France to enact AVMSD directive before year end
May 12, 2020
From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris
The effective enactment of the AVMSD Euro directive has been confirmed for January 1st 2021 by French President Emmanuel Macron as he set out his plan to support the cultural sector during the Covid-19 crisis. He is aiming to have the directive transposed into French law before the end of 2020 so that VoD platforms can start contributing to the financing of local content production by the turn of the year.
But the manner of the incorporation of the ruling – aimed at setting aside a minimum amount of 30 per cent of European content to be offered in the libraries of VoD services – is still unclear.
It was initially meant to be included into the audiovisual reform law that was due for promulgation in 2021 but the health crisis has suspended the public hearing in French Assembly and Senate this spring and summer.
The draft law also plans to transpose the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. The European agenda specified that the AVMSD transposition was to become effective before September 2020.