Portugal

[PT] Parliament Revokes the Cinema, Audiovisual, and Multimedia Law

IRIS 1999-6:1/14

Helena Sousa

Communication and Society Research Centre, University of Minho

On 29 April 1999, the Portuguese Parliament revoked Law decree nº15/99 of 15 January 1999 on Cinema, Audiovisual and Multimedia. The law decree 15/99 was approved by the Council of Ministers and regulated the sector since early this year but the opposition parties struck down the legal framework defined by the government for this sector. Thus bringing back into effect the former Cinema and Audiovisual law of 1993 (Law decree nº 350/93 of 7 October 1993).

According to the introductory words of the Law decree nº 15/99, this new legal tool was necessary because the previous law was `insufficient' and `inadequate' for the new audiovisual/multimedia environment. The new law decree perceives cinema, audiovisual and multimedia as converging areas and expects to take advantage from fast-moving developments in the information society context. This law regulates a number of aspects of the cinema/audiovisual area such as the support of artistic production, distribution, exhibition, audiences, and the maintenance and preservation of audiovisual archives.

The Popular Party was nevertheless dissatisfied with this law decree and required a Parliamentary review. The Law decree nº15/99 was therefore discussed on 23 April 1999 and, on 29 April 1999, all opposition parties voted for the repeal of the existing law, arguing that the document was contradictory and unlikely to create the right conditions for the development of a cinema industry in Portugal.