European Audiovisual Observatory: prolonging the Community participation

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Marieke SANDERS-TEN HOLTE (ELDR, NL) adding three new recitals to the proposal: - multimedia and the new technologies will play a greater role in the audiovisual sector. The Observatory could continue to play its important role if its capacity to follow these new developments were strengthened in due course; - although free movement of persons, goods and services is enshrined in the Treaty, the lack of information on the many differences in national regulations in the fields of fiscal and labour law acts as an obstacle to the free movement of audiovisual goods and services. The Observatory could offer a positive contribution by collecting and providing expertise and systematic information in the fields of tax and labour law, copyright and consumer protection law; - the Observatory should be invited to collect data on an annual basis on the levels of television services provided in all Member States of the European Union or of the Council of Europe to assist disabled people, such as subtitling, audio description and sign language.�