalisation and integration of what previously were mostly national media landscapes, boosted by rapid technical progress, mean that the audiovisual sector now stands out above other branches of the economy. As well as huge potential, the dynamism, size and incredible diversity of the sector bring certain challenges for the players involved. One such challenge lies in people’s understanding of the audiovisual sector or of its component parts, over and above linguistic, cultural and national boundaries. Such an understanding depends on reliable, up-to-date information, the need for which has never been as great as it is today.”
